When it comes to classical music being merged with animation, Fantasia immediately springs to mind and for good reason. And The Soldier's Tale is another fine example. The ending is a little too rushed and pat, but when everything else is so outstanding that doesn't matter. The animation is very flexible and hugely imaginative, never distracting from the story and actually helps move it along. Stravinsky has gotten much better appreciation from me over the years and The Soldier's Tale shows how clever- with the incorporation of more than one style of music- and stylistically distinctive he was(Stravinsky's way with rhythms, time signatures and the like and what he did with the neo-classical style is unique). The dialogue is well-written, though with the atmosphere and the simplicity of the story maybe The Soldier's Tale may have worked a little better without words. The story still resonates with how atmospheric and simple it is, it is a lovely and clever written story and one that people can relate to. Max Von Sydow brings a wonderfully distinguished presence too, and the work of everybody else in the cast is appropriately dynamic. All in all, a fine, even outstanding, example of animation and classical music being merged very well. 10/10 Bethany Cox
