It’s no secret that I’m a fan of classic Disney animation and Walt Disney himself. One of his most creative endeavors was Fantasia (1940), an entire animated feature based around classic animation. Its most enduring segment is “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” a folktale I have also adapted into a Reader’s Theater script-story. Here are 8 Fun Facts about “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” from Fantasia.
- “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was developed as a project to restore the popularity of Mickey Mouse. Since the mid-1930’s, Mickey had gone from being Disney’s most popular character to being upstaged by the likes of Goofy, Pluto, and especially Donald Duck. Walt Disney thought Mickey needed a chance to shine in a new animated feature.
- Mickey was specifically redesigned for the animated short. Fantasia was the first time Mickey Mouse appeared with eyes featuring pupils. Fred Moore revised the old “pie-eyed” Mickey into his now iconic form. Surprisingly, Mickey’s design hasn’t changed much in the ensuing years.
- Dopey or Mickey? If you look closely, you’ll see that Mickey’s apprentice clothing, a robe and floppy shoes, resemble the clothing of Dopey the dwarf from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This is because some animators wanted Dopey to be the apprentice, instead of Mickey, but Walt was adamant: Mickey or nothing.
- Our Patriotic Pal: Another fun fact about Mickey’s clothing. You will notice it features all the colors of the American flag with even a few stars thrown in as well. No wonder Americans love Mickey Mouse!
- Fantastic Sound: Fantasia featured symphonic music, but theaters could not duplicate the sound of a full orchestra to Walt’s liking, so he had his technicians invent something he called Fantasound, stereophonic sound, where multiple tracks of music played from different speakers, blending for a more realistic sound. This was basically a prototype version of surround sound to bring the music to life. Walt was always an innovator!
- “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” inspired the rest of Fantasia. “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was planned as a stand-alone Silly Symphony to reinvent and reinvigorate Mickey Mouse. When famous conductor Leopold Stokowski was brought on board to conduct this segment, he became ecstatic about the project and suggested other music pieces that would lend themselves to evocative imagery. His enthusiasm inspired Walt to dream even bigger. Before they knew it, the project had developed into a full-length animated feature based on pieces of classical music.
- Some Dreams Were Left Unrealized: Walt Disney originally had plans to present Fantasia on a wide screen (this would have been a first) and possibly use 3-D projection technology. Costs prevented these dreams from coming to fruition.
- A Bit of Walt Himself in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”: Although Walt’s animators based the Sorcerer on Walt a bit by naming him Yensid (Disney spelled backward) and gave him Walt’s signature arched eyebrow of disapproval when something didn’t meet his expectations, it was the apprentice himself who most matched Walt’s spirit. He was always reaching beyond what people thought possible to innovate and bring new worlds to life. Because of this, his creative spirit lives on after him to inspire others.
Want to teach “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” from Fantasia to your students? Our Reader’s Theater Adaptation of the story features instructions for teaching the various versions of the story: the original folktale, the poem by Goethe, the musical piece by Paul Dukas, and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” from Fantasia. To find out more, click here.
