Summary
Disney's sequel sets seven new pieces of classical music — plus a return of 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' — to animation, from flying whales soaring to Respighi's 'Pines of Rome' to a jazzy Gershwin day in 1930s New York. Shorter and often brighter than the original, it's an easy fit for a single class period. A great way to hear how an orchestra can paint a city, a flood, or a firebird.
Viewer safety
A few segments get intense: the 'Firebird Suite' finale has a fiery spirit destroy a forest before it regrows, and 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier' has a menacing jack-in-the-box. Nothing graphic, but preview for very young classes.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Fantasia 2000 sets seven new pieces of classical music (and one returning favorite) to animation, from flying whales to a jazzy day in the city.
- Which segment's music and pictures fit together best for you? Explain why.
- 'Rhapsody in Blue' sounds like a busy city. What did the music do to make it feel that way?
- In the finale, how did the music change as the forest was destroyed and then came back to life?
- If you could add a new piece of music to the film, what would you want the animation to show?
Quick work-a-long
Words to know: orchestra, rhapsody, tempo, dynamics, timbre
- Listen for one instrument you can name in any segment. What character, animal, or feeling does it seem to stand for?
- Compare two segments: which felt calm and which felt exciting? Point to what the music was doing in each.