Walt Disney's Fantasia: Remastered Original Soundtrack Edition

For fans of FANTASIA this CD is a nice companion to the DVD. You can relive the magic of the film with the audio tracks of the amazingly vivid and expressive performances of Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Those who just listen to the CD will probably be puzzled by the somewhat odd sound of the recording. These tracks were never intended for home listening. The selections for FANTASIA, with one exception, were recorded in 1939 in Philadelphia on film using a pioneering multitrack system. At a time when stereo recording was still just an experiment at Bell Labs, Disney recorded Stokowski and the Philly Orch using four or more different tracks (all on separate film reels) for a multi-dimensional audio experience. The resulting "Fantasound" was only ever presented at just a few select theatres at the original FANTASIA "road-show" engagements.

This revolutionary sound recording sadly has mostly been lost. When FANTASIA was put into general...Read more

I agree with the numerous reviewers who bemoan the questionable sound quality on these CDs. FANTASIA was revolutionary for its time, featuring multitrack "Fantasound" audio 13 years before the first "stereo" films were released. In the opinions of many, FANTASIA was one of Disney's greatest moments, and it remains a visual masterpiece 66 years after its initial release. The music in the film was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Leopold Stokowski, who was one of the (if not THE) most prominent conductors in the country at the time. The Fantasound recordings must have indeed been impressive to say the least, if one was fortunate enough to see the film in one of the few theatres where it was presented as such. However, since the audio equipment necessary for Fantasound was very expensive for theatres to install, the audio tracks were mixed to conventional monaural for general theatrical release. The mono soundtrack has remained through subsequent...Read more

Let me say up front that I am not an audiophile. Unless something is really good or really bad, it pretty much all sounds the same to me. Additionally, I bought this recording of Fantasia to play on the little nursery CD player in my toddler's room. It does not have the greatest sound quality to begin with, but it suits my purpose, and my three year old can change her own CDs.

WE LOVE FANTASIA. This is the only CD that my daughter will go to sleep to. She listens to it every night. She tells me the stories of the ice skating fairies, the dancing mushrooms, and the swimming fish. She recognizes excerpts from the Nutcracker Suite where ever she hears them. I hear her humming snatches of the various pieces. She also tells me the story of "Magic Mickey" (i.e., The Sorcerer's Apprentice) every night. She recognizes exactly what is going on by the various movements, and has only seen the Fantasia DVD twice. Clearly, she sees the pictures in her head. This is a very...Read more