Jones, Chuck "Music and the Animated Cartoon" JSTOR: Hollywood QuarterlyVol. 1, No. 4 (Jul., 1946), pp. 364-370

This article from the January 1946 edition of the Hollywood Quarterly review explores the impact that Fantasia has had and how music and the animated cartoon have come together to evolve into cutting edge animation. Written by Chuck Jones of Warner Brothers, head of their animation department at the time, the article explores collaborations since then, how music has affected even the most mundane sources of animation and the future of animation. The article argues that Fantasia was essentially the first step in a whole new breed of animation, where animators have the freedom to explore the depths of the imagination and reach a wider audience. Jones further goes on to mention the vast potential of music in cartoons, such as musical education, satire, folklore, and narrative.

Contemporary sources are fantastic examples of how the industry and the public responded to something as pioneering as fantasia. On top of that, the article was written by none other than a household name like Chuck Jones. This article is an excellent source in understanding how Fantasia redefined the industry, opening doors for collaboration and widespread appeal, as well as pushing the envelope in terms of how much freedom animators should have.  Jones notes that Fantasia changed the traditionally role of music as mere filler in animation, to being relevant to the narrative and obvious to the audience rather than subtle background noise. In trying to answer the question, why was Fantasia so significant, Jones' insight into how the movie changed the industry is extremely valuable.

Robins, Sam "Disney Again Tries Trailblazing" New York Times (1857-Current file); Nov 3, 1940; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2005)
pg. 121

This article in the New York Times from November 3rd 1940, 10 days before the premiere of Fantasia, is a preview of the film. It comments on the amount of time, money, and effort that Disney put into it, as well as the level of collaboration and prowess it took to put it all together. The author, Sam Robins, notes that this is a departure from the typical Disney recreations of fairy tales, and of particular interest to him is that there is no connecting story between the pieces. Robins goes on to list each of the musical numbers from the film, and accompanying animations. The article contains several images of Walt Disney working with the animators and still images from the film. Most notably is Disney's hopes that the film will live on "after he is gone" because great music is eternal.

The article is a primary source about this historical film. It is a preview to the film that is provided not in modern context, but in the context of the 1940s release, including the expectations of any film based on contemporary culture and Disney's pervious work.  The author is wary of the dramatic change in style that Fantasia represents for Disney. It is rather striking how Disney was correct about the legacy of the film, having had multiple rereleases and a "sequel" as well as having been marked for preservation by the Library of Congress for being culturally and historically significant. Even at the time of its release, there was some speculation that Fantasia was going to be significant in the realm of animated film.

Crowther, Bosley "Fantasia Revisited" New York Times (1857-Current file); Nov 17, 1963; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2005)
pg. X1

This is a review of the rerelease of Fantasia in 1963 from Bosley Crowther, published in the New York Times. Crowther claims that the piece is no less powerful or entertaining, and will probably be more easily appreciated by audiences today. He cites numerous examples for why Fantasia did not have the appreciation of the masses that it deserved at its initial release, including the war in europe and the drastic change in Disney animation style that Fantasia represented. As well, Crowther draws a connection to the aging theaters on broadway that are showing the film in its rerelease, Fantasia represents the pinnacle of animation freedom. It is abstract and coupled with music that attempts to draw pure imagination onto the screen. The Tower East was being condemned, and Crowther saw this lack of appreciation for "art for art's sake" as reminiscent of the films original reception.

This article provides insight into both the original reception, but also the reception at its first rerelease, before the days of home video. It is a critical evaluation of the film as an work of art and as a commercial product. The article sheds light on the changes in Disney and animation in general that were heralded by the collaboration of composers, musicians, and the freedom given to the animators in the creation of the film.

Twenty-three years after its initial release, Fantasia was deemed significant enough to merit a highly publicized rerelease. Crowther is not at all oblivious to the significance of the film, he frequently mentions that it was a signal of a transition at Disney, and that the entire animation industry followed suit. Music in animation became more than just filler for gaps in sound effects and dialogue, Fantasia brought about the revolutionary concept of regarding music in animation as on par in importance to the animation itself.

Forrest, David "From Score to Screen" JSTOR: Hollywood QuarterlyVol. 1, No. 2 (Jan., 1946), pp. 224-229

This article by David Forrest from the Hollywood Quarterly review in 1946 focuses on the aspect of bringing sound to the final product of film in the process of films such as Fantasia. Forrest was an animator at Warner Brothers for many years, and his experience and background knowledge go a long way toward providing expert insight and contemporary opinion on Disney's dramatic undertaking. Forrest enumerates many of the processes, steps, and collaborations that go into bringing something like the sounds of Fantasia to life. The animators must work with the musicians to collaborate on an artistic level, let alone the measures Forrest describes that are necessary on a technical level to put it all together to create the final product.

When trying to understand a piece like Fantasia, there is little substitute for contemporary expert opinion. Forrest's article in a noted film journal is incredibly useful to anyone who wants to understand what really goes into something as groundbreaking as Fantasia really was, and the implications it had for the film industry at the time of its release. Forrest shows that Fantasia was significant because of unprecedented levels of animator freedom and the collaboration between musicians and animators made necessary by the focus on music.