Brehm Center

        This month we invite you to a different type of movie experience--Fantasia/2000.  We saw it on an IMAX screen with surround sound. But whether in this "souped up" version or in neighborhood theaters during its regular summer release, you will experience an amazing visual and audio extravaganza.

        Classical music aficionados among us will applaud a film that showcases the Chicago Symphony under the direction of James Levine. But even Gen Xers and Milleniums will marvel at such pieces as Respighi's "Pines of Rome" for on the screen giant whales not only swim through the ocean but also fly through the air.  Not even the best pop music videos have such incredible visual effects and imagination. Both old and young will find themselves smiling, as Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" becomes the inspiration for a montage of New York scenes (with a nod to caricaturist Al Hirschfeld). We see first an ironworker on the job, and later a wealthy man accompanying his wife on a shopping expedition. But both would secretly rather be playing jazz. Wouldn't we all?!

        Fantasia/2000 is filled with incredible music and whimsical visions that range from the abstract to pictorial themes to full-blown stories. For example bright flashes of color and geometric shapes accompany the opening piece, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. We see frolicking flamingos, one playing with a yo-yo to the sound of Saint Saens' "Carnival of the Animals." Perhaps joy is ubiquitous. And lastly, several pieces, like Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102 tell a story, in this case, the story of the "Steadfast Tin Soldier." Have you ever listened to music that evoked images or stories in your imagination? Here is that activity taken to the sublime. 

        An updating of the original Fantasia, this current version retains only one scene from Walt Disney's classic, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." It will still bring both smiles, sympathy, and a sense of recognition as we see Mickey Mouse wearing his magician's hat, sitting atop a pinnacle, thinking he can orchestrate the cosmos. Somehow his best-laid plans go disastrously out of control, and he is lucky to somehow survive. (There is even a "theological" lesson to be learned here, for all who have eyes to see.) 

        A favorite sequence for us was the retelling of the story of Noah's ark, this time with Donald and Daisy Duck. They round up the animals and march them into and later out of the ark to the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance." In this music-inspired story, Donald and Daisy become separated, and we aren't sure Daisy makes it on the ark. We won't give away the end of the story. (But Covenanter Tim Allen worked for several months on the final kiss. It's a knockout!) 

        While music's importance for a film has long been recognized, Fantasia/2000 shows not only its importance, but also its seminal nature. Music can not only interpret; it can inspire. And here, such inspiration through music has led to visual images. Roy Edward Disney (nephew of Walt) put it best: "Our artists will continue to be moved by the world's great music and excited by the images that music inspires. The desire to experiment and put visual musings into concrete form will always be part of the artist's soul."

        Sure Disney has hyped this movie with accessories and toys, built special IMAX theatres to show it, and consequently raised the ticket price, but it is truly a fantastical experience. We were with people spanning four generations, and the beauty and fun of it inspired us all. As Roy Disney suggests, "A film like Fantasia/2000 provides the perfect format for experiencing the creative spirit in all of us." To him we say "amen"--that is "Amen" to the creative Spirit of God that is in each of us. Go see Fantasia/2000 and celebrate our Creator and his creation. Here is a summer activity for the whole fam