The first attempt at a commercial surround system for the cinema is thought to be Disney's Fantasound. It was developed in 1939 at the inception of Walt Disney (1901-1966) himself, to accompany Fantasia, his projected hybrid of animation and classical music. Disney, who was dissatisfied with the quality of existing motion-picture sound, worked closely with conductor Leopold Stokowski, who himself had played a pioneering role in some of the first stereo recording experiments in the early 1930s. Disney's aim was less to create a surround panorama than to produce a cleaner, more distinct sound. Thus, nine independent optical recorders were used, each with its own microphones, to record different parts of the orchestra and soundtrack elements. These would then be replayed through independent speakers placed at different points behind the screen and around the perimeter of the theater.
Fantasound, as it had by then been christened, was used at the 1940 premiere of the movie, and was hailed as a technical marvel. However, it was costly and time-consuming to set up, and most cinemas outside of the major cities were too small to handle the additional equipment. Furthermore, shortly afterward, domestic priorities changed as the United States entered World War II.
The idea of surround sound remained dormant for some time, with notable exceptions such as the quadraphonic and ambisonic audio systems in the 1970s, both of which failed largely through a lack of available content. However, it was the famous Dolby name that gradually captured the cinema market; the enhanced audio capabilities offered by the DVD format enabled Dolby to make the transition to the home cinema market, which it still dominates.
