Fantasia Live in Concert with the MSO — POSTPONED

Overview

UPDATE: APRIL 6, 2020 — The MSO has cancelled or postponed all events until June 30 'due to the extended closure of [its] performance venues'. New dates for Fantasia Live in Concert are yet to be announced, but we'll be sure to keep you updated. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.

Once upon a time, all Disney needed was a cartoon mouse, eight pieces of classical music and over two hours of gorgeous animation. Indeed, long before the huge entertainment company became the home of Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, the mouse house made its mark with a groundbreaking, eye-popping animated feature that completely changed the medium. The movie? Fantasia.

When it first hit cinemas, the pioneering film was considered a masterpiece. Today, 80 years later, that's still the case. Considered highly experimental at the time of its initial release, this animated delight unleashed a whirlwind of imaginative imagery, resonant classical tunes and all-round movie and music magic — so it's no wonder the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is bringing it back to the big screen with a live score in tow.

Across two sessions only — 7.30pm on Friday, April 24 and 1pm on Sunday, April 26 — the MSO will screen Fantasia, playing segments of the likes of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker suite, Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony and Dukas's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, as Walt Disney's inventive visuals leap across the screen. Bach's Toccata and Fugue, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain will all echo through Hamer Hall as well, with the MSO recreating Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra's exceptional score — and treating cinephiles, animation fans and Disney buffs to a memorable time at the movies.

Tickets cost $65–129 and go on sale on Thursday, March 5 at 10am.