Fantasound: Restoring the Soundtrack to Walt Disney's Fantasia

When I received my copy of Fantasia on Blu-ray back in 2010, I was rather disappointed with the quality of the sound treatment the film was given. Considering it'd been 10 years since the last release of the film on home video I was expecting a far superior sound mix than what I ended up getting. Not that the mix was terrible, just not up to par with the Fantasia soundtracks I'd been fortunate enough to grow up with. The 7.1 mix featured on the Blu-ray set honestly sounds more like a quantity-over-quality treatment than anything else; I'd been just as satisfied with a 2.0 track if the clarity and fidelity was phenomenal. (And given today's advanced technology, that's not impossible -- especially for Disney.)

With that said, here's a taste of what I felt the Blu-ray SHOULD have sounded like.

Happy listening!

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Walt
• Disney's
• Fantasia
• Fantasound
• Restoration
• Project
• Stereophonic
• Sound
• Surround
• RKO
• Radio
• Pictures
• Leopold
• Stokowski
• 1940
• Vinyl
• Record
• Album
• Theater
• Cinema
• Animation
• 2D
• Soundtrack

[ForbiddenDouchebag]

It's unfortunate to see (or hear in this case) that a fan with alot of spare time on his hands can make a more stereophonic and immersion restoration than that from Disney's restoration team... but then again, the Fantasia 1940 / 2000 Blu-Ray was a disappointing release overall so I was already baffled.

Great work.

[TonyWDA]

@ForbiddenDouchebag Thank you! n___n

Again, not done mixing it yet, but glad you approve.

What's more disappointing is Disney had an enormous amount of time to dish out a better mix for this release. As soon as I heard "Toccata and Fugue", it was clear something had to be done.

[ForbiddenDouchebag]

@TonyWDA I know. Delayed a whole year for what exactly? What happened to Fantasia World and the other "Fantasia 2006" shorts? (I never saw "Lorenzo" when "Raising Helen" was released and I've been waning to check that out for so long.)

[TonyWDA]

@ForbiddenDouchebag That was just as irritating; lack of new bonus material. I'm glad to have gotten what was previously included on the anthology set, but would it really have been that much trouble to at least offer a "Celebrating Fantasia" featurette?

[TonyWDA]

Wow... looking back on the samples, the stereophonic effects for "Pastoral" and "Toccata & Fugue" are gonna need a lot of work. ._.

[ZidaneWarner]

@TonyWDA Yeah thats what really pissed me off about the blu-ray release. I felt it was just a cash in blu-ray release for the Nic Cage Sorcerer's Apprentice movie. I really hope Disney will do a much better release in the future where they could not only give us a better stereo system, but also a mono version and the Irwin Kostal recordings. As well as all the feature's from the Fantasy Legacy disc and from the blu-ray release and put together in a limited box set.

[hemanshera777]

@TonyWDA due to Mickey Mouse appearing in this, The Sorcerer's Apprentice is my most favorite segments from Fantasia. what's YOUR favorite segment?

[bslatky]

I just got my own copy of the stereo LP record of "Fantasia"!!!!!!!!!!! :DDDDD

[ForbiddenDouchebag]

@TonyWDA Online connection only you forgot to add. Ah screw it, I'm happy with my Anthology set (without the window-boxing of course).

[rolfyboy8]

No copyright claims are going to take away your great ideas like you demonstrated in your video. Ideas give us innovation, and no law in the world should ever mess with innovation. I applaud you.

[Yourfaceisscary1217]

Original is the best.  :-)