The Fantasia That Never Was

     One of the things that has always interested me the most in the animation world are the projects that don’t make it.  Whether it’s Pixar’s cancelled “Newt” or Disney’s “King of the Elves”, sometimes animation is just shelved before it ever really gets off the ground.  Yet sometimes, rarely, but sometimes, a movie will be shelved mid-production.  Such was the case for Disney’s Fantasia 2006, a proposed follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Fantasia 2000.  While the film was cancelled (probably due to the modest box-office gross of Fantasia 2000), four shorts were fully completed for the project and quietly released in various forms.  I’ve compiled three of the four for your viewing pleasure.

     The first short is the one that I couldn’t find anywhere on the internet.  It’s called “Lorenzo” and is about a cat whose tail has a personality of its own.  The stills I’ve found are stylish and the short sounds amusing but alas, I could not find it.  It was released theatrically with the film “Raising Helen” but hasn’t been released since.  The closest thing I could find was a trailer.  

     The second short is “One by One” a charming piece set to a piece of music from The Lion King’s broadway run.  While relatively short for a Fantasia piece, “One by One” has a great sense of style and heart to it and I dare anyone to watch it and not feel at least a little happy by its conclusion.  This short was released on DVD with “The Lion King 2” as a bonus feature.  

     The third short is “Destino”, a project that has been in development since the 40s.  Originally a partnership between Salivdor Dali and Walt Disney himself, “Destino” is a weird, surreal trip unlike any Fantasia piece before it.  This is probably because it started out as an individual short but was adopted as one for the potential Fantasia 2006.  This one was quietly released on the Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 DVD and Blu-ray set but can be seen below.  Note, it has some nudity but is nothing offensive.

     Last but certainly not least is, “The Little Match Girl” a sad short based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson.  It’s a heartbreaking tale of a little girl trying to sell matches and has a very un-Disney ending.  It was released on the DVD version of “The Little Mermaid” and is noteworthy for being the last Disney animated piece to use the CAPS system started in the 90s.  

                               

     It’s a shame this project never came to fruition because the shorts are great.  I would have loved to see the end result but at least Disney gave us the chance to view these completed shorts.