tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post4795825766913747261..comments2024-03-10T00:00:31.355+00:00Comments on BRIAN SIBLEY : his blog: FANTASIA WILL AMAZE-YA!Brian Sibleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02395103557170474777noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-41600246107613865782010-11-17T23:53:47.035+00:002010-11-17T23:53:47.035+00:00That is what I was thinking last night, and I sinc...That is what I was thinking last night, and I sincerely hope that is the case.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-66792167748797774852010-11-17T23:40:13.414+00:002010-11-17T23:40:13.414+00:00Carl – Thanks muchly! Passion is everything! :) Wh...<b>Carl</b> – Thanks muchly! Passion is everything! :) Who, knows, maybe <i>The Hobbit</i> might result in my making the journey "there and back again" – <i><b>again!</b></i><br /><br /><b>Jamie</b> – We <i>must </i>get together soon: your office is only a stone's throw from where we live, you know. Life has been somewhat fraught over the last year and (for a variety of reasons too boring to enumerate) is still far from great. But we really <i>ought</i> to see more (well, <i>anything</i>, really) of one another <i>and</i> Margot whom I think about often and really miss...Brian Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02395103557170474777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-32303400575490194382010-11-17T23:30:06.021+00:002010-11-17T23:30:06.021+00:00Ooh, lovely! It's terrific that Disney keep co...Ooh, lovely! It's terrific that Disney keep coming to you for extras and commentary, Brian! I'm still in the Blu-ray dark ages too, but releases like this may just push me over the edge!!Jamie Badmintonhttp://www.karrotanimation.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-39419023334611670402010-11-17T23:22:34.789+00:002010-11-17T23:22:34.789+00:00Allow me to offer you my most hearty "Congrat...Allow me to offer you my most hearty "Congratulations!" This is especially amazing considering the story you told earlier and the very strong connection you have to this film. Your story took me back to the very few times I too skipped out on school...never to see a film though. I could feel my heart beat a bit faster at the naughtiness of your truancy. :) I'm so happy that it all turned out well for you despite the bittersweet sting of not being able to share your grand adventure. I will definitely have to check out this version of Fantasia. My wife and I were watching parts of the extras on Two Towers and on Return of the King last night and I mentioned to her what a nice guy you were and how much I enjoyed your Peter Jackson book and the all too rare visits over here. Having spent time watching you talk passionately about one of my favorite film trilogies and books of all time, I have no doubt they picked the right person for this DVD. Congrats again.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-28350082300160434652010-11-12T08:17:09.739+00:002010-11-12T08:17:09.739+00:00Not sure it's worth anyone's effort to wat...Not sure it's worth anyone's effort to watch the <i>Film 2010</i> appearance, but very many thanks, <b>James</b>, for the kind words! :)Brian Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02395103557170474777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-8642518517421834282010-11-12T01:24:50.073+00:002010-11-12T01:24:50.073+00:00It is entirely fitting that Disney give you such w...It is entirely fitting that Disney give you such well-deserved platforms for your unmatched expertise and knowledge of its classic films.<br /><br />UK readers can watch Brian's Film 2010 contribution <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/w0zz2/?t=16m50s" rel="nofollow">here</a> until 16 Nov 2010.JKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01158246703206681501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-11505879482668122172010-11-11T23:16:39.941+00:002010-11-11T23:16:39.941+00:00SCB – Bravo, you! I'm still living in the pre-...<b>SCB</b> – Bravo, you! I'm still living in the pre-Blu-ray DVD Dark Ages!<br /><br /><b>Wobble</b> – Thanks! There are other 'extras' that are, I believe, worth a view. It's a bit of a minefield really: if Disney were to put the same stuff on every release, I suspect prospective purchasers would complain that they were being had! But, of course, if they leave stuff off...<br /><br /><b>Suzanne</b> – How interesting! Well, yes, there are some creative and emotional parallels between the goings-on on Bald Mountain and those on Mount Doom! It is, I think, my favourite sequence in the film: so dark and uncompromising. In fact it is so brilliant that the concluding <i>Ave Maria</i> sequence just can't, if you'll pardon the pun, hold a candle to it!<br /><br /><b>Jason</b> – You certainly <i>should</i> see it! Like it's predecessor, it's something of a curate's egg: the best sequences (in my estimation) are the Saint-Saëns flamingos, Stravinsky's <i>Firebird</i> and – utterly brilliant – Gershwin's <i>Rhapsody in Blue</i> animated in the style of the great Al Hirschfeld.<br /><br /><b>Sharon</b> and <b>Boll</b> – Dear friends! Thank you! :><br /><br /><b>Neil-W</b> – The Mushrooms? Yes, a miniature masterpiece. As you say, stunning work by Babbit as is 'The Russian Dance' with Thistles and Orchids for which he was also responsible.<br /><br /><b>Ian</b> – <i>Chitty</i>? I shall have to bribe you to show me a bit of it – the Child Catcher sequence, please!<br /><br /><b>Phil</b> – You ask: "Did young Sibley take to the typewriter, and start writing about <i>Fantasia</i> there and then?" Well, yes! I was so obsessive about Disney that for every one of the films that I saw, I kept a note book in which I logged – at great length – everything I could remember about the visuals and what I thought of the films. In the case of <i>Fantasia</i>, I wrote at length to an adult friend of the family who was my classical music guru (lending me discs and widening my knowledge of music and composers); alas, I don't have my out-going ramblings but I do still have his reply with his critique of the film from which I can reasonably well reconstruct my first response to the film.<br /><br /><b>Ian (again)</b> – <i>WOW!</i> Thanks for that compliment! Anyone who knows you and your exacting level of expectations, will know why I am bowled over by what you say. I am vaguely irked by the one or two pieces of information that got cut for time constraints, but – by and large – I am very happy with the way in which Disney edited my comments, some of which were researched and scripted while others were extemporised reactions to what I was seeing on screen.<br /><br /><b>Boris</b> – I just hope I don't disappoint you and the other animators!<br /><br /><b>Steven</b> – Good for you! I think you've got terrific taste! :)<br /><br /><b>Sharon (again)</b> – Hmmm... What's that saying about Hell freezing over...? I was rather disappointed by the way I was used on <i>Film 2010</i>, mainly because they managed to turn what was essentially an interview about <i>Fantasia</i> into one about <i>Toy Story 3</i>.Brian Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02395103557170474777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-31582186284028948892010-11-11T08:30:12.355+00:002010-11-11T08:30:12.355+00:00Film 2010 does seem to be really dumbed down - oh ...Film 2010 does seem to be really dumbed down - oh for the days of Barry Norman.<br /><br />Mind you, I can think of a perfect replacement for Claudia - and he was giving his real expert opinion on Disney films on the programme on Monday night.SharonMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17369769107190148944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-55954281707546360182010-11-10T15:55:15.437+00:002010-11-10T15:55:15.437+00:00Some of the public I know find "Fantasia"...Some of the public I know find "Fantasia" really boring and I loved the film ever since I first saw it!Steven Hartleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13825398324719609394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-4736445854200241552010-11-10T14:05:45.637+00:002010-11-10T14:05:45.637+00:00Fantasia is still my favorite Disney feature...
I...Fantasia is still my favorite Disney feature...<br /><br />I just purchased a bluray player and watched Beauty And The Beast last night, my first bluray experience at home through my HD projector. I was completely blown away by it.<br />The technology doesn't make the film any better ;) (thought it's pretty good) but the sheer richness of the images astounded me. Needless to say I immediately ordered the first 4 features and cannot wait for them to arrive, nor for Bambi and the other classics to be released on the medium.<br />Fantasia will be the first viewing, and I'm looking forward to repeat the whole thing again right after to listen to your commentary.Boris Hiestandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10899648137868635425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-37023934165259327582010-11-10T12:04:33.582+00:002010-11-10T12:04:33.582+00:00Finally got around to watching this (never seen it...Finally got around to watching this (never seen it before :-O) and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I have now ordered the 2000 version to see the Dali short, based on your recommendation. Your commentary was superb - incredibly well researched and one of the best DVD commentaries I've ever heard. It must have been a LOT of work, but it's essential listening after watching the film.<br /><br />Was somewhat disappointed with the picture quality after the stunning restoration of previous titles like "Beauty and the Beast" or "Sleeping Beauty". The "live" sections all look stunning, but the colours on the main transfer often look a bit washed out and soft. The trailer for "Bambi", out in March next year, looks similar. No doubt we'll get better "Platinum" versions of these titles once they've been left in "the vault" for another few years.<br /><br />Did you catch Film 2010 and the loud F-bomb accidentally broadcast over the top of Winkelman's chat from the production gallery? This was from Grace Dent and showed the biggest problem with the new "dumbed down" program - it seems that being a friend of Winkelman is enough to get you on the programme, rather than an y relevance as a film critic. Dent was there because she loves Joan Rivers and there was a documentary on her to review, but she wouldn't allow the real film critic in the studio to get a word in edgeways, shouting all over him and he just gave up in the end. Things got worse when they tried to review a film about global warming came up and all she could do was keep repeating that she hated hearing bad news and so it was a bad film in her book, again refusing to let the real critics have their say. Real quality!<br /><br />The F-bomb also showed what a farce the BBC's obsession with being "cool" is. The accident happens becasuse the programme goes out live, but there is absolutely nothing on the program to warrant it going out live. Initially, presumably when some luvvie in management said "We must get the kids onboard and have a social media aspect to it", they claimed they were going to involve audience interaction via Twitter and Facebook. As Winkelman herself acknowledged last night, despite millions of tweets they didn't bother looking at even one on the programme (probably just as well as Twitter was awash with how awful the programme was with her now running it instead of Ross). Totally pointless! Personally I think the show is an improvement to the "Ross wearily reading out his review in a deadpan voice to camera" format, but what a shame they didn't go with having a real movie buff running the program. Even Mayo and Kermode as presenters would have given the programme a more serious base than the "daytime TV" one they have now with pointless "Five random things" segments and Claudia doing her "I'm passionate, and that's all that matters" shouty thing all through the programme.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13442419547110456696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-39008164620322702822010-11-10T08:42:22.072+00:002010-11-10T08:42:22.072+00:00Great post, Brian.
I'm actually quite intrigu...Great post, Brian.<br /><br />I'm actually quite intrigued by the lengths young Sibley would go to to get his fix of Disney. It kind of reminds me of the '70s, when the only knowledge we kids had of Disney came from the clips we were shown on Disney Time at Bank Holidays (and the occasional round on Screen Test). Those movies were never on TV in their entirety (and there was no such thing as VHS), and only seemed to get into cinemas on something like a 7-year cycle. So by the time the one you wanted to see came around, your childhood was over!<br /><br />Did young Sibley take to the typewriter, and start writing about Fantasia there and then?Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04216810702125906530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-11469884866984095102010-11-09T17:14:14.308+00:002010-11-09T17:14:14.308+00:00Looking forward to hearing what you have to say on...Looking forward to hearing what you have to say on Film 2010, although all the different Blu-Ray releases are causing confusion and returns even before the title was officially out (with the Blu-Ray available in either DVD-sized packaging or Blu-Ray sized packaging and with as well as the Fantasia 2000 bundle)<br /><br />Quick note to @scb as a Blu-Ray fanatic. "The Sound of Music" is a good Blu-Ray (with very generous extra features) but if you want to show off the best picture quality on your new player can I suggest you check out "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" released just a few weeks ago. It really puts "The Sound of Music" to shame in terms of picture quality and looks like it was shot yesterday!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13442419547110456696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-73148414653459226142010-11-08T22:02:33.688+00:002010-11-08T22:02:33.688+00:00I saw this on a re-release in the early 70's I...I saw this on a re-release in the early 70's I was pretty young but have never forgotten it. It's not a perfect film but the sequences that do work are timeless. <br />Can't imagine a major animation studio putting something this experimental out today.<br />My favourite bit ? probably Art Babbit's mushroom dance. That part, as they say in present day street argot was The Bomb.Neil-Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05254089831617738623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-78436562836532076912010-11-08T19:21:50.252+00:002010-11-08T19:21:50.252+00:00Disney could have found no more enthusiastic a cha...Disney could have found no more enthusiastic a champion for this film nor one as knowledgable !Boll Weavilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03858122220880954456noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-80866443274238899142010-11-08T13:37:55.692+00:002010-11-08T13:37:55.692+00:00What a fabulous blog, Brian. I should imagine that...What a fabulous blog, Brian. I should imagine that it really took something as magical as that for you to play truant.<br /><br />Must set the recorder for tomorrow night.SharonMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17369769107190148944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-27630478942405214382010-11-08T10:16:01.801+00:002010-11-08T10:16:01.801+00:00To this day, I still haven't seen Fantasia 200...To this day, I still haven't seen Fantasia 2000. I really must rectify that.Jason Tammemägihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18123581678203050385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-2705042272550323292010-11-08T07:08:52.684+00:002010-11-08T07:08:52.684+00:00Oh! the memories! I didn't get to see Fantasia...Oh! the memories! I didn't get to see Fantasia until about 25 years ago. Coincidentally, I was reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time at that time too. The sequence of Night on Bald Mountain really made an impression on me since I had just arrived in Mordor! Brrr! To this day, despite Alan Lee's and John Howe's brilliant art work, Mordor looks like Disney's Night on Bald Mountain and the Disney sequence will always be Mordor for me!Suzannenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-81615733613019967452010-11-08T02:31:53.023+00:002010-11-08T02:31:53.023+00:00Excellent article Brian! Congratulations upon you...Excellent article Brian! Congratulations upon your inclusion in the Fantasia Blu Ray disc , it's a pity however that Disney hasn't seen fit to include a full blown documentary on The Making of Fantasia on this first Blu Ray release , as there was a documentary on the previous DVD release - is this a victim of the credit crunch?Wobble The Witch Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09877483326182062232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039080.post-40391564166350916162010-11-08T00:24:55.253+00:002010-11-08T00:24:55.253+00:00Oh wonderful! My new Blu-ray player will get a lov...Oh wonderful! My new Blu-ray player will get a lovely workout with this one.(Yes, I've only just succumbed to getting blu-ray, due to The Sound of Music, of course)<br /><br />Fantastic post (had to use that adjective) and I look forward to hearing my favourite Disney historian on the blu-ray!scbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048966584552769915noreply@blogger.com