Chernabog (Fantasia)
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Chernabog is a fictional character who appears in the "Night on Bald Mountain" scene of Walt Disney's Fantasia (1940). He is a nocturnal demon who holds power over various restless souls whom he summons from their graves, until he is driven away by the sound of a church bell.
He is considered among the most visually impressive characters appearing in Disney's films. Bela Lugosi served as a live action model for Chernabog. Lugosi spent several days at the Disney studios, where he was filmed doing evil, demon-like poses for the animators to use as a reference. Animator Vladimir Bill Tytla (October 25, 1904 - December 30, 1968) then discarded much of the footage and used his own idea of how a demon should look (although Chernabog's leering grin bears a striking resemblance to Lugosi's own). Chernabog's creation is considered a highlight of his creativity.
Tytla's parents were from Ukraine and he probably sought inspiration from pagan Slavic mythology and the folklore of Eastern Europe. The name Chernabog is of Slavic origin, and is derived from Crnobog, the Slavic god of darkness.)
Chernabog appeared in the Disney/Squaresoft crossover game Kingdom Hearts as a powerful boss who ruled over the "End Of The World", serving as the fight before Ansem.
He also appears as one of the villains in both versions of the Fantasmic! nighttime spectacular at Disneyland in Anaheim, California and the Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Chernabog is also seen as a guest in House of Mouse where he is played by Corey Burton. Here, he is more of a provider of comic relief than an actual villain. (In one particular episode, he sheepishly admits to Clarabelle Cow that he's afraid of the dark.)
External links
- A more detailed profile of Chernabog: http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/villains/chernabog/chernabog.html
- An image gallery deticated to Chernabog: http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Shores/1622/Chernabog.html
- A site devoted to his creator Vladimir "Bill" Tytla: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/5308/
- His creator's profile in the Internet Movie Database: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Tytla,+Bill
- A text presenting Chernobog and other Slavic Gods: http://www.ibiblio.org/sergei/Dazhdbog.html
- A site devoted to Slavic Pagan beliefs that includes references to Chernabog though with alternate spellings: http://members.aol.com/HPSofSNERT/beli.html
- A list of Slavic gods with an explanation. Includes Chernobog: http://members.aol.com/purging/ptp2/slavic.htm