Disney's Dark Side
Disney has a dark side and I love it when they let this side show. I’m not talking about The Force today. I mean the older things that truly go bump in the night and scared the crap out of us as kids.
In 1940, Disney released Fantasia and included is the poetic segment entitled Night on Bald Mountain. Originally composed by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, the piece was almost lost due to the creator’s untimely death due to alcoholism at 42.
Friends and follow composers, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov revived the scene depicting the pagan festivities of the midsummer Slavic holiday. Summer solstice involves water, fire and fertility rituals, as witches and spirits gather to celebrate St. John’s Night on Bald Mountain, as originally translated.
St. John became attached to the ancient celebration when the church attempted to appropriate and alter the festivities. Mussorgsky was inspired by Nikolay Gogol’s short story “St. John’s Eve.”
Night on Bald Mountain closely follows descriptions that Mussorgsky had crafted on his original score of the poem. The main demon, Chernabog, was animated by Ukrainian born artist, Vladimir Tytla, whom conducted character research on the forklore of the story.
Actor Bela Lugosi was hired to provide reference poses for Chernabog, but Tytla was unhappy with the results of the 1931 Dracula star. Wilfred Jackson, Director of the segment, posed shirtless, and gave Tytla the look that Disney fans know today as Chernabog.
Walt Disney called Chernabog, “the devil himself”.
Fantasia is the 23rd highest grossing film of all time in the U.S. when adjusted for inflation and the franchise has grown to include video games, Disney attractions and concerts. The film has grown in reputation over the years and is now widely acclaimed.
The film’s representation includes the famous Ave Marie score accompaniment by composer Franz Schubert. In its original theatrical cut, the musical piece was intentionally added to provide “an emotional relief to audiences tense from the visual shock" of Night on Bald Mountain”, however I prefer adding this sync by Slayer to give it a whole different experience.
