--- title: "Fantasia: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/fantasia/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/fantasia" critics_score: 72 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Fantasia (1940): what the critics said Critics' score 72 from 12 reviews: 8 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics take Fantasia on its own terms, as an experiment in setting animation to concert music, and admire the nerve of it. The praise gathers around the ambition first and the drawing second, and the Rite of Spring segment is named more often than any other as the one where reach and craft meet. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is the other fixed point, liked even by those who like little else. The 1940 notices are among the warmest, treating the film as a new kind of entertainment rather than a cartoon. The reservations cluster on taste. Several critics find whole stretches kitsch, and the spread is wide, running from plain enthusiasm to outright dismissal. Time Out is the sharpest dissenter, calling most of the film embarrassing and sparing only Mickey Mouse, while Empire finds the whole thing kitsch with a few sequences still working. The Guardian’s early notice thinks it dallies and lacks the unity of earlier Disney films, a complaint later reviewers echo when they call it uneven. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 1990. The critic praises the 50th-anniversary re-release for restoring the film's original look, sound, and aspect ratio after years of poor presentations. He highlights Disney's pioneering ambition in illustrating classical music with innovative animation techniques. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fantasia-1990) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 November 1940. The review calls the film an exciting new departure in entertainment that captivates the senses and stimulates the imagination through its novel combination of music, color, and animation. It deems the experiment original and provocative, recommending it as enchanting for those open to its fanciful approach. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1940/11/14/archives/the-screen-in-review-walt-disneys-fantasia-an-exciting-new.html) ## Variety — John C. Flinn Sr. Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 November 1940. The review describes the film as a successful experiment lifting animated cartoons and classical music into a higher realm of appeal, with strong segments like the Nutcracker Suite and Rite of Spring. It notes the technical innovations in sound and the wide-ranging entertainment value across its musical selections. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1940/film/reviews/fantasia-1200413303/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2025. The critic calls Fantasia a true cinematic masterpiece with gorgeous, painstaking hand-drawn animation that serves as ideal, thoughtful screen time for children. They single out its integration of classical music, including the Rite of Spring segment depicting evolutionary history and the Pastoral Symphony Greek mythology sequence. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/fantasia-disney-mickey-mouse-movie.html) ## Evening Standard — Derek Malcom Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 April 2012. The critic credits Fantasia with introducing him and many others to classical music, noting how its once-derided or kitsch segments now seem camp or innovative despite changing fashions. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/fantasia-7381223.html) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2010. The review praises Fantasia's ambition as Disney's grand folly and one of its masterpieces for introducing children to classical composers like Stravinsky, despite some uneven segments. It notes the Blu-ray transfer looks excellent with strong filmic representation and colorful animation. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/fantasia-fantasia-2000/) ## The Hollywood Reporter Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2010. The piece highlights the 1940 Fantasia as a classic combining surreal fantasy with symphonic selections, noting its value as part of a limited-time Blu-ray release alongside Fantasia 2000 and various Disney documentaries. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/review-treasure-trove-disney-titles-54799/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 17 July 1941. The film takes eight separate pieces of music conducted by Stokowski and matches them visually with Disney's fancy, including abstract shapes for Bach and a Mickey Mouse cartoon for The Sorcerer's Apprentice. It is not a homogeneous whole like previous Disney films and dallies too long in places, but offers an exciting hint of what Disney might do with human figures. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/17/disney-fantasia-reviewed-archive-1941) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic finds the 50th anniversary re-release a remorselessly kitsch experience overall, though some sequences like the Sorcerer's Apprentice and certain abstractions remain magical and watchable. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fantasia-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Charles Solomon Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 1990. The piece examines the mixed critical and commercial reception of the 1940 release despite its visual ambition, noting how it failed to meet Disney's hopes of elevating animation as high art. It discusses the film's lasting influence and the studio's later reissues that helped secure its classic status. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-07-ca-3186-story.html) ## Time Out — GB Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2014. The critic finds the film a 'conglomeration of tastelessness' overall, with most attempts at illustrating classical music resulting in embarrassing kitsch. Only the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence with Mickey Mouse is singled out as a respectable success. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/fantasia) ## HeyUGuys — Jon Lyus Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2010. The critic hails Fantasia as a classic and cinematic oddity that showcases breathtaking imagination in every frame, making it unlike any other film of its era and a joy decades later. They particularly single out the Rite of Spring segment for its grand visuals and intricate effects, while praising the extensive extras for illuminating the film's turbulent production history. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/fantasia-and-fantasia-2000-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/fantasia.md