Front Description
The souls of the damned are called forth by the slavic god of evil, Chernabog, on this large 8-pin framed set. The eight pins - all in greys, black and white with some browns - encircle Chernabog.
The frame is very ornate and measures 20" by 16 1/4". The matting has LE1500 in the lower righthand corner. Pins vary in size from 1 1/4" (32 mm) wide to 3 1/4" (84 mm). The pin backs are double-posted, and have "Disney Catalog, Limited Edition 1500, © Disney, China."
==========================
The Certificate of Authenticity (which spells Chernabog's name as "Chernobog") reads,
"One of the darkest and most dramatic sequences in Disney animation occurs in the finale' of Walt Disney's 1940 Concert Feature, 'Fantasia.' Composer Modest Moussorgsky's tone poem 'Night on Bald Mountain' delineates the revels of Walpurgis Nacht, where spirits rise from unhallowed ground to dance and worship in the hands of the powerful Slavic god of evil, Chernobog.
"Disney already had some experience with portraying darker characters: the spooks, wicked witches, and devils of Silly Symphonies like Skelton Dance, Babes in the Woods and Goddess of Spring. Animated evil became more subtle with Snow White's wicked Queen / Witch, and Pinocchio's trio of villains, Honest John, Stromboli, and the Coachman. But with 'Bald Mountain,' Walt knew his artists had to come to grips with evil incarnate. He worried his artists wouldn't be up to the challenge. 'In this thing we are attempting to do something bigger than we are able to handle, to tell the truth. We want to go beyond those obvious things we have done.'
"To help achieve this almost impossible realism, Walt bring in the visionary Danish artist Kay Nielsen to lead the sequence's art direction. Nielsen, best known for his lavish illustrations of European fairy tales, defined the eerie village and graveyard from which the spirits arise, as well as the ghostly shapes, demons and skeletons themselves. Nielsen's images of Chernabog, based on the inspiration pencil designs by Albert Hurter and rendered in exquisite pastel are masterpieces of light and dark, of immense power and evil. The challenge of bringing the devil to life was handled by animator Vladimir ('Bill') Tytla, who happened to be Ukrainian by birth and so was wholly at home interpreting the mythology of his youth. The resulting sequence, directed by Wilfred Jackson, is one of the disturbing emotion and imagery; for many students of animation, its portrayal of raw evil remains unequaled. Walt Disney and his artists and his artists told the truth indeed.
"The Walt Disney Gallery is honored to present this exclusive framed pin sete featuring a reproduction of one of Kay Nielsen's most iconic images. Rendered in colored pastel on black animation sheet, Chernobog lifts his arms in triumph. The eight cloisonne pins are Nielsen-designed demons and spirits, and are reproduced from concept art litled, 'Suggested Character Models - Production 2004, Bare Mountain Sequence 11.0'. This handsome set is limited to an edition of 1,500."
The individual pins, listed from the lower righthand corner and then clockwise, are: Skeleton King on Horse (#47405), Woman Riding Goat (#47406), Tall Grasping Skeleton (#47407), Skeleton Witch on Broom (#47408), Shreaking Ghost (#47409), Woman with Burial Shawl (#47410), Bat (#47411) and Demon Wolf (#47412).
Back Description
