10 Fun Facts About Fantasia
Yensid is the name of the sorcerer in the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which is Disney spelled backwards. This is a pretty common Disney trivia fact, but I know not everyone memorized Disney trivia books like I did when I was a child. Did you also know that Walt was the inspiration for Yensid? They gave him Walt’s infamous eyebrow raise.
Walt’s original idea was Fantasia would be a recurring concert-like event. New sequences would be created and could be swapped around each year. Though storylines were created, the idea did not continue, until 1999 when Fantasia/2000 was released.
Chernabog has a tie to horror movies. Bela Lugosi, who is known for bringing Dracula to the screen, was the inspiration for the character, and even acted as the character model for the iconic demon.
Walt wanted a new type of sound for Fantasia. He wanted the audience to feel like they were watching a live orchestra, so he partnered with RCA to create a new sound system. The system was costly so not all theaters could show Fantasia upon its release. This caused Fantasia to not make a profit until the 60’s after a re-release. Psychedelic advertising campaigns encouraged viewers to go see the movie. The home release of the film wasn’t until the 90s, which is what prompted the idea of a sequel like Walt’s vision.
In the 30’s, Mickey Mouse’s popularity had fallen. Walt wanted to bring him back to the forefront and wanted to do a short of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. This was what inspired the entire film.
Fantasia was completed 4 hours prior to premiering. The final scene “Night on Bald Mountain / Ave Maria” was flown to the premiere to be edited into the film.
John Hench known for his work on Disney theme parks, worked as background artist for Fantasia.
There are 8 pieces played in Fantasia, some are shortened so the movie didn’t go too long. It is the longest running Disney animated film to this day.
Some of the animal characters in the film have names, but there is very little dialogue, so they are never mentioned.
Madame Upanova - black ostrich
Hyancinth Hippo - dancing hippo
Ben Ali Gator - dancing gator
Hop Low - the mushroom
Peter Pegasus - the black flying horse
Jacchus - Bacchus’ donkey
Did you know that Dopey could have been the Sorcerer’s Apprentice? Walt wanted Mickey to star in a feature film, but during development, Dopey was suggested. Do you notice that Mickey’s outfit resembles Dopey’s outfit a bit?
Sources: https://d23.com/15-fascinating-facts-about-fantasia/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83560/10-fantastic-facts-about-fantasiahttps://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Fantasia
