Editing Fantasia (1940 film) (section)

==== 1942–1963 runs ====
Disney allowed RKO to handle the general release of ''Fantasia'', but fought their decision to have the film cut. He gave in as the studio needed as much income as possible to remedy its finances, but refused to cut it himself, "You can get anybody you want to edit it&nbsp;... I can't do it."{{sfn|Thomas|1994|p=162}} With no input from Disney, musical director [[Edward H. Plumb|Ed Plumb]] and Ben Sharpsteen reduced ''Fantasia'' to one hour and forty minutes at first, then to one hour and twenty minutes by removing most of Taylor's commentary and the ''Toccata and Fugue''.{{sfn|Gabler|2006|p=347}}<ref>{{cite AV media notes|last1=Disney|first1=Roy E.|author1-link=Roy E. Disney|last2=Levine|first2=James|author2-link=James Levine|last3=Canemaker|first3=John|author3-link=John Canemaker|last4=MacQueen|first4=Scott|title=Fantasia|type=DVD audio commentary|year=2000 |publisher=Walt Disney Home Entertainment}}</ref> ''Fantasia'' was re-released in January 1942 at more popular prices with a mono soundtrack, and was placed on the lower half of [[double feature|double bills]] with the Western film ''[[Valley of the Sun (film)|Valley of the Sun]]''.<ref name=fantdelayed>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZRtKAAAAIBAJ&pg=6683%2C5633957 |title='Fantasia' success delayed |work= The Press-Courier |first=Bob |last=Thomas |access-date=March 4, 2011 |date=September 28, 1990 |via=Google News Archive }}</ref>

RKO reissued ''Fantasia'' once more on September 1, 1946, with the animated sequences complete and the scenes of Taylor, Stokowski, and the orchestra restored but shortened. Its running time was restored to one hour and fifty-five minutes. This edit would be the standard form for subsequent re-releases, and was the basis for the 1990 restoration.<ref name=dvdreleasehistory/>

{{Quote box|width=30%|quote=I wanted a special show just like [[Cinerama]] plays today&nbsp;... I had ''Fantasia'' set for a wide screen. I had dimensional sound&nbsp;... To get that wide screen I had the projector running sideways&nbsp;... I had the double frame. But I didn't get to building my cameras or my projectors because the money problem came in&nbsp;... The compromise was that it finally went out standard with dimensional sound. I think if I'd had the money and I could have gone ahead I'd have a really sensational show at that time.|source=—Walt Disney on the widescreen release in 1956.{{sfn|Barrier|2008|p=162}}}}

By 1955, the original sound negatives began to deteriorate, though a four-track copy had survived in good condition. Using the remaining Fantasound system at the studio, a three-track stereo copy was transferred across noise-free telephone wires onto magnetic film at an RCA facility in Hollywood.{{sfn|Goldmark|Taylor|2002|p=88}}<ref name=seattle1990/> This copy was used when ''Fantasia'' was reissued in stereo by [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Distribution]] in SuperScope, a derivative of the [[anamorphosis|anamorphic]] widescreen [[CinemaScope]] format, on February 7, 1956.<ref name=dvdreleasehistory /> The projector featured an automatic control mechanism designed by Disney engineers that was coupled to a variable anamorphic lens, which allowed the picture to switch between its [[Academy ratio|Academy standard]] [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] of 1.33:1 to the wide ratio of 2.35:1 in twenty seconds without a break in the film. This was achieved by placing the cues that controlled the mechanism on a separate track in addition to the three audio channels. Only selected parts of the animation were stretched, while all live action scenes remained unchanged.<ref name=projectionist>{{Cite journal | last1 = Wasserman | first1 = Norman | title = Special Projection Process Gives ''Fantasia'' New Look | journal = International Projectionist | pages = 14–15 | location = United States | date = March 1956  }}</ref> This reissue garnered some criticism from viewers, as the widescreen format led to the cropping and reframing of the images.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7OxjAAAAIBAJ&pg=2127%2C4278836 |title=Favourite films revived |first=Colin |last=Bennett |work=The Age |access-date=June 6, 2011 |date=August 29, 1958 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref>

On February 20, 1963, ''Fantasia'' was re-released in both standard and SuperScope versions with stereo sound, though existing records are unclear. Its running time was 56 seconds longer than the previous issue which is unexplained.<ref name=dvdreleasehistory /> This was the final release that occurred before Disney's (and Taylor's) death in 1966.<ref name=dvdreleasehistory />