To the five of you who are following this series, I apologize for missing yesterday's entry. I feel like I have a good excuse, though, as I was hanging out at Downtown Disney with the one and only Digtastik. But now I'm back, and I'm here to share one of the most iconic Mickey Mouse cartoons of all time: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

This cartoon was, of course, part of Fantasia, the "concert film" that is now viewed as a classic. When it was released in 1940, however, it was not the success Walt Disney hoped for. Walt, ever the visionary, had many unique ideas he wanted to include in the film. He envisioned it as a traveling "roadshow" that would open in cities across the country, play for a weekend, and then move onto the next city, much as concerts did. In addition, he wanted theaters to install "Fantasound," in essence an early version of surround sound. He also wanted theaters to equip the ability to add extra, in-theater effects during the film, as well, such as scents and water effects. Theaters didn't want to go through that expense, and in the end, the only theaters that added Fantasound were ones that Disney paid for itself. Of course, now every theater has surround sound, and you find in-theater effects in the 3D shows in Disney Parks around the world... Walt was nothing if not ahead of his time.

Here's a fun fact: the apprentice was originally planned to be Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but Walt wanted Mickey to star, both to keep Mickey in the public's consciousness and to raise the profile of Fantasia with some real animated star power.

Yen Sid (spell it backwards), the sorcerer in this short, was based on Walt himself. Walt was, in the estimation of just about everyone who worked with him or knew him, a genius, but he was also extremely demanding. In fact, towards the end of the cartoon, you'll see Yen Sid raise one eyebrow in frustration at Mickey. This expression was all too familiar to everyone at the Studio.

Yen Sid, of course, will be playing a major role in Epic Mickey, acting as the creator of what becomes the Wasteland, and acting as something of a representation of Walt within the world of the game (although judging by the Oswald-ified Partners statue in the game, the characters are also aware of Walt's existence, which makes this Disney geek and Walt disciple extremely excited).

And now, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."



Previous Entries
The Mad Doctor
Rival Romeos
All Wet
Steamboat Willie
Plane Crazy