1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,440 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio, Hello, 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,719 Speaker 1: and welcome to This Day in History Class, a show 3 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: that raises the curtain on everyday history and lets it 4 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:17,920 Speaker 1: take a bow. I'm Gabe Bluesier, and today we're celebrating 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,959 Speaker 1: one of Walt Disney's greatest triumphs, a film that elevated 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: the art of animation, redefined the theater going experience, and 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 1: introduced the world to the simple pleasure of ballet dancing hippos. 8 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: The day was November thirteenth, nineteen forty Walt Disney's Fantasia 9 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 1: premiered at the Broadway Theater in New York City. It 10 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: was a full circle moment for Walt in his studio 11 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: and for their original star, Mickey Mouse. He had made 12 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: his debut in Steamboat Willie at that same theater twelve 13 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: years earlier, and while back then he was just a ragged, 14 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: shoeless mouse, as Walt had put it, he was now 15 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: starring in one of the most ambitious projects ever committed 16 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: to film. Fantasia was the company's third full length feature film, 17 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: following their groundbreaking work on Snow White and the Seven 18 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,839 Speaker 1: Dwarfs and Pinocchio. It also proved to be their most 19 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: ambitious work yet, a lavishly produced concert feature composed of 20 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 1: eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music. It 21 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: was a huge departure for a studio and for a 22 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: medium that had been built largely on lively music and 23 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: visual gags. But Disney and his team of animators had 24 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 1: spent the last decade experimenting with new techniques and styles 25 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: in the hope of broadening the scope of what animation 26 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: could be. Their character designs and backgrounds became more detailed 27 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: and expressive, and they started devoting more time to plot 28 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: and character development instead of just gags. All those efforts 29 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: paid off with the release of Snow White in nineteen 30 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: thirty seven. The film earned critical acclaim and broke records 31 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: at the box office, but more importantly, it proved that 32 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:14,679 Speaker 1: animation was a viable medium for storytelling and artistry. Emboldened 33 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: by that success, Walt Disney became even more daring in 34 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: his next projects, testing the limits of the industry and 35 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: blurring the lines between high art and pop culture. Fantasia 36 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: would prove to be his boldest experiment in that regard, or, 37 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: as Walt put it, quote in a profession that has 38 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: been an unending voyage of discovery in the realms of color, sound, 39 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: and motion. Fantasia represents our most exciting adventure. That may 40 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: be true of the final work, but in its earliest form, 41 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: the film was much more modest. In fact, it was 42 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: originally conceived as a single cartoon short. One of the 43 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: Disney studio's most popular ventures at the time was a 44 00:02:55,760 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: long running series of shorts called Silly Symphonies, standalone carts 45 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: tunes based on nursery rhymes and set to music. In 46 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: the wake of snow White, Walt wanted to create a 47 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: more elaborate Silly Symphony using Paul Ducasse's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. 48 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 1: The music was inspired by an ancient legend later popularized 49 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: by the German poet Gerta, which tells the story of 50 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: a mischievous young apprentice who enchants a broom to do 51 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: his work while the old master sorcerer is away. Walt 52 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: envisioned the short as a comeback vehicle for his old pal, 53 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: Mickey Mouse. Once the most popular cartoon character in the world, 54 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: Mickey had begun to slip by the late nineteen thirties, 55 00:03:55,720 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: ceding the spotlight to the studio's more flamboyant characters Donald 56 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: Duck and Goofy. The Sorcerer's Apprentice was meant to make 57 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: audiences fall in love with the mouse all over again, 58 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: so Walt knew it had to be something really special. 59 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: He had artist Fred Moore overhaul Mickey's design, shortening the 60 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: character's nose, adding his now signature white gloves, and giving 61 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: him pupils instead of just solid black ovals. Of course, 62 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: the backbone of any silly symphony was the music, so 63 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 1: to make sure this extra special one really sang, Walt 64 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 1: went out in search of the best musical collaborator he 65 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: could find. He eventually zeroed in on Leopold Stokowski, the 66 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: acclaimed conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. As it turned out, 67 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: the orchestra leader was no stranger to Hollywood, having already 68 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 1: appeared in two hit films, The Big Broadcast of nineteen 69 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,599 Speaker 1: thirty seven, in which he conducts the same back piece 70 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: used in Fantasia and One Hundred Men and a Girl, 71 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 1: with the one hundred men being the Philadelphia Orchestra. With 72 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: Stakowski on board, Disney ramped up production on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, 73 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:10,039 Speaker 1: pouring more and more resources into the project. Eventually, the 74 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,359 Speaker 1: costs ballooned to more than three times the normal budget 75 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,839 Speaker 1: of a silly symphony, and it was decided that the 76 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:18,039 Speaker 1: short would have to be part of a full length 77 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: feature in order to turn a profit. With the help 78 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: of musicologist Deans Taylor, Disney and Stakowski selected seven more 79 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: musical pieces for inclusion, bringing the total to eight. Additional 80 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 1: numbers were considered, but were ultimately set aside for future releases, 81 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: as Walt thought they could reissue the film each year, 82 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:42,039 Speaker 1: keeping some segments while also introducing new ones. Once the 83 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: final roster was decided, co story directors Joe Grant and 84 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: Dick Humor worked out story ideas and themes for each selection. 85 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: At first, the project was known simply as the Concert Feature, 86 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: but Stakowski later suggested Fantasia as a working title. In 87 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 1: classical muse music, a fantasia is a free form composition 88 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: bordering on improvisation. The different styles and moods of the 89 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: various cartoon segments reminded the conductor of a free flowing fantasia, 90 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: and the name stuck. During production, Walt began to think 91 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: of Fantasia not just as a movie, but as a 92 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: sensory film going experience. He toyed with the idea of 93 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: projecting one sequence in three D, and even considered pumping 94 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: scene specific smells into the theater, such as perfume for 95 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: the Nutcracker suite and gunpowder for the Sorcerer's Apprentice. In 96 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: the end, Wilt decided to just focus on the sound instead. 97 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,559 Speaker 1: He and Stokowski wanted to give audiences the rich kind 98 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: of sound that you really only find at a live concert, 99 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,479 Speaker 1: so they made the decision to use a complete symphony 100 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: orchestra for all of the recordings. They even recorded the 101 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: music on Stakowski's home turf, the acoustically perfect Academy of 102 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 1: Music in Philadelphia. But in order to reproduce the fullness 103 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,359 Speaker 1: of the sound in a theater, they had to develop 104 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: a new speaker system, which they dubbed phantasound. It was 105 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: one of the earliest forms of stereophonic surround sound and 106 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 1: was meant to create the illusion of listening to a 107 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: live orchestra as the movie played. The New York Times 108 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: praised the effect and its coverage of Fantasia, saying, quote, 109 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: the music comes not simply from the screen, but from everywhere. 110 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: It is as if a hearer were in the midst 111 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:31,640 Speaker 1: of the music. As the music sweeps to a climax, 112 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: it froths over the proscenium arch, boils into the rear 113 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: of the theatre, all but prances up and down the aisles. 114 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty, Fantasia was first released as a theatrical 115 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: road show, complete with an overture intermission and a printed 116 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: program just like you'd find it a formal concert. It 117 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: played exclusively at thirteen select theaters, all of which had 118 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: agreed to update their equipment to the Phanta sound system. 119 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 1: This involved installing additional speakers all around the auditorium instead 120 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: of just behind the screen, as well as new projectors 121 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: and sound reproduction machines. The Broadway Theater, for example, added 122 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 1: ninety speakers ahead of the film's premiere, with the average 123 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: cost of these upgrades estimated at eighty five thousand dollars. 124 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: There was a lot riding on the success of Fantasia, 125 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: and Walt and his team left nothing on the table 126 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: in their attempts to meet those expectations. An unprecedented amount 127 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: of effort went into the film, and not just in 128 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: terms of sound and scope. For example, the animators brought 129 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: in real life models to study their movements and to 130 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: add further realism to the characters. Horror icon Bela Lagosi 131 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: was one of several actors whose gestures informed the fearsome 132 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: demon Churna Bog in the film's climactic night on Bald 133 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: Mountain sequence, and the graceful steps of world famous dancer 134 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 1: Irina Baronova inspired the character of Mademoiselle Upa Nova, the 135 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: stridge ballerina who shares a stage with Hyacinth Hippo and 136 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: ben Ali Gator in the Dance of the Hours segment. 137 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: That same level of care was put into the other 138 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 1: sequences as well, from consulting with paleontologists on the dinosaurs 139 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 1: and prehistoric animals seen in the Rights of Spring, to 140 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:21,200 Speaker 1: studying the patterns of stained glass windows to achieve the 141 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: look of the forest and the Ava Maria finale. The 142 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: studio put it all on the line with Fantasia and 143 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,320 Speaker 1: then held its collective breath to see if the experiment 144 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 1: had worked. In terms of artistry and entertainment value. It 145 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:39,080 Speaker 1: was an unqualified success. Fantasia was adored by audiences and 146 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:41,959 Speaker 1: critics alike, and it went on to win two special 147 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: awards at the Oscars, one for outstanding contribution to the 148 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 1: advancement for the use of sound and motion pictures, and 149 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,600 Speaker 1: one for widening the scope of the motion picture as 150 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: an art form. In terms of box office receipts, however, 151 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,839 Speaker 1: the film fell far short of its massive two p 152 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 1: point three million dollar budget. Fantasia's high concept and sophisticated 153 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 1: subject matter likely made it feel less accessible than the 154 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 1: studio's earlier films, and being restricted to the handful of 155 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 1: theaters with Phanta sound didn't help either. One of the 156 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 1: biggest hindrances to the film's success, though, was the start 157 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: of World War II, which effectively closed European theater markets 158 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: that had previously accounted for nearly half of Disney's revenue. 159 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 1: On the bright side, Fantasia did have legs, going on 160 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: to run for forty nine consecutive weeks in New York 161 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:39,240 Speaker 1: and nearly as long in Los Angeles. Walt's next film, Dumbo, 162 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:42,439 Speaker 1: was a return to form in terms of profits, as 163 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: it was much simpler and less expensive to produce. Unfortunately, 164 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 1: the sting of Fantasia's initial flop scared him away from 165 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: ever attempting the sequels he had planned. Nonetheless, the Walt 166 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,480 Speaker 1: Disney Company continued to re release Fantasia in the decades 167 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: that followed, and in nineteen sixty nine the film finally 168 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: turned to profit, thanks in large part to a successful 169 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: psychedelic ad campaign aimed directly at counterculture teens. Then, in 170 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety one, the strong sales of Fantasia's first home 171 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:18,840 Speaker 1: video release convinced Disney executives to dust off Walt's plans 172 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,720 Speaker 1: for a follow up film. His nephew, roy E Disney 173 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: spearheaded the project and made sure it didn't fall through 174 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 1: the cracks a second time. The result was nineteen ninety 175 00:11:29,559 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: nine's Fantasia two thousand, a worthy successor that, while not 176 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: as groundbreaking is the original, still delivered on the lofty 177 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: promise of music you can see and pictures you can hear. 178 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 1: Fantasia two thousand also carried the original spirit of innovation, 179 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: becoming the first commercial full length feature to be released 180 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: in Imax, decades ahead of its time. Fantasia was and 181 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: still is, the art of animation at its finest, and 182 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: if you've never had the pleasure of watching the whole film, 183 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: I urge you to correct that. Don't let the two 184 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: hour runtime or the highbrow music scare you away, because, 185 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:11,320 Speaker 1: as Walt himself once put it, perhaps Bach and Beethoven 186 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: are strange bedfellows for Mickey Mouse. But it's all been 187 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: a lot of fun. I'm Gabe Lucier and hopefully you 188 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 1: now know a little more about history today than you 189 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:28,320 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If you have a second and you're so inclined, 190 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 1: considered keeping up with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram 191 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:36,960 Speaker 1: at TDI HC Show. You can also rate and review 192 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,880 Speaker 1: the show on Apple Podcasts, or you can get in 193 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: touch directly by writing to This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. 194 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:48,320 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thank 195 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 196 00:12:51,400 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: for another day in History class.