Saturday, March 8, 2008

More from Pastoral Symphony: Bacchus and Jacchus!

The opening of the third movement of the Pastoral Symphony section finds the centaurettes and fauns making wine. Attracted doubtless by the smell, Bacchus, riding on his donkey-unicorn Jacchus, is soon with them and eagerly partaking.

Bacchus, dressed in a white robe and with a grapevine garland around his neck, is not especially large but is rotund and very obviously heavy: it is all that Jacchus can do to stagger along under the weight. Bacchus also has a startling habit of falling over, due no doubt to the wine with which the centaurettes constantly replenish his glass. He has bulbous cheeks and a squashy nose and looks as if it has been a long time since a logical thought chased its futile way through his head. His amorous pursuits of the centaurettes end in predictable failure: falling flat on your face is no way to win the heart of a fair lady. Jacchus, not averse to the occassional draught of wine, although the effects on him are even swifter than they are on Bacchus. This dissolute pair end the movement when Bacchus, thinking blearily that he has at last caught a centaurette, purses his lips to proffer a kiss to an equally drunken Jacchus.

The Walt Disney Classics Collection is proud to announce the debut of Bacchus and Jacchus ("Braying Bacchanalia") a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 750 sculpted by Kent Melton. Bacchus and Jacchus join previously released (and retired) releases from the Pastoral Symphony sequence, the Blue Centaurette, Pink Centaurette and Cupids on Pillar (pictured above with Bacchus and Jacchus), all sculpted by Kent Melton.

Previous Fantasia releases can be seen in the Fantasia Gallery section of the website. You can also participate in two polls -- Bacchus and Jacchus Poll and Pastoral Symphony Poll at the Internet Cafe.

For your viewing pleasure (courtesy of YouTube) is a clip from the Pastoral Symphony sequence featuring Bacchus and Jacchus:


Pastoral Symphony Sequence from Fantasia ©Disney

3 comments:

Matthew said...

I'm a big Fantasia fan and could not wait for this piece to be released.

I'm NOT disappointed! This is exactly as I wanted to have these two characters depicted.

I love the vibrant color and the expression on Jacchus' face.

I can't wait to display this team on my Fantasia shelf!

Michael J. Ruocco said...

YES! I've been waiting for a piece like this for a long time!

Like Matthew, I'm a big Fantasia fan (my favorite movie). It's a great looking piece, & I want it on my shelf, too!

But only limited to 750? That'll be a tough one to get!

Babette said...

This is definitely my favorite of the first wave of the 2Q releases. He fits in perfectly with the Centaurettes for a nice little scene. Love the way Kent sculpted even the fat wrinkles in his feet....a great level of detail. For anyone who is a wine lover (hic), he's a must have!