In 1940, Walt Disney Productions released Fantasia, originally known as The Concert Feature. The idea behind Fantasia was to create an animated concert experience where animation would mix with classical and orchestral pieces to provide a unique entertainment experience, especially with the advent of surround sound in theaters (which Disney financed with participating theaters).
The ultimate goal, which went unfulfilled for many years, was for Fantasia to be a living experience, changing at every re-release. With every new release in theaters some new animated segments would be tied with old pieces or replace them to create a new and vibrant animated concert. Unfortunately, World War 2 and the audiences lukewarm reception to Fantasia left this idea of "the living animated concert" on the cutting-room floor (though in 2000 Disney would release a sequel film Fantasia 2000).
If Fantasia's living concert idea failed, the idea of an anthology film combining animation and music was far more prevalent, particularly with 1946's Make Mine Music (which provided content at a time when most of Disney's writers and animators were focused on the war effort) and the focus of today's review Melody Time, released in 1948.
But where Fantasia focused on combining classical music with animation, Melody Time is decidedly more "contemporary" (at least for the late 1940s). Does this modernity provide a unique feel or date the film?
Let's find out.
