12 Greatest Ever Disney Trailers

Fantasia 2000 represented an ambitious attempt to update Disney’s 1941 cult favourite Fantasia for the 21st century, with the film being screened exclusively in IMAX cinemas for four months before it transferred to regular venues. The trailer for the IMAX version opened in a small screen format, with an introduction from Uncle Walt himself explaining the concept.

This was followed by footage from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the most iconic short from the original Fantasia. As Mickey conducted the waves in his wizard clothing, the scene soon opened to the full screen. This updating of the classic old sequence effectively demonstrated that Fantasia 2000 would adapt the basic concept for an age where animation was no longer the novelty it had been six decades before.

After this impressive intro, we were then shown clips from the six new shorts created for Fantasia 2000. These range from grand spectacles (The Firebird, Pines of Rome) to smaller, more story-focused ones (The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Rhapsody in Blue).

Some of the familiar classical tunes from the soundtrack accompanied this montage, conveying the scale and wonder of the project. The trailer for Fantasia 2000 feels a little dated today, as the visuals lost a great deal of their power when removed from the IMAX format. However, the first teaser remains impressive, due to the size and detail of the images. The Fantasia franchise has always been primarily a technical showcase, and this trailer is incredibly effective on these terms.