Production information
Release date: December 17, 1999 (World Premiere)
Duration: 1h15
Director: Francis Glebas (Pomp and Circumstance sequence)
Writers: Don Dougherty, James Fujii, Rob Gibbs & Patrick A. Ventura, Steve Wermers (Pomp and Circumstance sequence)
Producer: Donald W. Ernst
Executive Producers: Roy Edward Disney
Editor: Jessica Ambinder-Rojas, Lois Freeman-Fox, Julia Gray, Craig Paulsen & Greg Plotts
Composer: Edward Elgar (Pomp and Circumstance sequence)
Music arranger: James Levine
Art director: Daniel Cooper (Pomp and Circumstance sequence)
Pre-production design : William H. Frake III (Pomp and Circumstance sequence)
Visual development: Darek Gogol (Pomp and Circumstance sequence)
Character designers: Peter Clarke & Jeffrey R. Ranjo
Casting: Mary Hidalgo & Ruth Lambert
Animators: Tim Allen, Tim George, Mark Kausler, Jin Kim & Gregory G. Miller
Assistant Animator: Annette Morel
Cast
Mickey Mouse: Wayne Allwine
Donald Duck: Tony Anselmo
Daisy Duck: Russi Taylor
Host (Pomp and Circumstance): Dennis Quaid
Host (Pomp and Circumstance): James Levine
Singer (Pomp and Circumstance): Kathleen Battle
Back to Disney references
The Duck and the Princesses
When it premiered in December 1999, Fantasia 2000 had been in preparation for nearly a decade. The idea for a sequel to Disney’s original 1940 Fantasia, originally planned to be rereleased with its segments progressively replaced, was first seriously discussed in the late 1980s. Roy E. Disney, Walt Disney’s nephew, was the driving force behind the project. Production officially started in the early 1990s, with the goal of creating a contemporary version of Fantasia that would feature a blend of traditional animation and newer techniques, alongside a fresh selection of classical music.
The “Pomp and Circumstance” sequence, set to Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance Marches, features Donald Duck in a whimsical retelling of the story of Noah’s Ark. It’s a comedic and heartfelt segment in which Donald serves as Noah’s assistant, tasked with helping the animals board the ark before the great flood.
The original idea to use this piece of music was Michael Eisner’s. However, it was initially conceived as a grand wedding march featuring various Disney princesses and their princes. The idea was to create a romantic and celebratory procession in which iconic Disney couples like Snow White and Prince Charming, Cinderella and her Prince, and others like Alice in Wonderland or the crocodile from Peter Pan, would appear. Donald Duck was already part of the story and would offer tiny crowns to the Princesses’ babies brought to them by storks.
However, the concept shifted during development. The creative team decided to go in a more comedic and universally relatable direction, which led to the Noah’s Ark narrative starring Donald and Daisy Duck. This change allowed for a blend of humor and heartfelt moments while keeping the segment aligned with the whimsical tone of Fantasia 2000. Plus, Donald’s role added a fresh take on the classic Disney character lineup, offering something new for audiences.
Watch the sequence
On November 26, 2024, the discord user SoundGuyMatt and the YouTube account Lost Media Busters published the test reel which gives an idea what the sequence was supposed to look like.