Destino

''Destino'' is an animated surrealist short film released in 2003 by Walt Disney Animation Studios. ''Destino'' is unique in that its production originally began in 1945 (five years after the release of Fantasia), 58 years before its eventual completion in 2003. The project was originally a collaboration between Walt Disney and Spanish painter Salvador Dalí, with music written by Mexican songwriter Armando Domínguez and performed by Mexican singer Dora Luz as the soundtrack. It was included in the Animation Show of Shows in 2003.

History

''Destino'' (Spanish for 'Destiny') was storyboarded by Disney studio artist John Hench and artist Salvador Dalí for eight months in late 1945 and 1946, but production ceased not long after. Walt Disney Studios (later The Walt Disney Company) was in financial difficulty in the World War II era. Hench compiled a short animation test of about 17 seconds in the hopes of rekindling Disney's interest in the project, but the production was no longer deemed financially viable and put on indefinite hiatus.

In 1999, Walt Disney's nephew Roy E. Disney, while working on ''Fantasia 2000'', unearthed the dormant project and decided to bring it back to life. Walt Disney Studios Paris, the company's small Parisian production department, was brought on board to complete the project. The short was produced by Baker Bloodworth and directed by French animator Dominique Monféry in his first directorial role. A team of approximately 25 animators deciphered Dalí and Hench's cryptic storyboards (with a little help from the journals of Dalí's wife Gala Dalí and guidance from Hench himself), and finished ''Destino''s production. The end result is mostly traditional animation, including Hench's original footage, but it also contains some computer animation.

Plot

The seven-minute short follows the story of a mortal woman named Dahlia within the confines of Chronos and his ill-fated love for her in which a prison was created. The story continues as Dahlia dances through surreal scenery inspired by Dalí's paintings. There is no dialogue, but the soundtrack includes music by the Mexican composer Armando Dominguez. The original 17-second animation test—the segment with the two tortoises—is included in the finished product; this footage is also shown in Bette Midler's host sequence for '' Piano Concerto No. 2/The Steadfast Tin Soldier'' in ''Fantasia 2000'', where she referred to ''Destino'' as an "idea that featured baseball as a metaphor for life".

Public screenings

''Destino'' premiered on June 2, 2003 at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in Annecy, France. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film of 2003. In 2004, ''Destino'' was released theatrically in a very limited release with the animated film ''The Triplets of Belleville'', and also with '' Calendar Girls''.

In 2005, the film was shown continuously as part of a major retrospective Dalí show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, titled ''The Dalí renaissance: new perspectives on his life and art after 1940''.

The film was also shown as part of the exhibition ''Dalí & Film'' at Tate Modern from June to September 2007, as part of the Dalí exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from October 2007 to January 2008; at an exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art called ''Dalí: Painting and Film'' from June to September 2008; also at an exhibit at the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2008. In mid-2009, it had exposure in Melbourne, Australia at the National Gallery of Victoria through the Dalí exhibition ''Liquid Desire'', and from late 2009 through April 2010 at the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, Ohio, in an exhibit entitled ''Dalí and Disney: The Art and Animation of Destino''.

In 2012, the film was featured in the "Dalí" exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.

In 2019, ''Destino'' was featured in the Dalí exhibition at the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.

In 2022 and 2023, ''Destino'' was shown on a continuous loop in the exhibition ''Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design 1924 – Today'', at the Design Museum in London.

Home media

The Disney DVD ''True-Life Adventures, Volume 3'' has a trailer for ''Destino'', and mentions a forthcoming DVD release. ''Destino'' was made available on the ''Fantasia & Fantasia 2000 Special Edition'' Blu-ray disc released on November 30, 2010, as well as on the standalone ''Fantasia 2000'' Blu-ray. Salvador Dalí Museum and Dalí Theatre and Museum also made available a standalone DVD release. These releases were accompanied by a feature-length documentary on the project called "Dali & Disney: A Date with Destino". ''Destino'' was released on the Disney+ streaming service in January 2020.

See also

* List of works by Salvador Dalí

Notes

#Additional production by Walt Disney Feature Animation Paris.

References

Further reading

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Dali and Disney: A Date With Destino - via YouTube

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Destino
2003 American animated short films
2000s avant-garde and experimental films
2000s Disney animated short films
Fantasia (franchise)
Animated films without speech
Film with screenplays by Salvador Dalí
Walt Disney