Walt Disney’s Fantasia stands out as not only one of the crowning achievements of the studio’s animation legacy, but one of the most influential films of all time. Originally conceived as an ongoing series of “concert features”, the 1940 original and its sequel Fantasia 2000 bring classical music to life through the art of animation in a spectacular marriage of hand-drawn sight and stereophonic sound that represents the studio’s artistry at its absolute peak, which has remained unmatched to this day.

Each of the segments presented in the two feature films and the incomplete third installment Fantasia 2006 illustrate the strengths classic and contemporary Disney animation have always had in telling memorable stories, creating masterful works of art and celebrating the emotional experience that is music.

Strike up the band! Here is a ranking of the top ten best Fantasia segments!

RELATED: The 'Fantasia 3' That Never Happened: Why Disney Cancelled a Second Sequel

10. Lorenzo

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Originally developed by story artist Joe Grant in the late 1940’s, Lorenzo was directed by Mike Gabriel for the defunct sequel Fantasia 2006. Set to "Bordoneo y 900" by Juan José Mosalini, the segment tells the cautionary “tail” of a corpulent fat cat who is put under a powerful hex after crossing paths with a spiteful feline. The short unfolds in a painterly art style against black backdrops to depict a world of playful melancholia and tango-infused choreography. Initially debuted in theaters before the 2004 Kate Hudson film Raising Helen, Lorenzo was finally released on home video on the "Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection" Blu-ray in 2015.

9. The Carnival of the Animals, Finale

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The shortest segment out of either Fantasia film, “The Carnival of the Animals, Finale” was based on another story idea by Grant and was directed by Eric Goldberg, who most famously animated Aladdin’s Genie. Camille Saint-Saëns’ climactic piece scores the battle between a group aristocratic flamingos and a fun-loving outcast who’d rather play with a yo-yo than keep in step with his flock. Rendered in a mix of watercolor and CGI, the short uses every second of its minimal runtime to drape the screen in as much colorful and bouncy animation as it can to great success.

8. One by One

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The song "One by One" by Lebo M may sound familiar to sharp-eared Disney fans. First appearing on The Lion King companion album "Rhythm of the Pride Lands", the “freedom song” also opens the second act of The Lion King stage musical. Directed by Pixote Hunt, this Fantasia 2006 segment’s sole release was on the 2004 DVD release of The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, making it unfortunately one of the least accessible segments from the canceled sequel. Lebo M co-scored the original The Lion King to give the film’s African savannah a sense of musical cultural authenticity, which is reflected eloquently into this short that celebrates the joys of youth and the beauty of freedom.

7. Pomp and Circumstance

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Mickey Mouse isn’t the only classic Disney friend to have all the fun! In this Fantasia 2000 segment, Donald Duck stars in a retelling of Noah’s Ark set to the ceremonial "Pomp and Circumstance" by Sir Edward Elgar. The Francis Glebas directed short puts the frantic fowl at the center of the biblical epic without missing a step with what has made Donald one of the great comedic icons. The segment’s grand scale scenes and landscapes amplify the comedy of errors that Donald suffers hilariously brutal slapstick from while also making him and Daisy’s dilemma a sentimental one. Through beautiful animation that also brings on the laughs, "Pomp and Circumstance" brings Donald back to his roots as a cartoon star and makes for one of the most elegant exercises in cartoon comedy the screen has ever seen.

6. The Little Matchgirl

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This one hurts, man. Based on the iconic story by Hans Christian Andersen story of the same name, The Little Matchgirl was directed by Lion King co-director Roger Allers for Fantasia 2006. In a painfully faithful retelling of the Andersen story, an orphaned girl uses the last of her matches for sale to see visions of a warm loving home to ward off death. Set to "String Quartet No. 2 in D Major: Third Movement Notturno (Andante)" by Alexander Borodin, the short represents the last time Disney’s innovative CAPS program (Computer Animation Production System) was used in the rendering of a hand-drawn project. Between the painfully sweet music and the heartbreaking story, The Little Matchgirl is an eloquently tear-inducing animation masterpiece.

5 The Rite of Spring

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Igor Stravinsky’s ballet "The Rite of Spring" was initially met with outrage over its unconventional arrangements and primal choreography. This segment from the original Fantasia amplifies the aggressive soundscape of its music to depict the savagery and beautiful simplicity of prehistoric life. In this portrait of primordial nature, the Disney animators met the daunting task of not only condensing the creation of Earth and dawn of life into a featurette length, but also rendering species long extinct for millions of years in a naturalistic way. With only on a speculative knowledge of how T-Rexes or Triceratops moved, the animators brought the world of the dinosaurs back to believable life in what became an early standard of how cinematic dinosaurs would look and move on screen.

4. The Firebird Suite

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Featuring a quite literal interpretation of Igor Stravinsky's "The Firebird", Fantasia 2000’s grand finale tells eternal narrative of nature and life itself. Inspired by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and the regrowth of its woodlands, twin brothers Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi directed this segment to match the emotional duality of the original Fantasia’s finale by depicting death and life in the same breath. The intensity of Stravinsky’s music is elevated by the terrifying visuals of a massive volcanic flood that make the subsequent rebirth of nature’s greenery a more beautiful and joyous moment. The Firebird represents the peak draftsmanship and technological prowess the Disney studio had built up during its '90s renaissance.

3. A Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria

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In a pairing of Modest Mussorgsky’s "A Night on Bald Mountain" with Franz Schubert’s "Ave Maria", the original Fantasia concludes with one of the most powerful sequences in animation history. The segment begins with a hellish display of demonic revelry lead by the demon Chernabog. Bald Mountain comes to life in furiously morbid ritual of Technicolor flames and twisted evil that has served as the standard for Disney villainy. Followed immediately afterwards in a brilliant juxtaposition is the "Ave Maria", which is depicted in an atmospheric reverence to illustrate of the prevailing power of faith over evil. "Bald Mountain" and "Ave Maria" demonstrate Disney animation at its most risky and its most profound.

2. The Sorcerer's Apprentice

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What began as a starring vehicle for Walt Disney’s iconic Mickey Mouse quickly became the genesis for the very idea of Fantasia itself. Based upon the German poem of the same name, "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" was intended to debut an updated design for the lovable mouse and to reinstate him as Disney’s biggest cartoon star after Donald Duck had become more of an audience favorite. As the budgets and ambitions for the short grew bigger and bigger, the Mickey short ultimately became the inspiration for the “concert feature” idea. In its own legacy outside of Fantasia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice remains the most beloved and recognizable images of Mickey Mouse and the Disney company in general.

1. Rhapsody in Blue

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Far and away the most stylistic Fantasia segment of them all, "Rhapsody in Blue" embodies some of the greatest American art forms simultaneously across its 13-minute runtime. Directed by the aforementioned Eric Goldberg, the segment’s style is inspired by cartoonist Al Hirschfeld, whose linear curves and expressionistic caricatures served as inspiration for Goldberg’s work on Aladdin. Goldberg’s direction paints the minimalist world of depression-era New York City in a cartoony playfulness that keeps right in step with Gershwin’s music. Much like freeform jazz that can change on a whim, the segment’s focus is ever-changing in following a group of dreamers across the city and shines light on every corner of city life. Classically cartoony animation and electrifying jazz are both elastic art forms that are distinctly American and the segment's visuals go every which way the music does in bringing the city to life in the ultimate union of animated comedy and music.