preview

Disney 's The Pastoral Symphony

Better Essays

Disney 's Fantasia (1940) lies in a class separate from all other animations of program music. While its initial reception was less than stellar, it has since become a standard film in home collections. Theatrical performances, games, and many other derivatives of the brand now exist. Despite this, it has also generated a fair amount of controversy. For example, it contains scenes that allude to Darwin’s theory of evolution, and others that display negative racial stereotypes. Yet the most controversial scene at the movie’s premiere was the animation of Beethoven 's Sixth, the Pastoral Symphony. This feature upset many classical music lovers who objected to the idea of giving Beethoven’s symphony an explicit storyline and a set of images that he did not have in mind. The Pastoral Symphony is likely the most familiar example of program music, but most musicians and critics seem to agree that this does not give a free pass to any form of interpretation. In the intro to Fantasia, the narrator addresses this by cautioning the listener that the video clips were created based on the musical interpretations of animators, not of trained musicians. From that cautionary message to articles published as recently as this year, Fantasia remains a topic of controversy, influenced by factors such as audience familiarity and general views on Beethoven himself. The reach of this influence is not limited to reviews of the Pastoral Symphony feature, but rather extends to the whole

Get Access