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#Gift It seems almost pointless reviewing Disney's classic reissues on Blu-ray because the films themselves are familiar and the Hi-Def restoration work is guaranteed to impress. The personnel behind the HD remastering of releases of classic animated films from the Disney vault have established a standard of excellence that they are sure to meet with every new release. It is intriguing to think that movies such as Fantasia and the previously released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs probably look better now than they ever have before. Today's audiences have the privilege of seeing them looking more pristine and sounding clearer than audiences contemporary with their original release could have imagined possible.

Given the superlatives above, it goes without saying that both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 look fabulous. This can be expected from the latter because it was made relatively recently. The restoration work on Fantasia is all the more...

Hard to believe, but it’s been 70 years since Walt Disney first released his Technicolor triumph, Fantasia. Still one of his, and the studio’s, most ambitious projects, Fantasia remains a remarkable achievement of animation, sound and art. And now, for this first time on Blu-ray, this Disney classic is with us once more.

With dialogue used sparingly throughout, Fantasia is a collection of eight animated segments, all set to pieces of classical music. Conducted by Brit conductor Leopold Stokowski and performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, each segment is introduced by composer and critic Deems Taylor, who explains the narrative, or lack thereof, the music involved, and the images we’re about to explore.

What follows in each segment is nothing short of genius on Disney’s part. Each one is a work of dedication, beauty, and what Disney himself would call ‘pure animation’. Making use of classic pieces Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,...

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has official announced the full specs for its upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of Fantasia. The former, which dates from 1940, has become one of Disney's most admired classics. If the quality of remastering for a hi-def release is anything like that of Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, animation fans are in for a visual and auditory treat.

The Blu-ray edition of The Fantasia and Fantasia 2000: 2-Movie Collection Special Edition will be a 4-disc release that includes both the original film and its turn-of-the-millennium follow-up. Like the original, Fantasia 2000 is a lively mix of classical music and animated imagery. The 'cast' includes a host of famous names, including Steve Martin, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, Angela Lansbury, Itzhak Perlman and Quincy Jones.

Among the special features on the Blu-ray will be the Academy Award® nominated short Destino.