A series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.A series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.A series of eight famous pieces of classical music, conducted by Leopold Stokowski and interpreted in animation by Walt Disney's team of artists.
- Awards
- 8 wins & 1 nomination total
- Narrator: Deems Taylor overdubs (2000 restoration)
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Mickey Mouse (segment 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice')
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Narrator (1982 version)
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Percussionist
- (uncredited)
- Narrator (1985 version)
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Soloist (segment 'Ave Maria')
- (singing voice)
- (uncredited)
- Violinist
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe animators secretly modeled elements of the Sorcerer in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" on their boss, Walt Disney. The raised eyebrow was regarded as a dead giveaway. They call the character Yen Sid, which is "Disney" spelled backwards.
- GoofsWhen introducing the "Pastoral" sequence, Deems Taylor mixes Greek and Roman names of deities: Bacchus, Vulcan and Diana are Roman; Zeus, Iris and Morpheus are Greek. Apollo is the only one whose Greek and Roman equivalents have the same name.
- Quotes
Mickey Mouse: [Pulling on Stokowski's coat] Mr. Stokowski! Mr. Stokowski!
[Mickey whistles to get Stokowski's attention]
Mickey Mouse: My congratulations, sir!
Leopold Stokowski: [shaking hands with Mickey] Congratulations to you, Mickey!
Mickey Mouse: Gee, thanks! Hehe! Well, so long! I'll be seeing ya!
Leopold Stokowski: Goodbye!
- Crazy creditsThere are no closing credits of any kind. Not even the words "THE END" appear on the screen.
- Alternate versionsBefore the 1990 re-release, the film was shown with no credits other than the title and the RKO logo. Leopold Stokowski received a written credit only on the posters advertising the film. In the film's original roadshow release, not even the title was shown at the beginning of the film - that was saved for the intermission break.
- ConnectionsEdited into A World is Born (1955)
- SoundtracksToccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski (uncredited)
Played by The Philadelphia Orchestra
Conducted by Leopold Stokowski
1. Bach's Toccata- Brilliant silhouettes of the orchestra, and then masterful abstract images. The orchestra played the piece to a phenomenal standard, and I hate to say this, but I actually prefer the piece orchestrated. It was originally written for organ, you see. The best thing about Stokowski is that you see him conducting without a baton, which is exceedingly clever.
2. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker- I recommend you see the ballet, because it is a knockout. This is coming from a classical music lover. The animation was superb in this vignette. The most impressive thing though was the fact that the finishes immediately went into the next scene, without it being hackneyed. The waltz, or Dance of the Snow Fairies, was the highlight of this vignette, reminding me so strongly of Christmas.
3. Dukas's Scorceror's Apprentice- The most famous vignette, is the only vignette to feature in the sequel. YenSid(Disney backwards) has a magic hat, which he leaves lying around, and Mickey Mouse picks it up, and encounters various problems. the animation is very good here, and while I'm not a huge fan of the piece, I still found it enjoyable.
4. Stravinsky's Rite of Spring- This is the only reason why the movie isn't a 10. This vignette is far too long It's longer than the Beethoven. It is an interesting subject, dinosaurs, but the ballet wasn't simplified enough. This was boring, and was better left out. It was only here to give some historical context. However, there was beautiful animation and some lovely instrumental solos. Stravinsky hated what the film did to his work, but anyway I don't like Stravinsky much. I had no problem with the animation or the way it was performed, it was just too long.
5. Beethoven's pastoral Symphony- This is a fantastic piece of music. I am a huge fan of Beethoven, and I have all his 9 symphonies on my IPod. My favourites are this, the Choral and the Eroica. I loved the fact that they chose a Greek mythological setting, because it looked gorgeous. My dad who is a conductor wasn't keen on the centaurs, but I loved the winged horses, Bacchus and Zeus (who competes with Chernabog as the most frightening character of the movie). This vignette was so relaxing to watch; think it as like reciting a poem.
6. Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours-This was the funniest vignette of the film, and one of the many gems of Disney. It was a bit unrealistic of course, but it was fun. At first, I was worried that the most famous scene from the opera La Giaconda, would be ruined by the animation. But it wasn't. It was perfect. Even the elephants and hippos, considering their size, danced so elegantly, I was shocked. This vignette is a must-see if you want some comedy.
7. Mussorgsky's Night on Bare Mountain- Now this was my personal favourite, as when I first watched it when I was 10, and I was terrified of Chernabog. The music is also very hard to play, as the mood is very hard to capture, but this is undoubtedly the finest recording of this music. Chernabog was genuinely frightening, and a masterful creation. And the animation, while dark, matched the music, which is enough to give you nightmares, flawlessly. It was very like a Witch's Sabbath, which was what the composer originally intended. Do you know, that for his underrated fantasy movie Legend, Ridley Scott based Tim Curry's Darkness on Chernabog? Children may find it a bit too frightening, and adults may find it inappropriate, as there is a tiny glimpse of nudity. But it was still an effective vignette, and one of my favourite Disney moments actually.
8. Schubert's Ave Maria- This is a beautiful song, and Stokowski did it justice. The harmonies and animation were perfectly captured. how could you say this was boring? The animation couldn't have been happy looking, it would have completely ruined the mood of the song. It was beautifully sung by Juillietta Novis, who was so quiet that you had to turn the volume up, but that was the intention. The thing that impressed me most, was the complete contrast of this from the Mussorgsky, so the key of Ave Maria was so well chosen. (It is sung in many different keys.) In conclusion, the most underrated of the earlier Disney efforts, is well worth watching and a true animated classic! Also I was offended by the review that said that it was the worst movie ever made, and that the people who love this movie need new taste, that is plain insulting to anyone who grew up with this film. 9/10 Bethany Cox.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 12, 2009
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Bach to Stravinsky and Bach
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,280,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $76,408,097
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $980,798
- Feb 10, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $76,411,819
- Runtime2 hours 4 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1