Robert Redford’s First Cinema Experience Changed His Life
Robert Redford shares how his first trip to the cinema, watching Fantasia, left a deep mark on him and later inspired his vision for Sundance Cinemas.
Some folks just act, others become household names, but Robert Redford was in a league of his own. When he passed away in 2025 at 89, the world lost a true giant of the screen. Redford didn’t just star in and direct some cracking films; he also used his clout to back up-and-coming talent, especially through the Sundance Film Festival. His absence is felt across the industry, and it’s hard to imagine anyone filling those shoes.
Like any actor, Redford’s journey was shaped by the films he watched and made. His breakout came with Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, and he proved his chops behind the camera with Ordinary People. Sundance itself found its groove thanks to films like sex, lies & videotape, while a string of classics from the mid-20th century helped shape his early years. It’s natural to wonder what first sparked his love for the big screen.
Early Impressions: A Childhood at the Pictures
In a chat with Moviemaker, Redford was asked if he could recall the first film he ever saw at the cinema. He didn’t hesitate:
I do! It was Fantasia, and I remember being blown away by it
. Fantasia, released during a turning point for Disney, is a bit of an oddball by today’s standards. It’s a collection of animated shorts set to classical music, with the standout being ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, where Mickey Mouse gets in over his head with a bit of magic gone wrong.
The film was designed to give Mickey a new lease on life, as his popularity had dipped. Without Fantasia’s success, the famous mouse might not have stuck around in the same way. Redford would’ve been about four when it first hit cinemas. He didn’t say exactly when he saw it, but it’s safe to reckon he caught it as a young kid, not during its later revival in the swinging sixties.
Nostalgia for the Golden Days of Cinema
Back then, the world—and the cinema experience—was a different beast. Redford looked back fondly on those days, saying,
It used to be you went and had a whole cultural experience, cartoons, shorts, newsreels and no trailers
. That sense of nostalgia played a big part in his decision to launch Sundance Cinemas in 2007. The idea was to bring back a simpler, more communal way of watching films.
He wondered aloud,
What if we brought that back with [a] Sundance product? We could show a variety of films in a centre with a bar, a restaurant and a film library? Where the whole community could gather for a community experience? They’ve been very successful
. The aim was to create a space where locals could come together, not just to watch a film, but to share in the whole experience.
Lasting Impact of a Childhood Classic
However you look at it, Fantasia is a wild ride, and it’s no surprise it left such a mark on a young bloke who’d go on to become a legend. That first trip to the pictures didn’t just entertain Redford—it set him on a path that would shape his life and the lives of countless others in the world of film.