George Balanchine and Walt Disney's Fantasia

"At last, we have found a way to use in our medium the great music of all times and flood of new ideas which it inspires.”

–Walt  

Fantasia was the culmination of years of experimentation and imagination.  With Fantasia, Walt had invited many of the notable figures in classical music to participate or contribute to the film. In December of 1939 with the production of Fantasia moving full steam ahead, Igor Stravinsky made a visit to the studio.  On this visit he brought a friend to hear his soundtrack for “Rite of Spring”--his friend was Mr. George Balanchine. As other VIP visitors to the studio before him, Balanchine got a special behind the scenes look at Fantasia.  He posed for photographs with character model statues of Hyacinth the Hippo, met with animators, and heard the beautiful sounds of Fantasia.  For Balanchine, that is as close as he would get to being a direct part of Fantasia.  He would never be formally involved in the creation of Fantasia, like Stravinsky or Leopold Stokowski, but like many other artists of the time, he would serve as inspiration.  Specifically it would be the Water Nymph ballet choreography he created in 1938 for the film Goldwyn Follies that would serve as inspiration for Fantasia's seventh segment: "Dance of the Hours". 

Anel Muller

Registrar/Curatorial Assistant at The Walt Disney Family Museum