13 years ago to this day, a revolutionary short film dubbedDestinomade its American debut at the Rhode Island Film Festival, just a few months after its world premiere at the Annecy Animation Film Festival. For those who don’t know about this revolutionary short, thankfully the full film has been making the rounds again, and we have it here for you to watch below. This short film took a whopping 58 years to complete, after starting as an iconic collaboration between artistSavador DaliandWalt Disney.
Nameless TV came across this short film on YouTube, which was posted back in 2011. Back in 1946,Walt DisneyandSalvador Dalicreated this animated story of Chronos, the personification of time who falls in love with a mortal. Here’s what the opening title card on this short film states.
“In 1946, two legendary artists began collaboration on a short film. More than half a century later, their creation has finally been completed.”
The scenes blend a series of surreal paintings of Dali with dancing and metamorphosis.Destinowas produced byDaliandJohn Henchfor 8 months between 1945 and 1946 under a heavy veil of secrecy. The project was intended to be in the same vein as Disney’s classicFantasia, combining animation with live dancers and special effects. The short was said to be inspired by the world ofSigmund Freudon the subconscious and the inclusion of “hidden and double images.“Dalihimself described the plot as “A magical display of the problem of life in the labyrinth of time,” whileDisneydescribed it as, “A simple story about a young girl in search of true love.” Here’s the official plot synopsis below.
“To a song of love lost and rediscovered, a woman sees and undergoes surreal transformations. Her lover’s face melts off, she dons a dress from the shadow of a bell and becomes a dandelion, ants crawl out of a hand and become Frenchmen riding bicycles. Not to mention the turtles with faces on their backs that collide to form a ballerina, or the bizarre baseball game. From the melting clocks and hourglass sand, to the figure rendered in strips, to the character covered in eyeballs, the style and themes of Dalí are clearly recognizable throughout.”
Dominique MonferydirectedDestino, based on the story created bySalvador Dali,John HenchandWalt Disney. The project was overseen byRoy E. Disney,Walt Disney’s son, who brought the project back to life in 1999 after discovering it while working onFantasia 2000. The film went on to screen at several festivals and it even got a limited theatrical release in December 2003. It was nominated for a BestAnimated ShortFilm Oscar in 2004. The short film was eventually released on DVD through theWalt Disney Treasurescollection and it was also released as part of theFantasiaandFantasia 2000special edition sets in 2010. Take a look at this remarkable and historic short film below.
