100 Musicians take their seats and tune up as 22 animators and 22 artists draw at their desks before James Levine approaches the conductor's podium and signals the beginning of the first piece. Panels showing various segments from Fantasia fly in outer space and form the set and stage for a 100-person modern symphony orchestra. The film begins with the sound of a modern symphony orchestra tuning and Deems Taylor's introduction from Fantasia.
Levine also arranged most scores, except two pieces arranged by Peter Schickele, as noted below. Most music is performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with James Levine conducting all numbers except The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Rhapsody in Blue (film version only). Set pieces are introduced by a variety of celebrities including Steve Martin, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, Itzhak Perlman, Quincy Jones, and Angela Lansbury. As with its predecessor, the film visualizes classical music compositions with various forms of animation and live-action introductions. Fantasia 2000 then opened in regular theaters on June 16, 2000.
It was then released exclusively in IMAX theaters around the world from January 1 to April 30, 2000. The premiered in the United States on December 17, 1999, at Carnegie Hall as part of a five-city concert tour, with performances in London, Paris, Tokyo, and Pasadena, California. A sequel to 1940's Fantasia, the film is the 38th animated feature in the Disney Animated Canon. Dinosaur Source Fantasia 2000 (also known as Fantasia Continued in pre-production and concept) is an American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures.