Fantasia-A Demand for the UNCUT version of this classic Disney film

Disney claims their release of the Fantasia DVD is the original uncut theatrical version. This is utterly false.

a) Two zebra like Nubian centaurs were forced to have flower bras painted over their bare breasts due to pressure from the Hays office.

b)Three original scenes depicting a black centaur serving a white centaur were cut in 1968 because the studio thought it might be accused of racism

b1)For one scene, as shown below, the scene was zoomed to remove the black centaur completely. The blue border shows the frame for the VHS and DVD version. This resulted in an incredibly grainy picture that makes the scene seem to be out-of-place. Other scenes were zoomed to remove the same black centaur, but the zoom was not so severe. Some were completely removed and replaced by previously-used scenes. All of these original scenes are available in Quicktime format in my Multimedia section.

b2)One scene, however, was completely redone for the DVD release. As Bacchus, Greek god of wine, attempts to climb a flight of stairs in a drunken stupor, he is assisted by a number of black and white child centaurs. If you watch the VHS release from the early 1990s, the scene is very badly and awkwardly panned, resulting in a very jerky picture; but the black centaurs were successfully edited out. In the DVD version, the scene is apparently in its full frame; however, there are no signs whatsoever of black centaurs

From the Widescreen Advocacy Page:

[image=http://www.widescreen.org/images/fantasiacensored.jpg]

Download the removed scenes here

Disney should be ashamed of themselves for being so arrogant to actually mislead the public into thinking Fantasia was the uncut version originally shown in the 40's. They should be further ashamed that they have let these edits stay in place instead of restoring the scense.

I can find no hint of racism in the centaur scene described above nor any hint of explicit nudity in the Nubian scene. Walt would role in his grave if he knew his films were being desecrated like this.

 

I'd like to see it uncut. I haven't seen the scenes you're referring to, but sometimes political correctness can go too far.

 

Whoa.... This is very upsetting, to learn that a classic like Fantasia has been edited that much. Indeed, Walt should be spinning around, six-feet-under, to see what his company is doing today in the name of entertainment!

I suggest writing to Roy Disney. He was behind the new Fantasia 2000, so I bet he would like to hear from any Fantasia fans on this.

 

I too hate them editing old films because they are no longer politicly correct when a lot of times they aren't. They just too worried they some nutcase will be offended and sue or something. Yes Hollywood has an ugly history when it comes to how blacks were protrayed in movies, but I say lets not censor those films but preserve them so that others can go back and see how far we have come.

You can't change the past so don't change the films either.

Another edit Disney did was for the video release of Melody Time were Pecos Bill rolls a cigerette with his tounge.This was always one of the funniest scenes in the movie when I would watch it on the Disney channel. Now because of all the anti-smoking people Disney cut that scene out and removed Roy Roger's line from the song about it too.

What's more offensive a cowboy who smoking a cig or a film company trying to alter history?

 

Sigh...

I adore Fantasia. I'm not sure whether or not I saw the edited version or not. 1980-ish, I believe?

 

This is kind of off-topic but kind of on. Has anyone seen Song of the South? If so, what did you think? Disney has buried it for supposed racial stereotyping.

 

It was re-released in theaters in the mid to late eighties and I barely remembering seeing it. It's ashame Disney won't release it on DVD.

 

They were able to get away with saying that it's uncut because technically it is (footage was altered but no footage was actually cut).

As for telling Roy Disney, it won't do any good. Roy Disney has tried to get the movie uncensored but Eisner won't listen to him.

 

Disney's going downhill anyways and I did see Song of the South which I love. When I was little I didn't like Fantasia (Night on Death Mountain scared the crap out of me) but now I like it and yes we do need the UNCUT, UNEDITED version soon as possible!!