Fantastic Interest in ‘Fantasia’

Walt Disney’s “Fantasia,” the blend of animation and classical music released 50 years ago, was expected to do well in the laser-disc market, but not this well.

Orders have reached a phenomenal 185,000 and could climb to 200,000 by the release date, said David DelGrosso, director of marketing for the laser-disc distribution firm Image Entertainment.

It was expected that Disney would ship at least 100,000 laser-disc editions of “Fantasia,” a film ideally suited to a format that offers excellent visuals and sound, for release on Nov. 1, also the date of the VHS release. That’s a whopping number in a market where a sale of 50,000 is considered exceptional.

“Fantasia” will be available at two prices on laser, $39.99 for the regular version and $99.99 for a deluxe box set, which includes a documentary on the making of the film plus the original trailer. Of the total orders to date, 60,000 have been for the deluxe set, said DelGrosso.

The increased interest in “Fantasia” on laser disc is probably due to the fact that this version--the uncut original--will only be available for 50 days.

“It will come out again, but not in this version,” DelGrosso said. “They may add footage or do whatever to it, but it won’t be this version. The word is out that if you want the real ‘Fantasia,’ you have to get this one.”

Animation fans covet the laser-disc version because it can accommodate constant stop-action with a noise-free frame, a feature not possible on a videotape format.

The higher number of orders also reflects an increase in the number of laser-disc players on the market, DelGrosso said. “More people are getting into laser disc, with those combi-players (combined CD and laser machines) out there making the format more attractive,” he said. “Laser disc is still by no means a mass-market format, but the market is slowly building.”