FANTASIA!
On This Date - Yesterday! (74 YEARS AGO) November 13, 1940 - Walt Disney premiered the animated feature film "Fantasia" at New York's Broadway Theater. The movie introduced STEREO Sound! via a special system dubbed "Fantasound" which caused the theater's seats to vibrate.
>> "Fantasia" was the first animated-movie-music combination I saw as a kid. It was more than an animated cartoon with music and dialogue - it actually interpreted the music visually.
We went to a downtown theater in St. Louis that had some advanced sound-system that could handle it. But what I remember best is listening to the filmscore at home.
My Dad had a huge stereo system he built into the wall of our basement, with dual banks of 12" and 15" (sub)woofers+ midrange+ horn tweeters that stuck straight out like trumpets. He filled baffles with sand to surround the speakers, so there wouldn't be any rattle & distortion in the sound.
The Frequency-range was enormous and the Volume-- well, let's just say that after growing up with that-- the only instrument I could ever want to play that came close to that massive sound *had to be* the Pipe Organ!
- - - - -
The 2:20 hour film included a program booklet illustrated by artist Gyo Fujikawa. Proceeds from the opening night went to the British War Relief Society for the efforts in the Battle of Britain. Fantasia ran at the Broadway Theatre for 49 consecutive weeks (almost a whole yr!)
>> "Fantasia" was the first animated-movie-music combination I saw as a kid. It was more than an animated cartoon with music and dialogue - it actually interpreted the music visually.
My Dad had a huge stereo system he built into the wall of our basement, with dual banks of 12" and 15" (sub)woofers+ midrange+ horn tweeters that stuck straight out like trumpets. He filled baffles with sand to surround the speakers, so there wouldn't be any rattle & distortion in the sound.
The Frequency-range was enormous and the Volume-- well, let's just say that after growing up with that-- the only instrument I could ever want to play that came close to that massive sound *had to be* the Pipe Organ!
- - - - -
The 2:20 hour film included a program booklet illustrated by artist Gyo Fujikawa. Proceeds from the opening night went to the British War Relief Society for the efforts in the Battle of Britain. Fantasia ran at the Broadway Theatre for 49 consecutive weeks (almost a whole yr!)
posted by spindart at 6:55 PM
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