Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cels of Si and Am Siamese Cats set on a lithographic background from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955; Walt Disney Studios; Size - Si and Am: 8 3/4 x 5 1/2", Image 9 1/2 x 9 3/4"; Unframed.
"We are Siamese if you please. We are Siamese if you don't please." - Si and Am
"Lady
and the Tramp" (released on June 22, 1955) is a full length featured
animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista
Distribution. The film was the 15th in the Walt Disney Animated Classics
series, and it was the first animated feature filmed in with the
CinemaScope widescreen film process. The film was based on the story
"Happy Dan, The Whistling Dog" by Ward Greene and tells the story of a
female American Cocker Spaniel named Lady who lives with a refined,
upper-middle-class family. Lady meets a male stray mutt named Tramp and
they embark on many exciting and romantic adventures.
Si
and Am account for a very large amount of Villain merchandise sold by
Walt Disney Studios. The cats were only in the film "Lady and the
Tramp" for a very short amount of time; however their film time is very
much remembered and loved. With their names combined, "Siam" is the
former name of the Kingdom of Thailand, referencing the cats' heritage.
Si and Am are a pair of identical twin seal-point Siamese cats and
belong to Aunt Sarah. Their physical appearance is sleek, with cream
colored coats, angular wedge-shaped faces, and large blue almond eyes.
They have deep brown facial points with a darker, almost black muzzle
with dark triangular ears; and their noses are black and small, and both
have two middle incisors that hang over their lower lip. Si and Am
have dark brown "stockings" on their front legs and shorter "socks" on
their hind legs, with dark long winding tails.
The
famed Disney animator Milt Kahl did the final character design for Si
and Am; but the cats were animated beautifully by Bob Carlson, Bill
Justice, and John Sibley. There is little doubt that a huge amount of
the success of Si and Am goes to Peggy Lee and her performance of their
signature song, "The Siamese Cat Song." Peggy Lee was an American pop
and jazz singer, songwriter, and actress who provided the original
speaking and singing voices of not only Si and Am; but Darling and Peg.
She also composed the majority of the film's soundtrack with Sonny
Burke; as well as performed "He's a Tramp", "La La Lu", "What Is a
Baby?", and of course "The Siamese Cat Song"!
Close up of the Si original production animation cel.
The
cats storyline is that while Aunt Sarah is upstairs, Si and Am perform
their trademark musical number, "The Siamese Cat Song". During their
song, the cats wreak havoc throughout the house, claiming it as their
own, and even attempt to eat both the family fish and family bird!
During the closure of their song, Lady ferociously chases after them
upon hearing of their intentions to sample some of the newborn baby's
milk. Lots of household damage ensues, and although the cats caused all
the trouble, Si and Am feign injury in order to lay all the blame on
Lady; who is then muzzled by Aunt Sarah.
Close up of the Am original production animation cel.
Original
production cels of Si and Am are extremely rare and this set is one of
the finest I have ever seen in my 20+ years of collecting/dealing
animation art. I have only seen a handful of cels on the market and I
have never seen any production drawings. The cats famous quote is "We
are Siamese if you please," and this pair of cels is from the very
beginning of their famous song "The Siamese Cat Song," from which the
line originates. In this two cel setup both cats are full figure, with
both blue eyes open, and have just emerged from their basket and begin
to sing and wreck havoc. An absolutely fantastic piece of vintage animation artwork, perfect for any collection!
#Tramp #Lady #Peg #LadyandtheTramp #Disney #WaltDisney #animation #animationcel #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #productioncel #animationart #cel #Disney #WaltDisney #PeggyLee #MiltKahl #untitledartgallery #EricLarson #LarryRoberts #OllieJohnston #FrankThomas #WolfgangReitherman #JoeGrant #Tony #BellaNotte #spaghetti #TonysRestaurant #BillBaucom #Jock #Trusty #BillThompson
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