Walt Disney, Fender, and Guild Guitar Create Fantasia 2000 Guitars
 May 21, 2000
Following their collaboration with Fender's Custom Shop
on a special 75th Anniversary Stratocaster, The Walt Disney Gallery has
teamed up once again with the master builders at Fender's Custom Shop in
Corona, California, and with Guild Guitar Co.'s Custom Shop in Nashville,
Tennessee, to create three limited edition guitars. The project is in
conjunction with Disney's release of the animated motion picture Fantasia
2000, and the guitars are inspired by images from the Carnival of the
Animals, Rhapsody In Blue and Firebird Suite sequences.
Fantasia 2000 is a living testament to Walt Disney's vision of Fantasia
continuously evolving with new stories animated to the world's finest
classical music. The original Fantasia film was originally released in 1940
and is recognized as a cinematic classic. Fantasia 2000
contains one sequence from the original film, the Sorcerer's
Apprentice starring Mickey Mouse, plus seven new stories.
Each of the Custom Shop guitars have been designed to reflect the tone and
feel of their respective scenes. Based on the classic Fender Stratocaster,
the newly dubbed "Flamingo Strat" features hand-carved flamingos from the
Carnival of the Animals sequence on the back of the guitar. On the front,
Master Builder George Amicay carved a single flamingo that twirls a handful
of yo-yos which climb the neck of the guitar and serve as fret markings.
Fender's Master Builder Stephen Stern designed and built the D'Aquisto model
arch top guitars that coincide with the Rhapsody In Blue sequence of the
film. An art-deco cityscape of New York adorns the front of the guitar,
with a skyscraper that extends the entire length of the neck. The flame
maple back of the guitar features subtly drawn characters from the sequence.
For the Firebird Suite sequence, an acoustic guitar based on the Guild
Custom Shop Valencia model was built. These flat top acoustic instruments
are made from spruce and highly figured flame maple, finished in Transparent
Orange. Master Builder Mark Piper spent over 200 hours working the maple on
the guitars and getting the color right, so as to give the effect that they
are actually on fire.
Inside the Guild guitars, visible through the soundhole, is a hand painted portrait of The Sprite, the spirit of
Nature. Circling around her face are butterflies of carved and engraved
abalone. The inlay and ornamentation for these Guild guitars was designed
by Chris Schnabel and Edgar Reynolds of Disney. They spent many hours
working on the right designs, using bits and pieces of unfinished guitars to
build their model.
"Trying to get a design on a guitar is harder that it sounds," explains
Reynolds. "Some folks just add ornamentation wherever it fits within the
shape of the instrument. Our challenge was to create a cohesive design for
each guitar that complemented the feel of each scene. The interior portrait
of The Sprite, the flamingos splashing in the water, and New York City in
shades of blue, all incorporate the Art Nouveau design elements which the
animation directors looked to when they made the film. Fender and Guild's
delicate execution really captured the sense of movement we were hoping
for."
Adorning the headstock of both the Flamingo Strat and the Guild guitar is a
sterling silver treble clef that, in the true spirit of Disney, sports mouse
ears. On the D'Aquisto, that clef can be found on the ebony tailpiece.
This symbolic Fantasia 2000 logo was designed by Disney Artist Schnabel and
appears on all Fantasia 2000 products.
Each instrument is individually numbered within the edition of three. Each
guitar is signed by the artists and craftspeople involved with the
construction of these instruments, and each will be accompanied
by a hand lettered Certificate of Authenticity signed by Roy Disney and
William Schultz, Fender's CEO.
Only three editions of each guitar will ever be made. One set of each of
the three will be featured at Disney Gallery Stores on Fifth Avenue in New
York City, Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, and at the Disney Studios in Burbank,
CA.
This is the second collaboration between Disney and Fender's Custom Shop,
and the first with the Guild Custom Shop. But don't expect this to be the
last partnership. Explains Morgan Ringwald of Fender, "We're already
looking forward to the next project, whatever that one may be. With the
level of talent and imagination that our respective artists have, coming up
with that idea will be much more fun that it is hard."
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