MovieChat Forums > Fantasia (1941) Discussion > '1991' VHS vs. '2000' DVD

'1991' VHS vs. '2000' DVD

posted 15 years ago by Tom16uk
11 replies | jump to latest

One of the most striking differences between these two releases is of course the final scene of the film. In the 2000 DVD, the film ends right after the Ave Maria scene, which is apparently how it was intended, yet on the 1991 VHS, they used the 'Intermission' footage of the musicians walking away right after Ave Maria to end the film, along with credits.

So, I just thought I'd see which version you guys prefer. Personally, I'm more of a fan of the 1991 ending because to me, seeing the musicians leaving just as they had entered at the beginning of the film wraps it up really nicely. But the best part is that its done with no dialogue or music - just the sounds of them walking away, and its that simplicity which is wonderful.

[–] Blackjack254 15 years ago

the ending was very poorly implimented on the DVD, because the main menu music is the tocatta and fugue,a harsh contrast after "Ave Maria" fades out to nothing.

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[–] cwy2009 15 years ago

Another difference (and a controversial one) is that the 1991 version has Deems Taylor's real voice, whereas in the 2000 restored version, Taylor's voice was dubbed over by actor Corey Burton. See the trivia section.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] cwy2009 15 years ago

Not all the audio was damaged, but they chose to redub the whole film; that was the controversial part. And Burton's voice (not a great one to begin with) was unable to mimic Taylor's voice to satisfaction, which was probably why the whole film had to be redubbed, so the viewers wouldn't hear two different voices. Here is a comparison of the two voices showing they are quite different: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL5skeYNRD8

[–] commanderblue 14 years ago

Not all the audio was damaged, but they chose to redub the whole film; that was the controversial part. And Burton's voice (not a great one to begin with) was unable to mimic Taylor's voice to satisfaction, which was probably why the whole film had to be redubbed, so the viewers wouldn't hear two different voices. Here is a comparison of the two voices showing they are quite different: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL5skeYNRD8

Wow, great find! All I can say is I'm glad to still have my original 1990 VHS copy.

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[–] Wailmer1990 14 years ago

I still have my VHS copy of Fantasia which has the original Deems Taylor narrations. I hope that they were able to fix the damaged audio for the upcoming Blu-ray/DVD release.

[–] Tom16uk 14 years ago

They weren't - the audio is exactly the same as the 2000 DVD release, except that its in 5.1.

[–] moviegeek89-1 14 years ago

how did you find out the dubbing would be the same as the 2000 release?

[–] MattsMovieWatchingWorld 14 years ago

I recently purchased the 2010 DVD that doubles with Fantasia 2000. I'm assuming the 2000 DVD Fantasia is basically identical to mine. I also have an old VHS that was probably released in 1991 or so. I've been comparing the old VHS with my 2010 DVD.

Like you said, the VHS has end credits, and the DVD does not. Apparently they were trying to make it like the original theatrical edition, where programs were distributed with the credits. It's also weird to me that the DVD has longer narrations between the segments, announcement of intermission, and the title card during the intermission instead of at the beginning. I think if it's a home video (VHS or DVD), the intermission should be edited out, the credits should roll, and longer narrations and stuff are optional.

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[–] Wman1996 14 years ago

Hmm, the VHS is better, only slightly.

VHS

Pros:Deem Taylor, Good ending
Cons: Fullscreen

DVD

Pros: Better picture quality, Widescreen
Cons: Abrupt ending, Deems Taylor redub.

[–] Blackjack254 14 years ago

um, Fantasia was filmed in the academy ratio, which is the same as a 4:3 television.

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