Fantasia is a 1940 Walt Disney film that sets eight pieces of classical music to animation. Fantasia 2000 has eight parts too, and one of them is repeated from the first film. This page lists every piece in both films, in order, with its composer and what happens on screen.
Fantasia (1940)
Leopold Stokowski conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra. The film runs about two hours.
| Order | Piece | Composer | On screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toccata and Fugue in D minor | Johann Sebastian Bach | Shapes, lines, and colors |
| 2 | The Nutcracker Suite | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Fairies, dancing mushrooms, fish, and flowers |
| 3 | The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | Paul Dukas | Mickey Mouse and the brooms |
| 4 | The Rite of Spring | Igor Stravinsky | The early Earth and the dinosaurs |
| 5 | Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral” | Ludwig van Beethoven | Winged horses, centaurs, and Greek gods |
| 6 | Dance of the Hours | Amilcare Ponchielli | A ballet for ostriches, hippos, elephants, and alligators |
| 7 | Night on Bald Mountain | Modest Mussorgsky | A demon calls up ghosts on a mountain |
| 8 | Ave Maria | Franz Schubert | A line of people with lights walks through a forest at dawn |
The last two pieces run together with no break.
Fantasia 2000
James Levine conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The film runs about 75 minutes.
| Order | Piece | Composer | On screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Symphony No. 5, first movement | Ludwig van Beethoven | Butterfly shapes in light and dark |
| 2 | Pines of Rome | Ottorino Respighi | Whales that fly |
| 3 | Rhapsody in Blue | George Gershwin | New York in the 1930s, drawn as cartoons in line |
| 4 | Piano Concerto No. 2, first movement | Dmitri Shostakovich | The story of the steadfast tin soldier |
| 5 | The Carnival of the Animals, finale | Camille Saint-Saëns | A flamingo with a yo-yo |
| 6 | The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | Paul Dukas | Mickey Mouse and the brooms, from the 1940 film |
| 7 | Pomp and Circumstance | Edward Elgar | Donald Duck on Noah’s ark |
| 8 | The Firebird Suite | Igor Stravinsky | A spring sprite, an elk, and a volcano |
What parents need to know
Both films are rated G. Three parts can still frighten a young child.
- The Rite of Spring in the first film shows dinosaurs fighting and dying.
- Night on Bald Mountain in the first film shows a huge winged demon, ghosts, and fire.
- The Firebird in Fantasia 2000 shows a volcano that destroys a forest. The forest grows back at the end.
Watch these parts yourself first. It is fine to skip them.
The first film is long for a small child. Watch it in two or three sittings.
Changes the films made to the music
The films shorten many of the pieces. The Nutcracker Suite leaves out two of its eight parts. Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is cut from about 40 minutes to about 20. See the Pastoral Symphony guide. The first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth is cut by more than half.
So hear the full pieces afterward. A child who knows the film will be glad to find more of the music.
A piece that was cut
The team also made a scene for Debussy’s “Clair de lune.” It was left out of the finished film. Read Clair de lune for kids.
Where to go next
Each of these pieces has a guide or a composer page on this site.
- The Nutcracker Suite listening guide
- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice listening guide
- Night on Bald Mountain listening guide
- The Carnival of the Animals listening guide
- The Firebird listening guide
- Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 listening guide
- Bach for kids
- Stravinsky for kids
- Gershwin for kids
- Shostakovich for kids
- Elgar for kids
Things to do together
Eyes closed first. Play one piece with no picture. Ask your child to draw what they see in their mind. Then watch the film’s version.
Same music, new story. The Nutcracker scene has no nutcracker in it. Ask your child to make up a third story for the same music.
Spot the instrument. In The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the brooms march to the sound of the bassoon. Listen for it.
Tick them off. Print the 25 classical pieces checklist and mark the ones your child has now heard.
Print and play
Draw a scene of your own on a listening journal page. For more ways to watch music at home, read how to watch an orchestra concert at home with kids.
For more pieces, see classical music listening guides for kids.
More from this guide
This article is part of Classical music listening guides for kids: famous pieces, one at a time.
1812 Overture for kids: what to listen for
A parent's listening guide to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture: the story of the battle, the two tunes that fight, the cannons and bells, and games to play.
Air on the G String by Bach for kids: what to hear
A parent's guide to Bach's Air on the G String: where the nickname came from, the walking bass and long notes to listen for, and calm things to do.
Album for the Young by Schumann: a guide for piano families
A parent's guide to Schumann's Album for the Young: the 43 piano pieces he wrote for his children, ten to hear first, and his rules for young musicians.
Amahl and the Night Visitors for kids: the story and the music
Amahl and the Night Visitors explained for kids and parents: the story of the one-act Christmas opera, the music to hear first, and ways to watch it.
Ave Maria for kids: Schubert's song and the Bach and Gounod one
Two famous pieces are called Ave Maria. How to tell Schubert's from the one by Bach and Gounod, where each came from, and what to listen for.
Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony for kids: a listening guide
A parent's listening guide to Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony: five scenes from the countryside, the birds by the brook, the storm, and things to do.
Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.