Chernabog's minions are the secondary antagonists in the Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence of Walt Disney's Fantasia.
Background[]
Personality[]
Chernabog's minions appear to be quite evil, hostile, and mischievous for their personality. Several of them are shown taking glee in performing acts of debauchery, although it appears they are fearful of Chernabog to an extent, as the black god is not above subjecting his own followers to torment to amuse himself.
Physical appearance[]
Chernabog's worshippers come in lots of different shapes and sizes. Most of the ones seen are ethereal cloaked specters or phantoms with bright glowing eyes. But there are witches flying on broomsticks and skeletal horsemen among them, as well as varieties of disfigured criminals, fallen warriors, fiery satyrs, harpies, small imps, and dragonlike demons. Most horsemen ride atop the backs of skeletal steeds, but others are seen riding atop the backs of other creatures - such as goats, boars, and even a cow. A combination of skeletal dogs or wolves, black cats, and swarms of bats as well as a vulture are also among them.
Appearances[]
Fantasia []
During the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence from Fantasia, Chernabog summons numerous ghosts, demons, and monsters from the graveyard of the village which Bald Mountain overlooks. They seemingly represent the pagan religions interpreting them as evil. Being summoned by him, they transformed into animals for Chernabog's delight as he throws them into the fire. With his own powers, he reveals that they are as disposable as they look, burning them in his own hellish flames. They, like Chernabog, are vanquished when the morning arrives.
Fantasmic! []
The scene from "Night on Bald Mountain" is represented as Chernabog sends his army of demons to ruin Mickey Mouse's imagination under the orders of the Evil Queen. We see the face of a skull, a witch, and many other phantoms. They were destroyed in the final battle between Maleficent and Mickey Mouse, restoring the powers of Light.
The Black Cauldron[]
One of the phantoms riding a demonic horse makes a cameo appearance as the Horned King in one of Hen Wen's visions.
House of Mouse[]
In the episode "Suddenly Hades", Chernabog's minions appeared as part of his act to entertain Hades: the only guest at the club due to the heat and the broken air conditioner. When Pete tried to bulldoze Bald Mountain out of the club, which would make Hades leave so he can shut the place down, the landlord ended up getting chased away by the minions, further entertaining Hades.
They also appeared in the advertisement for A Night on Bald Mountain at the end of "House Ghosts".
Mickey Mouse[]
In the episode "Touchdown and Out", Chernabog's minions appear as spectators in Chernabog's hellish stadium during the football game.
Video games[]
Fantasia[]
Bats, fiery vampire heads, devils, and flying witches serve as enemies in the Fire World levels.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance[]
Two demons appear in the game at Bald Mountain near their master Chernabog.
Epic Mickey[]
The ghosts are seen flying in the skies outside of the Haunted Mansion in the Lonesome Manor.
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two[]
The demons appear in the two Night on Bald Mountain-themed transition levels.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The varieties of minions appear to represent something deemed immoral or sinful in the Christian religion. Chernabog represents Satan running Bald Mountain (hell) with his demonic minions and punishing the souls for their sins. The witches and demonic horsemen are an allusion to the holy inquisition, the harpies and dancing satyrs could represent the fear of paganism, the fiery succubi refer to the temptation of lust, the dancing animals have allegorical associations with corruption and wickedness in both biblical scripture and practices, and the skeletons might be a metaphor for death itself or possibly the Dark Age due to their use by scientists at the time for studying human anatomy.
- In Fantasmic!, the minions were given sounds like screams and cries.
- Most of the ghosts rise from their graves in the village cemetery, but some are shown coming from gibbets, implying that they disobeyed a law in life.
- In Once Upon a Time, Chernabog's minions don't appear. However, the Wraith has a similar appearance to one of the ghostly minions with glowing red eyes and a cloak.
- The harpies Chernabog has at his command display bare breasts for a few frames, making them one of only a few official Disney characters to show nudity onscreen.
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