Experience the stunning symphonic masterpiece film Fantasia (1940)--as well as Fantasia-related programs, classes, and activities--at The Walt Disney Family Museum throughout the month of August!
Fantasia was a critical turning point for Walt Disney’s career. While the Disney audiences were no strangers to the marriage of music and animation thanks to the Silly Symphonies, Fantasia differed in tone and scope—rather than utilizing music to enhance visual images, it was the experience of music itself, made visual. The unprecedented musical masterpiece also featured the talent of renowned conductor Leopold Stokowski, and led to the development of the stereophonic surround sound system—called Fantasound—the first of its kind.
Since its opening, Fantasia has garnered critical acclaim, and is still considered one of the greatest and most innovative animated films to this day. Immerse yourself in the synesthetic classic of “sheer fantasy” in the Museum’s Fantasia-inspired theater daily at 11am, 1:30pm, and 4pm.
Below is our full August lineup. For tickets for specific programs, please visit our Calendar page.
SCREENINGS + DISCUSSIONS
Film of the Month: Fantasia (1940)
Screens daily at 11am, 1:30pm, and 4pm (except Tuesdays and August 18 & 25)
Free for members or with Museum admission | General: $7 adult, $5 youth
Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary
The Bridge on the Big Screen: Movies Starring the Golden Gate Bridge
A View to a Kill
Saturday, August 18 at 6pm | Theater
Free on a first come, first served basis, tickets available at 10am.
Featured speaker Jim Van Buskirk will introduce the film with a special presentation titled On Location: the Golden Gate Bridge on the Silver Screen. The Golden Gate Bridge has starred in more movies than any other American architectural icon. From Stranded (1935) to The Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), the iconic span appears in a wide range of films including Dark Passage, Superman, Star Trek, Time After Time, It Came from Beneath the Sea, Love Bug, A View to a Kill, Monsters vs. Aliens, Interview with a Vampire, and X-Men. In honor of its 75th anniversary, Van Buskirk, author of Celluloid San Francisco, offers a clip-filled program of hilariously horrifying depictions of the Bay Area’s beloved bridge. After the presentation we will be screening A View to a Kill (1985).
Walt Disney’s Big Little Books
Saturday, August 25 at 3pm | Theater
General: $12 adult, $9 youth | Members: $10 adult, $7 youth
In celebration of National Book Week, Disney author and historian J.B. Kaufman will discuss Disney’s Big Little Books. In discussing how these little gems were assembled, Kaufman will use clips from early Disney films and comic strips to show how original stories often went through interesting adaptations as they were reworked to fit the small book medium.
Look Closer: The Herman Schultheis Notebook
Friday, August 24; Saturday, August 25; and Sunday, August 26
11am, 1pm, & 3pm | Gallery 5
Free with Museum admission
The Look Closer spotlight presentations offer little-known facts, anecdotes, and visuals about works from the Museum’s collection.
SPECIAL EXHIBITION
Heinrich Kley: From Fantasy to Fantasia
Through September 16, 2012 | Theater Gallery
Free with Museum admission.
Heinrich Kley: From Fantasy to Fantasia
The Walt Disney Family Museum is also pleased to present the special exhibition Heinrich Kley: From Fantasy to Fantasia featuring drawings by Heinrich Kley—Walt Disney’s most admired European illustrator—paired with art from Disney’s famed animated film Fantasia (1940). On views through September 16, this exhibition features 24 drawings and three amazing scrapbooks by Kley, alongside more than 20 Disney works, including sketches, concept art, and maquettes from the Walt Disney classic film Fantasia. The Kley artworks, from Walt’s personal collection, are on view for the first time as a collection in the United States.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Animate Your Night: Hippos and Demons and Mice . . . Oh, Kley!
Friday, August 24 | 7–10pm | Museum-wide
General: $10 | Members: $5
Enjoy a cocktail and some small bites, experience the galleries in a whole new light, and illuminate your imagination with music, performance, film screenings, and hands-on art activities celebrating the special exhibition Heinrich Kley: From Fantasy to Fantasia.
CLASSES + ACTIVITIES
Open Studio
Saturday, August 4 and Sunday, August 5
1–3pm (drop-in activity) | Learning Center Art Studio
Free with Museum admission.
Come experience, explore, and experiment with us in Open Studio. Every first weekend of the month we will be experimenting with different art forms such as performance, fine art, and design. The possibilities are endless.
Disney Discoveries!
Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12
1–3pm | Learning CenterFree with Museum admission.
Discover the inspiring worlds of Disney’s Fantasia. Join us in the Learning Center to create innovative art projects using sheet music, recycled materials, and a brushstroke of imagination.
[Image above: Concept art from The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Courtesy The Walt Disney Company, ©Disney.]