New D23 Video features Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, as told by Master Animator

With the next D23 event delayed until 2022, Disney’s fan club is releasing a lot of new content this week. One of the “D23 Fantastic Worlds Celebration” presentations features master animator Eric Goldberg, who talks about Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, both of which are available on Disney+.

It’s a jam packed 15 minute segment, including concept art and an explanation of the simple but sophisticated way that they created the volcano smoke.

Goldberg directed the “Rhapsody in Blue” and “The Carnival of Animals” segments of the latter film.

“The first time I saw it in a movie theatre was fantastic. It wasn’t a great print — it was the 70s — but I sat in the front row, and just watched all this lava flow all over me, and all these great special effects, and I just thought it was a wonderful, wonderful movie. I had seen pieces of it on Wonderful World of Color, but never all in one go.”

His second viewing was in Fantasound, which allowed the soundtrack to play with speaker-by-speaker specificity, following the characters about. “I’ve never seen another print like that.”

Goldberg found the expert synchronization of music and animation inspirational. He was later mentored by Art Babbit, who animated the Thistle Dance, and Zeus in the Pastoral Symphony.

The animator talks about the challenges in producing new segments for Fantasia 2000. Goldberg’s wife served as an art director on the film, and he talks about the role her color choices play in the storytelling.

Have you watched Fantasia or Fantasia 2000? What are your favorite memories of the films? Let us know in the comments.