Fantasia '25: Clair de Lune
Moonlight by Claude Debussy
Our friends at Radio Cinematica decided to take a hiatus from doomscrolling and publish instead their take on one of the loveliest musical compositions created by humankind: Clair de Lune, a piano piece by Claude Debussy, and the third movement of his Suite bergamasque, L. 75 (1905), inspired by the Paul Verlaine poem of the same name:
Votre âme est un paysage choisi
Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques
Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi
Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques.
Translation:
Your soul is like a landscape fantasy,
Where masks and bergamasks, in charming wise,
Strum lutes and dance, just a bit sad to be
Hidden beneath their fanciful disguise.
Clair de Lune is French for “moonlight.” Debussy’s incredibly beautiful and tranquil piano movement was actually included in Disney’s original 1940 Fantasia but was cut for time in the final release. The animation was saved and later repurposed as a “tone poem” titled “Blue Bayou“ in the 1946 animated feature Make Mine Music (if you buy or rent Fantasia today you’ll see that they’ve placed the original back in the movie).
However, that original Clair de Lune tone poem provided the very inspiration to reimagine Disney’s Fantasia concept with a new mix of sound and images. I searched for footage that would bring the music to life without relying on AI or animation, using real-world imagery to create a vision based on a simple premise: If Earth ever receives visitors unfamiliar with our world, what would we be most proud to show them? The result is the clip below - a beautiful, intricate undersea ballet featuring humpback whales that, for me, represents the very best of our planet. Please watch, enjoy, and share.
You can catch a noteworthy effort to rematch the original Clair de Lune (“Blue Bayou”) animation with the music as it was originally intended, posted by Animation Nation here:
And if you have a free hour or two, check out the full 1946 Disney “Make Mine Music” feature film, a real treat for Disney enthusiasts that captures all the ebullience and freedom of a post-war America:
https://archive.org/details/make-mine-music-unrated
No matter your personal beliefs or political affiliation, we’ll all get through this together, land at the bottom of the hill, and get right back in line. Why? Because it’s worth it. Cheers!
P.S.: And don’t forget to check out the lovely Paul Barton on YouTube, who spends his days playing piano for runner-up to Planet Earth’s best animal, aging Elephants. Here, he plays Clair de Lune for a blind 80 year old elephant named Ampan :