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Thursday, June 12, 2025

Original Production Animation Cel of Lady Tremaine (Wicked Stepmother) from "Cinderella," 1950

 

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of Lady Tremaine (Stepmother) set on a lithographic background from "Cinderella," 1950, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 42 in ink lower right; Size - Lady Tremaine: 6 x 4", Image 8 x 11 3/4"; Unframed.

To purchase this cel or to visit the Art Gallery, CLICK HERE!
 
"Well, why not? After all, I'm yet a member of the family. And it says, "by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend." - Cinderella
"Yes, then it does so. Well, I see no reason why you can't go... if you get all your work done." - Stepmother
"Oh, I will! I promise" - Cinderella
"And if you can find something suitable to wear." - Stepmother
I'm sure I can! Oh, thank you, Stepmother. (she leaves) - Cinderella
Mother! do you realize what you said?!" - Drizella
"Of course. I said "if." - Stepmother
"Oh... "If." (Stepmother, Drizella, and Anastasia softly laugh)


The 1950 Walt Disney feature film "Cinderella" was based on the French version of the tale by Charles Perrault, entitled "Cinderella" and written in 1698. The film was the second in the series of great Princess films developed by Disney, the first being Snow White in 1937. The character of Cinderella is usually front and center in the pantheon of Disney Princess merchandise, perhaps because she is the only Princess not to be of a noble blood line who ended up marrying a Prince and becoming royalty.

Eleanor Audley (TV and film actress as well as familiar radio and animation voice talent) was filmed while she was dressed and speaking as the Stepmother; and as she performed scenes outlined in the film. Those film reels were used by animator Frank Thomas to convey even more realism to the character. Although the framed images were not directly copied by the animator, they were used as reference for lifelike movements. Eleanor Audley also voiced the Stepmother and her articulation conveyed the fire and raw power of the character. She could be sharp and curt in telling Cinderella what chores to do while lying in bed and slowly stirring her cup of tea, or her voice could be calm are cruel while watching as her daughters viciously destroyed Cinderella's dress.

Frank Thomas did a phenomenal job of controlling the Stepmother's actions to make sure that they were were not wild and out of control; but rather calculated, cold, and precise. The story of Cinderella presented a situation where a villain lived and interacted with her victim day after day under the same roof. The actions of the Stepmother seemed even more cruel because not only were both she and Cinderella animated in a very realistic fashion, but because of the close proximity the cruelness of the villain could be seen as even more intense by the reactions on Cinderella's face. If all this were not enough, the Stepmother's arsenal of evil was compounded by her two ill mannered daughters Anastasia and Drizella; as well as Lucifer the cat, who delighted in trying to kill Cinderella's mouse friends.

"Often, patrons would be horrified or dismayed by the behavior of a villain, but more people actually hated the Stepmother more than any other villain we ever created." - Ollie Johnson and Frank Thomas from "The Disney Villain," 1993
 
This cel is from the scene when Cinderella hands the invitation to the King's Ball to Lady Tremaine, while she is practicing music with her daughters Drizella and Anastasia. The invitation states that every eligible maiden can attend the Ball, and her Stepmother agrees IF she can get all of her work done. Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters, fearing that Cinderella will upstage them at the Ball, end up deliberately keeping her busy, with no time to spare in order to prepare a dress suitable for the Ball. This is great original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of the wicked Stepmother as she is holding the invitation to the Ball and she says "Of course. I said "if." A great piece of vintage Walt Disney animation artwork from the full length masterpiece "Cinderella!" The dialog for the scene is below:
 
"Well, why not? After all, I'm yet a member of the family. And it says, "by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend." - Cinderella
"Yes, then it does so. Well, I see no reason why you can't go... if you get all your work done." - Stepmother
"Oh, I will! I promise" - Cinderella
"And if you can find something suitable to wear." - Stepmother
I'm sure I can! Oh, thank you, Stepmother. (she leaves) - Cinderella
Mother! do you realize what you said?!" - Drizella
"Of course. I said "if." - Stepmother
"Oh... "If." (Stepmother, Drizella, and Anastasia softly laugh)

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Original Production Animation Cels of Bambi and a Frog on a Courvoisier background from "Bambi," 1942

 

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cels of Bambi and a Frog over a Courvoisier air brush background from "Bambi," 1942, Walt Disney Studios; WDP stamp lower left; Walt Disney Productions stamp verso; With original Courvoisier Galleries label; Size - Bambi & Frog: 4 3/4 x 7"; Image 6 3/4 x 8 3/4"; Unframed; Unframed.

 To purchase this cel or to visit the Art Gallery, CLICK HERE!

"Whatch gonna call 'im?" - Thumper
"Well, I think I'll call him Bambi." - Bambi's Mother
"Bambi... Yep, I guess that'll do all right." - Thumper

"Bambi," 1942 is a full length animated film by Walt Disney Studios and based on the book "Bambi, A Life in the Woods" by Austrian author Felix Salten. The film was released by RKO Radio Pictures on August 13, 1942. "Bambi" received three Academy Award nominations: Best Sound (Sam Slyfield), Best Song (for "Love Is a Song" sung by Donald Novis), and Best Original Music Score. In June 2008, the American Film Institute presented a list of its "10 Top 10" (the best ten films in each of ten classic American film genres) and "Bambi" placed third in the animation category. In December 2011, "Bambi" was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

The story centers on Bambi, a white-tailed deer, his parents (the Great Prince of the forest and his unnamed mother), his animal friends Thumper (a pink-nosed rabbit), Flower (a skunk), and his childhood friend and future mate, a doe named Faline. Walt Disney wanted all of the animals to be more realistic and expressive than those in "Snow White". He had Rico LeBrun, a wildlife animal painter, come into the Disney Studios to lecture to the animators on the structure and movement of animals. The animators went on excursions to the Los Angeles Zoo and Walt Disney set up a small zoo at the Disney Animation Studio with animals such as rabbits, ducks, owls, skunks, and a pair of fawns aptly named Bambi and Faline; so that the artists could see first-hand animal movement. Animator Marc Davis created the final design of Bambi by incorporating LeBurn's realistic study of deer anatomy but exaggerating the character's face by making his proportions baby-like; including a short snout and big expressive eyes.

"Bambi" was Walt Disney's favorite film he ever made, and it is not too surprising given his love of nature films. The special effects, particularly the water, and the lush hand painted backgrounds create a wonderful environment that allows the viewer to be totally immersed into the film. Combined with a great story of friendship and complete success in the creation of characters; the film is able to provide amazing feelings of both happiness and sadness, as the viewer watches Bambi grows up from fawn to deer.

Although the character of Bambi was designed by Marc Davis; animation was accomplished by Frank Thomas, Milt Kahl, Eric Larson, Ollie Johnson, and Preston Blair. The voice of Bambi was provided by four different actors, corresponding to the different ages of Bambi as he grew older: Bobby Stewart (baby), Donnie Dunagan (young), Hardie Albright (adolescent), and John Sutherland (young adult). Donnie Dunagan was also the performance model for the character, with the animators integrating his facial expressions onto the face of Bambi.

These are wonderful full figure and eyes open original production animation cels of Bambi and a Frog that have been set on a Courvoisier air brushed pond surrounded by cattails background. A beautiful and rare piece of vintage Walt Disney original production animation artwork that is perfect for any collection!

Original Production Animation Cel of Goofy and Percy from "How To Ride A Horse," 1941

 

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of Goofy and Percy from "How To Ride A Horse" segment of "The Reluctant Dragon," 1941, Walt Disney Studios; Set over a Courvoisier air brush background; WDP stamp lower right; Numbered 125 in ink lower right; Copyright Walt Disney Productions stamp verso; With original Courvoisier Galleries label; Size - Goofy & Percy: 6 x 4", Image 8 3/4 x 11 1/4"; Unframed.

To purchase this cel or to visit the Art Gallery, CLICK HERE!

"No truer has ever been uttered than those of Confucius, or some other philosopher, who said, "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man"" - Narrator

"How To Ride A Horse," 1941 is an eight minute Goofy cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions and directed by Jack Kinney. The short was originally released as a segment of "The Reluctant Dragon" on June 20, 1941; but was later released as a standalone cartoon on February 24, 1950.

In 1938, one year after his last session as the character Goofy, Pinto Colvig (the original voice actor for Goofy) had a falling out with Walt Disney and quit the studio, leaving Goofy without a voice. According to film critic Leonard Maltin, this event is what gave birth to the "How To..." Goofy cartoons of the 1940's; in which Goofy had little dialogue and a narrator (often John McLeish) was used as the primary voice of the shorts. As a stand in for limited Goofy dialogue, the Disney Studio would often reuse Colvig's voice taken from prior recordings or they hired George Johnson to imitate Colvig. The "How To..." shorts featured Goofy explaining, but always failing, how to do perform various activities; beginning with "How to Ride A Horse" in 1941 and continuing with "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater," in 2007. Colvig would return to Disney in 1940 and resumed the voice of Goofy three years later.

The plot of "How To Ride A Horse" is that Goofy demonstrates the basics of how to ride a horse (named Percy); from selecting the proper clothes, mounting, the basic horse gaits, jumping, and returning the horse back to the stable. Pinto Colvig is the voice of Goofy, Clarence Nash the voice of Percy, and John McLeish is the narrator.

This is a rare original production animation cel of Goofy and his horse Percy from "How to Ride A Horse," 1941. The cartoon's date placement is often incorrect in the list of "How To..." Goofy shorts because of it's original release with the film "The Reluctant Dragon" in 1941, compared to it's re-release as a stand alone short in 1950. This fact makes "How to Ride A Horse" the first short of the famed "How To..." Goofy series. This is wonderful image of Goofy mounted on his annoyed horse Percy and would be an outstanding addition to any vintage Walt Disney animation art collection!

Monday, May 12, 2025

Original Production Animation Cel of Madame Medusa from "The Rescuers," 1977

 

Original hand painted production animation cel of Madame Medusa set on a lithographic background from "The Rescuers," 1977, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 87 in ink and Walt Disney seal lower right; Size - Madame Medusa: 9 3/4 x 7 1/2", Image 11 x 15 1/4"; Unframed.


"Give you time? You bungler! You have been down there for three months. Bottles. What Bottles?" - Madame Medusa

"The Rescuers" is an animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Productions; and was released on June 22, 1977 by Buena Vista Distribution. The film is based on a series of books by Margery Sharp, most notably "The Rescuers and Miss Bianca." The 23rd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society; an international mouse organization headquartered in New York; and shadowed the United Nations. The Rescue Aid Society, a mouse based group, was dedicated to helping abduction victims around the world at large. Two of these mice, jittery janitor Bernard (voiced by Bob Newhart) and his co-agent, the elegant Miss Bianca (voiced by Eva Gabor), set out to rescue Penny, an orphan girl being held prisoner in the Devil's Bayou by treasure huntress Madame Medusa.

Early designs for Medusa were done by Ken Anderson, there were even discussions about bringing back Cruella deVil from "101 Dalmatians" as the villain; but that was eventually abandoned. The character of Medusa was eventually created and although there are many similarities with Cruella (thin build, similar cars, appear wealthy, bad tempers, cry upon realizing that they have lost, etc.), Medusa is still quite distinct with her wild red hair, sagging breasts, green eyes, and lots and lots of makeup. Her ultimate goal in the film is to possess the Devil's Eye, the world's largest diamond. Milt Kahl was given the task of animating Medusa and it is known that one his inspirations was his ex-wife. Kahl's brilliance in animation is really showcased with this character and many point to the scene where she is removing her false eyelashes as proof of his technical skill.

The next three paragraphs are from veteran Walt Disney animator Andreas Deja:
"When Milt Kahl was asked in an interview if he had a favorite character he animated, his response was: "Oh I enjoyed a few, I just loved doing Madame Mim, Shere Khan was a lot of fun, and so were the butler and old lawyer in 'Aristocats'. But I guess I enjoyed Medusa more than any one of them." And it shows. His last animation assignment at Disney -just like Marc Davis's- was a tour de force of character acting. It was a "I'm going to give it all" feel to it.

Marc told me that Milt promised him, Medusa will "wipe his Cruella off the screen". Then he added with a chuckle: "Of course that didn't happen". So there was definitely a friendly competition going on between these two great animators and their characters. Milt sort of designed Medusa's features opposite from Cruella's. Cruella has small nose, Medusa's is longer. Cruella's hair parts in the middle, Medusa's off to one side. Cruella has a pointy jaw, Medusa is almost chin less etc.

I have to admit, when I first saw Medusa in "The Rescuers" in a London theater, I couldn't believe my eyes. So much inventiveness in her drawing and motion. How on earth can you show an animated character removing her make up? Wasn't that something only a live actress could pull off...but in animation? Incredible! I have spent way too much time studying this character, on the other hand I think I got a lot out of it. Dialogue, graphic but dimensional drawing and just being gutsy in general."

When Madame Medusa is first introduced in the film "The Rescuers," she is barging into her back room of her pawn shop to answer a ringing telephone. "Madam Medusa's Pawn Shop Bou-tique," she says. Geraldine Page, the Oscar winning actress, provided the voice to this wonderful villain and the way that she increases her voice tone with the words pawn shop boutique is just so wonderful and extremely memorable.

This is an original hand painted production animation cel of Madame Medusa. A wonderful image from a key scene in the film when she is talking on the phone to her henchman Snoops and says to him, "Give you time? You bungler! You have been down there for three months. Bottles. What bottles?" Medusa is eyes open staring into the mouthpiece of the phone, frowning, and she is holding the telephone in her left hand. A great addition to any animation art collection!

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Original Production Animation Cel of Shere Khan from "The Jungle Book," 1967

 

Original hand painted production animation cel of Shere Khan from "The Jungle Book," 1967, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Shere Khan: 7 1/2 x 7 3/4", Image 9 1/4 x 12"; Unframed.


"The Jungle Book," 1967 was the nineteenth animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Productions and inspired by Rudyard Kipling's book of the same name. The film was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it was to be the last film that was worked on by Walt Disney, as he passed away during its production. The film follows Mowgli, a feral child raised in the Indian jungle by wolves, as he encounters Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear; who try and convince him to leave the jungle before the villainous tiger Shere Khan finds him. Voice actors include: Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, George Sanders and Louis Prima; as well as Disney regulars such as Sterling Holloway, J. Pat O'Malley, Verna Felton, and the director's son, Bruce Reitherman, as the voice of Mowgli.

Shere Khan, a Bengal tiger, is the main antagonist in the 1967 Walt Disney film "The Jungle Book;" an adaption of writer Rudyard Kipling's series of stories. Khan was voiced by George Sanders, a veteran actor with a deep bass voice and a heavy British accent. According to Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston from "The Disney Villain":

"The perfect choice for the voice was George Sanders, the complete cynic, who added the element of boredom. With this voice, we could imagine a tiger who would kill without concern or effort. Sanders was asked if he would like a drawing of Shere Khan as a souvenir, to which he responded, "I suppose so." Asked further if he would like Walt to autograph it, he replied, "How utterly absurb. Why would I want his signature? He might want mine, I created the character."

Milt Kahl, the great veteran Disney animator, was in charge of bringing Shere Khan to life and so of course Kahl set out on a crash course in tigers. Kahl said in an interview:  I learned so much about tigers by studying them that I didn't have to rely on any life action crutch." From Disney animator Andreas Dejas about the animation of Shere Khan, "Great perspective walk, and I love the way the tiger lies down, upper body first, then the rear.  The way he moves those front feet is worth studying alone. Such great anatomy."

The next two paragraphs are excepts from "The Disney Villain," by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston:

"It is not often that true villains as unique as Kaa and Shere Khan confront each other. In "The Jungle Book" the meeting was not a a victim-villain relationship because thy had nearly equal strengths. It was more a game of "keep away." Kaa will not admit that he has Mowgli hypnotized high in the tree as the tiger suspects. In a cold but polite manner Shere Khan tries to intimidate the crafty Kaa by suggesting, 'I thought you might be entertaining someone up there in your coils.'"

"The tiger is almost unbeatable, but he is unable to find out if Mowgli is really up in the tree. Any other character would have been terrified by the treatment Kaa is receiving, yet the snake continues to be evasive. He is a slippery antagonist, withstanding threats and humiliation in order to keep Mowgli for himself. It is an entertaining standoff for these two powerful predators, but it is Mowgli who eventually wins the day."

This is a wonderful original production animation cel of the evil tiger, Shere Khan. He is shown in a three quarters portrait image with his yellow eyes open, his right ear is up in the air, and he has a wickedly evil smile. It really does not get better, just a spectacular cel of the villainous tiger that is perfect for any animation art collection!

Friday, April 25, 2025

Original Production Animation Cel of Cruella De Vil from "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," 1961

 

Original hand painted production animation cel of Cruella De Vil and Blanket from "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," 1961, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Cruella De Vil and Blanket: 7 1/3" x 10 3/4", Image 8 1/2" x 12"; Unframed.

 
"Dognapping!" Can you imagine such a thing? "15 puppies Stolen." They are darling little things. Anita and her... and her bashful Beethoven! Pipe and all!" - Cruella De Vil

"One Hundred and One Dalmatians" ("101 Dalmatians"), is a 1961 full length animated feature film by Walt Disney Productions. It was adapted from Dodie Smith's 1956 novel of the same name. It stars Rod Taylor as the voice of Pongo and Cate Bauer as the voice of Perdita; with Betty Lou Gerson as the voice of the evil and villainous Cruella de Vil. The animation of all the characters from the film was quite extraordinary.

The film "Sleeping Beauty," 1959 was very expensive to make and it took a huge financial loss at the box-office; as a result, the Disney animation studio was considering closing. During the production of "Sleeping Beauty," Walt Disney told animator Eric Larson: "I don't think we can continue, it's too expensive." Because Disney's entire company was based on animation, he was looking for a way to continue with animation, and at the same time significantly reduce costs.

The animator Ub Iwerks had been experimenting with Xerox photography to aid in animation process. By 1959 he had modified a Xerox camera to transfer the drawings by the animators, directly onto animation cels. The process would preserve the spontaneity of the penciled drawings but eliminate the inking process, thus saving time and money. However, the limitation was that the camera was unable to deviate from a black scratchy outline, and the resulting cels lacked the fine lavish quality of hand inking.

Cruella along with Maleficent are two of the most favorite of all the Disney villains, and they were both animated by Marc Davis. The character of Cruella De Vil was created by Dodie Smith for his novel "101 Dalmatians" in 1956, but it was Davis's visual interpretation that the world remembers. Although some of Cruella's traits were based in the novel, Davis along with Bill Peat, morphed the character by making her razor thin and exaggerating her oversized coat onto her thin frame. The long cigarette holder was modeled on one Davis used himself. Inspiration was also drawn from Hollywood legends Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis, and Rosalind Russell. Movement, according to Davis, was consistent "like someone you wouldn't like," and another inspiration was based on "one woman I knew who was just a monster. She was tall and thin and talked constantly - you never knew what she was saying, but you couldn't get a word in edgewise."

The voice of Cruella was provided by Betty Lou Gerson. She had worked for Disney prior as the narrator for Cinderella, but her voice talent as Cruella De Vil is her tour de force! The highly pitched phrase "Anita Darling!" is completely iconic and has become part of Disney pop culture.
 
Cruella De Vil is one of the rare Disney villains that has a theme song, which was written and composed by Mel Leven; an American composer and lyricist that had a long relationship with the Walt Disney Company. In the feature film, the villainess song was written and performed by Roger Radcliffe (voiced by Bill Lee), who had just finished the jazz melody and was inspired by Cruella's name. The lyrics are below:
 
Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil
If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will
To see her is to take a sudden chill
Cruella, Cruella
She's like a spider waiting for the kill
Look out for Cruella De Vil 

At first you think Cruella is a devil
But after time has worn away the shock
You come to realize
You've seen her kind of eyes
Watching you from underneath a rock 

This vampire bat, this inhuman beast
She ought to be locked up and never released 
The world was such a wholesome place until
Cruella, Cruella De Vil

This is absolutely fantastic cel of Cruella De Vil holding her cigarette and holder in one hand and a newspaper in the other. She is lying in bed, wearing a black fur night jacket with a pink ribbon, her hair is in curlers, eyes are closed, head is tilted back, and she is laughing hysterically while reading the newspaper headlines about stolen dalmatian puppies. A great addition to any Disney Villain or animation art collection!

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Original Production Animation Cel of The White Rabbit from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951

 

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of the White Rabbit from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - White Rabbit: 2 1/2 x 3 1/2", Image 9 1/4 x 10 3/4"; Unframed.

To purchase this cel or to visit the Art Gallery, CLICK HERE!

"Oh, my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No time to say goodbye - Hello! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" - White Rabbit

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (commonly shortened to "Alice in Wonderland"), is a 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson who wrote under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. Disney reworked the story to fit with both a younger audience and a time frame suitable for an animated film (it's run time is only 75 minutes).

Kathryn Beaumont, who was born in London England, was just 10 years old when she was chosen for the voice of Alice. Walt Disney personally cast Beaumont after seeing her in the film "On an Island with You," in which the child actress had a small role. Disney was so impressed by her that she was also chosen to be the model for Alice, and would also go on to provide the voice for Wendy in "Peter Pan," 1953. Beaumont has also reprised her voice acting role as Alice in two episodes of the animated series, Disney's "House of Mouse," and as both Alice and Wendy in the video game "Kingdom Hearts." She did not retire as the voice of Alice and Wendy until 2005, when her role for these two characters was taken over by Hynden Walch.

The White Rabbit is one of the most well known and referenced fictional characters in Lewis Carroll's book "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." He first appears in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" Alice follows him down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, and encounters him again when he mistakes her for his housemaid Mary Ann. Soon Alice becomes trapped in his house after growing too large. The Rabbit shows up again in the last few chapters of the book, as a herald-like servant of the King and Queen of Hearts.

However, in Walt Disney's animated version of the story, the White Rabbit seems to be the most logical of all the Wonderland characters; and appears throughout the film to lead Alice along further into Wonderland. The Rabbit is perhaps most famous for the little song he sang at the beginning of the film - "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" He was animated by various animators including: Fred Moore, Ward Kimball, Judge Whitaker, and Wolfgang Reitherman. But most of the work was done by either Fred Moore or Ward Kimball; both of whom were wonderful at bringing this type of exaggerated character to life.

The White Rabbit was voiced by American Radio and Voice Actor Bill Thompson. Thompson had an extraordinary career spanning from the 1930's until he passed away in 1971. He worked extensively for Walt Disney Studios, and can be heard in many shorts and features, often in either dialect parts or a variation of his famous and masterful Wimple/Droopy voice. For "Alice In Wonderland," he was the voice of both the White Rabbit and the Dodo. He went on to be the voice of Mr. Smee (and the other pirates) in "Peter Pan," and also King Hubert in "Sleeping Beauty."

This is a wonderful original production animation cel of the White Rabbit. He is a very nice full figure image and he is wearing his eyeglasses, blue Victorian collar, and red heart tunic. This is an absolutely beautiful piece of vintage Walt Disney animation art and a great addition to any animation collection!