Original Production Animation Cel of Jaq Mouse from "Cinderella," 1950

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of Jaq Mouse set on a lithographic background from "Cinderella," 1950, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 15 in ink lower right; Size - Jaq: 5 x 4", Image 7 1/4 x 11"; Unframed. 

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

"Poor Cinderelly. Ev'ry time she find a minute, that's the time when they begin it. Cinderelly! Cinderelly!" - Jaq

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.

Cinderella was animated by both Marc Davis and Eric Larson, however the two animators had different perceptions of the character, with Davis preferring elegance and Larson opting for simplicity. This actually worked in the film's favor, resulting in Cinderella being a much more complicated character than her predecessor Snow White. As with other Disney films, the studio hired actress Helene Stanley to perform the live-action reference for Cinderella. She would later return to the studio for the characters of Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty," 1959 and Anita Radcliffe in "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," 1961.

Original production animation cel of Jaq Mouse without the background.

About 400 women and girls auditioned for the voice role of Cinderella, but the role ended up going to Ilene Woods. Woods, who at the time worked on the radio and did not know anything about the audition, was asked one day by her colleagues Mack David and Jerry Livingston to sing a song from Cinderella. Without her knowledge, her recording was given by her friends to Disney Studios. After listening to the material Walt Disney immediately decided that he had found the voice with which to speak and sing the character of Cinderella and contacted Ilene. 

Cinderella had many mice and bird friends in the film and named mice include Mert, Bert, Luke, Suzie, and of course the two mice stars, Gus and Jaq. Gus and Jaq were both animated by Fred Moore and Ward Kimball and their animation sequences in the film many times rival the sequences revolving around Cinderella. Jaq was thin with a dark red shirt and hat and wore an orange coat, while Gus was larger, more stout in size with a green hat and wore a light green shirt that was a bit too small for him. Both had dark red shoes and both were voiced by veteran Walt Disney sound engineer and voice actor James MacDonald (who also provided the voice of Bruno the dog).

James MacDonald was a British-born voice actor and he was the original head of the Walt Disney sound effects department. In addition to directing sounds for the early Disney animated shorts such as "Mickey's Trailer," 1938, he developed many original inventions and contraptions in order to achieve unique and expressive sounds for characters like Casey Jr., the circus train engine from "Dumbo," 1941; Evinrude the dragonfly from "The Rescuers," 1977; and the bees in "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree," 1966. He also made the sound effects for Tick Tock the crocodile from "Peter Pan," 1953 and used castanets for the sound of Maleficent as the Dragon from "Sleeping Beauty" 1959. His voice acting work for Disney began early and included doing the yodeling for the Dwarfs in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937 as well as doing some sounds for Dopey such as his hiccuping and sobbing. By 1947, Walt Disney was getting too busy and too hoarse from all of his smoking to continue voicing the character of Mickey Mouse. Disney was replaced by MacDonald, who voiced some parts of Mickey for "Fun and Fancy Free," 1947. Soon MacDonald completely took over as the voice of Mickey Mouse until 1977, when he was replaced by another young Disney sound effects man Wayne Allwine.

This is an absolutely wonderful original production animation cel of Jaq Mouse. He is eyes and mouth open, and has a great big smile. He is sporting his red cap and shirt, while wearing his orange overcoat with his hands (paws) in front of him. A large image and a rarely seen character in original production artwork, and he would be a great addition to any animation art collection!

#Cinderella #WaltDisney #Disney #productiondrawing #cel #animation #animationdrawing #EricLarson #MarcDavis #IleneWoods #LesClark #Jaq #Gus #Lucifer #Stepmother #LadyTremaine #animationart #untitledartgallery #animationcel #ChristopherFinch #CharlesPerrault #Anastasia #Drizella #productiondrawing

Original Animation Cel of Mushrooms from "The Nutcracker Suite" sequence of "Fantasia," 1940

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of Six Dancing Mushrooms and Hop Low from "The Nutcracker Suite" sequence of "Fantasia," 1940, Walt Disney Studios; Set on an airbrushed Courvoisier background with the WDP stamp lower left; Walt Disney Productions Copyright stamp verso; With original Courvoisier Galleries label; Size - Six Mushrooms & Hop Low: 4 3/4 x 8 1/4", Image: 10 x 10 3/4"; Unframed.

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

"Fantasia" is the third full length animated feature film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions on November 13, 1940. Story direction was by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer and production supervision was by Ben Sharpsteen. The film consists of eight animated segments, each set to a piece of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Seven of pieces were performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" used an ad hoc studio orchestra. A live action introduction to each animated segment was by the Master of Ceremonies, music critic and composer Deems Taylor.

The concept of the film was developed as Disney was near the completion of a Silly Symphony, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice;" which was designed to be a comeback role for Mickey Mouse, who had declined in popularity. The production costs for the short had grown higher than it would have been able to earn as a stand alone short, so Disney decided to include it within a full length feature film, along with other classic music created animated shorts.

The soundtrack for "Fantasia" was recorded using multiple audio channels and reproduced with "Fantasound;" a pioneering sound reproduction system that made "Fantasia" the first commercial film shown with stereophonic sound. The film was released as a theatrical roadshow in thirteen US cities, and although acclaimed by critics; it was unable to make a profit due to World War II cutting off distribution to the European market, the initial high production costs, and the expense of leasing theaters and installing the "Fantasound" equipment. The film was subsequently reissued multiple times with it's original footage and audio being deleted, modified, and/or restored in each version. "Fantasia" is now the 23rd highest-grossing film of all time in the US, when adjusted for inflation. In 1998 the American Film Institute ranked it as the 58th greatest American film in their "100 Years... 100 Movies" and the fifth greatest animated film in their "10 Top 10" list. In 1990, "Fantasia" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being, "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." A sequel, "Fantasia 2000" was co-produced by Roy E. Disney and was released in 1999.

Over 1,000 artists and technicians were used in the making of "Fantasia," resulting in more than 500 animated characters. "The Nutcracker Suite," originally composted by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is made up of selections from the ballet suite underscoring scenes depicting the changing seasons from summer to winter. A variety of dancers are utilized including fairies, fish, flowers, mushrooms, and leaves; and including the music scores of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," "Chinese Dance," "Arabian Dance," Russian Dance," "Dance of the Flutes," and "Waltz of the Flowers."

Original animation cel of Mushrooms showing the entire background.

Close up of the WDP stamp.

Back of the original animation cel of Mushrooms.

Disney's "The Nutcracker Suite" segment of "Fantasia"  was principally animated by Art Babbitt and he has credited "The Three Stooges" as a reference for animating the dancing mushrooms in the "Chinese Dance" sequence. His animation was timed to the music score, which he pinned to his desk in order to work out the choreography. This allowed him to relate the action to the melody and counterpoint, as he said, "those nasty little notes underneath... so something has to be related to that." The small cute mushroom represents the trill of Tchaikovsky's flute, while the larger mushrooms plod about to the pizzicato (plucking of the string section of the orchestra). Babbitt admitted that "I don't know a hell of a lot about music," but his successful animation was able to transform music that was originally written for a fantasy ballet into an organic score for mushrooms, inspired to wiggle around like a slap stick group of comedians.

The "Chinese Dance" is widely regarded by animation historians as a textbook example of successful character animation. John Culhane in his definitive book "Fantasia" stated that the smallest mushroom Hop Low (although he is not named in the film, he is named in the theatrical trailer) who is out of step with the others, "projects his personality as vividly as any character in the Disney galaxy - yet he has no dialogue, makes no sound, and doesn't even have a face or hands to gesture with." He also says of the scene that it "is the best example of Disney Studio's genius for compression, its ability to spring an entire character from a simple design in motion." Walt Disney's nephew Roy, remembered that "We sold a million little salt and pepper shakers," in the shape of the "Fantasia" mushrooms.

Close up of the Walt Disney copyright stamp.

Original Courvoisier Galleries label.

This is one the finest original production animation cels of the Dancing Mushrooms that exists. The Courvoisier setup has the complete group of six Mushrooms plus the smallest mushroom, Hop Low who steals the show! All the Mushrooms are full figure, with no back shots. An important and beautiful vintage Walt Disney Courvoisier set-up, that is perfect for any animation art collection!

#Mushroom #HopLow #Mushrooms #CourvoisierGallery #Fantasia #ArtBabbitt

#Nutcracker #Disney #WaltDisney #cel #animation #animationart #untitledartgallery  

#FredMoore #art #artwork #animationcel #Courvoisier  #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #productioncel #MickeyMouse #FantasiaMickey #NutcrackerSuite #ChineseDance #TheNutcrackerSuite

Original Production Animation Cel of Professor Ratigan and Fidget from "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986

Original hand painted production animation cel of Professor Ratigan and Fidget set on a lithographic background from "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986, Walt Disney Studios; Walt Disney Seal lower left; Size - Professor Ratigan & Fidget: 7 x 12 1/2"; Image: 10" x 15 1/4"; Unframed.

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

"Oh I love it when I'm nasty." - Ratigan 

Eve Titus wrote a series of stories about Basil of Baker Street; a mouse that lived next door to Sherlock Holmes and who shared many of his skills and traits. Walt Disney Studios adapted the Titus stories into a wonderful feature film that was still able to maintain the Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes characters, even though they were transformed into a mouse world. The resulting film "The Great Mouse Detective" was directed by Ron Clements, music by Henry Mancini, and was released on July 2, 1986. Although the script took about four years to develop, the animation only took a year with an estimated total budget of $14 million.

Original production animation cel of Professor Ratigan and Fidget without the background.

Close up of the Walt Disney Seal and stamp.

Professor Ratigan was designed and animated by Walt Disney master animator, Glen Keane. The inspiration for the character was Professor James Moriarty, the nemesis to Sherlock Holmes in the series of stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Ratigan was voiced by veteran Hollywood actor Vincent Price, who stated it was his favorite role because he had two songs written for him, "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind," and "Goodbye, So Soon."

In the following paragraph Ratigan explains his scheme to his henchmen:

"My friends, we are about to embark on the most odious, the most evil, the most diabolical scheme of my illustrious career. A crime to top all crimes.  A crime that will live in infamy! Tomorrow evening, our beloved monarch celebrates her Diamond Jubilee and, with the enthusiastic help of our good friend, Mr. Flaversham, it promises to be a night she will never forget! Her last night, and my first, as supreme leader of all Mousedom!"

Fidget, the peg legged and one wing crippled bat, is the right hand henchman to Professor Ratigan. Glen Keane was responsible for the character design of Fidget; and he was voiced by Candy Candido, the veteran radio performer who also had a long career at Walt Disney Studios. Candido portrayed the Indian Chief in Peter Pan, one of Maleficent's goons in Sleeping Beauty, the Alligator Captain of the Guard in Robin Hood, Brutus and Nero in The Rescuers, the deep voiced escaped convict (Gus) in the Haunted Mansion attraction, and of course Fidget the peg-legged bat that would be his final role before his death.  Since Candido normally has a deep, croaky voice; his voice track had to be digitally sped up in order for Fidget to sound high-pitched.

This is a wonderful original production animation cel the wicked Professor Ratigan and his bat sidekick Fidget. Poor Fidget was almost eaten by Ratigan's pet cat Felicia, but Ratigan saved him just in time to assist in a plan to ambush Basil. This is a very large image of the dastardly duo and would make a great addition to any animation art collection!

#TheGreatMouseDetective #MichaelGabriel #Toby #BasilofBakerStreet #EveTitus #Disney #ArthurConanDoyle #SherlockHolmes #GlenKeane #OliviaFlaversham #DrDawson #animation #animationcel #VincentPrice #WaltDisney #GreatMouseDetective #Basil #productioncel #cel #animationart #untitledartgallery #MarkHenn

Original Matching Production Animation Drawings of Briar Rose and The Mock Prince from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959

Original matching production animation drawings of Briar Rose and the Mock Prince in graphite and brown pencils numbered 69 and 269 lower right from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Briar Rose: 7 1/2 x 4 3/4", Mock Prince: 4 1/2 x 3 1/2", Sheets 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

To purchase these drawings or to visit the Art Gallery, CLICK HERE!

"Sleeping Beauty," the 1959 Walt Disney full length motion picture, introduced two characters that would become universal favorites; Maleficent and Princess Aurora. Aurora, along with Snow White and Cinderella would be forever immortalized in the public's view as the three greatest Disney Princesses. The original design for Aurora and her peasant disguise Briar Rose was developed by Tom Oreb, who based the character on the famed Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn; known for her thin frame and a very graceful demeanor. Marc Davis, the head animator, would continue the development process by morphing her general appearance and the clothing of the heroine. The fine tuning of the character continued so that she could be combined with the very angular forms present in the Eyvind Earle hand painted backgrounds.

Original production animation drawing of Briar Rose.

Close up of the original production animation drawing of Briar Rose.

As with other Disney films, an actress was hired as a live-action model (as a guide for the animators) for Princess Aurora/Briar Rose. Helene Stanley, who was also the model for Cinderella in 1950, became the model for the heroine. It is interesting to note that prior to marrying Marc Davis in 1956, Alice (Davis) designed some of costumes worn by Stanley in her acting role in "Sleeping Beauty."

In 1952, the professional opera singer Mary Costa, after meeting people at a party with her future husband director Frank Tashlin, auditioned for the part of Disney's Princess Aurora/Briar Rose. Walt Disney called her personally within hours of the audition to inform her that the part was hers. The success of the film "Sleeping Beauty," owes a chuck of those accolades to the voice of Mary Costa. Her songs were some of the most beautiful ever sung by a Disney Princess. In November 1999 Mary Costa received the Disney Legends Award, and her hand prints are now a permanent part of the Disney Legends Plaza at the entrance to Walt Disney Studios.

Prince Phillip was animated by Milt Kahl and voiced Bill Shirley and Aurora was animated by Marc Davis (who was also lead animator for Maleficent) and voiced by Mary Costa. Both Bill and Mary would be live action models for Prince Phillip and Briar Rose/Princess Aurora for the animators, and their chemistry was magical on screen. In addition, their singing together was one of the many highlights of the film.

Original production animation drawing of the Mock Prince.

Close up of the original production animation drawing of the Mock Prince.

These drawings are from the section in the film when Prince Phillip is riding his horse in the forest when he suddenly hears a young girl's voice singing, and orders his horse Samson to take him there. But on the way, Samson goes too fast and accidentally knocks Phillip into a puddle of water. Phillip hangs his wet cape, hat, and boots on nearby tree limbs to dry. He suddenly turns around and notices that some of the forest animals have taken off with his clothes. The Mock Prince is a name given to the cape, hat, and boots that were taken and animated by the forest animals. There is rabbit in each boot, the owl is the head in the cape (that is supported by a bird at each of the ends of the caplet), and a squirrel animates the hat. Briar Rose begins to move and dance with the Mock Prince, all the while singing the song "Once Upon a Dream." The animated sequence is one of the most beautiful and memorable in the entire film.

Close up of the original matching production animation drawings of Briar Rose and the Mock Prince.

This is wonderful matching pair of original production animation drawings of Briar Rose and the Mock Prince dancing in the forest. Briar Rose is  eyes and mouth open, and holding the ends of her caplet in front of her. The matching Mock Prince drawing has the owl with his head popping out of the top of Prince Phillip's cape and the squirrel is holding Prince Phillip's hat above his head. A beautiful matched set of drawings of Briar Rose and the Mock Prince from the last of the vintage Walt Disney feature films; and a great addition to any animation art collection!

#BriarRose #PrincessAurora #Aurora #SleepingBeauty #Disney #WaltDisney #MaryCosta #MarcDavis #AliceDavis #cel #animation #animationart #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #animationcel #productioncel #untitledartgallery #DisneyPrincess #TomOreb #Maleficent #Flora #Fauna #Merryweather #ThreeGoodFairies #PrincePhillip #KingHubert #KingStefan #MockPrince

Original Production Animation Cel of Tramp from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of Tramp set on a lithographic background from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955, Walt Disney Studios; With original Walt Disney Art Corner label sticker verso; Size - Tramp: 5 1/4 x 4", Image 8 1/4 x 11 3/4"; Unframed.

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

"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. 

One evening in 1937, Disney storyman Joe Grant invited Walt Disney over to his house for dinner and ended up showed Disney a drawing he had made of his pet spinger spaniel, who was named Lady. Walt loved the drawing and suggested that Joe make a storyboard out of it; which he did and the plan was to create a new animated film, simply titled "Lady." The story that was pitched ended up being too simplistic to Walt Disney's taste, and the project was put on hold until about 20 years later.

Initially Tramp was called Homer and although he was first conceived as Lady's suitor, he ended up as her ex-dog pound mate in the initial 1943 storyboard pitch. A few years after that version was scrapped, Walt Disney read a story called "Happy Dan the Cynical Dog" in Cosmopolitan Magazine and decided that this was they type of character that was needed to enhance the film. Although Walt wanted his new character to be called Tramp, the animators feared that audiences would take offense in such a name, due to the word's sexual connotations that had been popularized by the song "The Lady Is A Tramp." The animators first called the character Rags, then Bozo; before Walt insisted that that name Tramp would be acceptable.

Close up of the original production animation cel of Tramp without the background.

 Back of the original production animation cel of Tramp showing the original Walt Disney Art Corner label sticker.

Tramp is a very laid-back dog and acts more like a kid. He's flirtatious and has history of having had a multitude of girlfriends; and he's known for his street smarts, able to both avoid dog catchers and deal with junkyard dogs. However, he dreams about living with a family and in a loving home. Tramp was animated by Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, and Wolfgang Reitherman who animated the rat fight scene.

Larry Roberts (1926 - 1992) was an American voice actor and comedian who was most active in the 1950s. Although he was well known for his role in the 1950s TV series Lights, Camera, Action!, he is best remembered for his role of the voice of Tramp.

This is a wonderful full figure original production animation cel of Tramp. He is eyes and mouth open, and would be a great addition to any animation art 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 

Original Production Animation Cel of Grumpy from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of Grumpy set on an airbrushed wood veneer Courvoisier background from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937, Walt Disney Studios; Partial Courvoisier label verso; Size - Grumpy: 4 1/2 x 3 1/2", Image 7 1/2 x 5 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"I'd like to see anybody make me wash, if I didn't wanna. Ahem." - Grumpy

Development on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs began in early 1934, and by June Walt Disney announced to The New York Times the production of his first feature, to be released under Walt Disney Productions. Before Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Disney studio had been primarily involved in the production of animated short subjects in the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies series. However, Disney hoped to expand his studio's prestige and revenues by moving into features, and he estimated that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs could be produced for a budget of $250,000 (this was ten times the budget of an average Silly Symphony).

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was to be the first full-length cel animated feature in motion picture history, and as such Walt Disney had to fight to get the film produced. Both his brother and business partner Roy Disney, as well as his wife Lillian attempted to talk him out of it.  The Hollywood movie industry mockingly referred to the film, while is was in production, as "Disney's Folly."  Disney ended up having to mortgage his house to help finance the film's production, which would eventually ran up to a total cost of $1,488,422.74; an absolutely massive sum for a feature film in 1937!

Back of the original production animation cel of Grumpy showing the partial Courvoisier label.

Grumpy was animated by Vladimir "Bill" Tytla, who also animated Doc. Tytla's Grumpy is the second most popular of the seven dwarfs, just behind Dopey.

From Disney animator Andreas Deja:

"Tytla animated 'from the inside out.' For every scene he did, he lived inside of that character. He drew absolutely beautifully, but bringing out  emotion and personality came first. Even if that lead to an off model drawing here and there. Walt had Fred Moore take a look at a few of Tytla's Grumpy scenes in order to punch up the 'charm level.'"

This is an absolutely wonderful original hand painted and hand inked production cel of Grumpy set on an airbrushed (used to create the barrel on which he is sitting) wood veneer Courvoisier background. Courvoisier Galleries, the first to recognize the artistic value to the newly emerging animation art form, in the 1930s and 40s offered original cels to sell to the public. This is a large full figure image of Grumpy with both eyes open and he is wearing his ever present frown. The cel is from the Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum (The Dwarfs' Washing Song) song sequence in the film. The song occurs after Snow White orders the Dwarfs to wash up for supper, and Doc leads the singing Dwarfs as they wash their face and hands. Grumpy sits on a nearby barrel refusing to join in, and instead teases the other Dwarfs for taking orders from Snow White. Soon the Dwarfs grab him, throw him into the trough, and wash him; much to his anger. This is a fantastic and rare image of one of the most famous and popular character in the film, and a great addition to any animation art collection!

#SnowWhite #Doc #Bashful #Dopey #Happy #Sneezy #Sleepy #Grumpy #Disney #WaltDisney #PintoColvig #VladimirTytla #BillTytla #MarcDavis #GrimNatwick #animation #FrankChurchill #HamiltonLuske #AdrianaCaselotti #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #animationart #untitledartgallery #cel #CourvoisierGalleries #CourvoisierGallery #Courvoisier #Witch #EvilQueen #OldHag #Huntsman #animationcel #sevendwarfs #dwarfs #ArtBabbit #OllieJohnston #FrankThomas #ShamusCulhane #FredMoore #LucilleLaVerne #KeySetup #productionbackground #RadioCityMusicHall #JoeGrant #ThePrince #MiltKahl

Original Production Animation Drawing of Princess Aurora from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959

Original production animation drawing of Princess Aurora in graphite pencil from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 63 in pencil lower right; Size - Princess Aurora 8 1/4 x 4", Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"Don't touch anything!" - Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather

"Sleeping Beauty" is a Walt Disney animated full length feature film and was based on "The Sleeping Beauty" by Charles Perrault and "Little Briar Rose" by The Brothers Grimm. The film was the sixteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, and it was released to theaters on January 29, 1959 by Buena Vista Distribution. This was to be the last Disney adaptation of a fairy tale for many years, both because of its initial mixed critical reception, and because of it's under performance at the box office. The Walt Disney studio did not return to the fairy tale genre until 30 years later, with the release of "The Little Mermaid" in 1989. "Sleeping Beauty" was directed by Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman, under the supervision of Clyde Geronimi. The story was written by Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, and Milt Banta. The film's musical score and songs, featuring the Graunke Symphony Orchestra, was under the direction of George Bruns. Arrangements and/or adaptations were derived from numbers from the 1890 "Sleeping Beauty Ballet" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In addition, Igor Stravinsky's music compositions were also adapted into the film. "Sleeping Beauty" was the first animated film to be photographed in the Super Technirama 70 widescreen process, as well as the second full-length animated feature film to be filmed in anamorphic widescreen; following "Lady and the Tramp" four years earlier. In select first-run engagements, the film was presented in Super Technirama 70 and 6-channel stereophonic sound.

"Sleeping Beauty" introduced two characters that would become universal favorites; Maleficent and Princess Aurora. Aurora, along with Snow White and Cinderella would be forever immortalized in the public's view as the three greatest Disney Princesses. The original design for Aurora was developed by Tom Oreb, who based the character on the famed Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn; known for her thin frame and a very graceful demeanor. Marc Davis, the head animator for Aurora, would continue the development of the character by morphing her general appearance and the clothing of the heroine. The fine tuning of the character continued so that she could be combined with the very angular forms present in the Eyvind Earle hand painted backgrounds.

As with other Disney films, an actress was hired as a live-action model (as a guide for the animators) for Princess Aurora. Helene Stanley, who was also the model for Cinderella in 1950, became the model for the heroine. It is interesting to note that prior to marrying Marc Davis in 1956, Alice (Davis) designed some of costumes worn by Stanley in her acting role as Aurora.

Close up of the Princess Aurora original production drawing.

In 1952, the professional opera singer Mary Costa, after meeting people at a party with her future husband director Frank Tashlin, auditioned for the part of Disney's Princess Aurora. Walt Disney called her personally within hours of the audition to inform her that the part was hers. The success of the film "Sleeping Beauty," owes a chuck of those accolades to the voice of Mary Costa. Her songs were some of the most beautiful ever sung by a Disney Princess. In November 1999 Mary Costa received the Disney Legends Award, and her hand prints are now a permanent part of the Disney Legends Plaza at the entrance to Walt Disney Studios.

The majority of the film does not have Aurora on the big screen, but rather her disguised form Briar Rose. Even though Princess Aurora is one of the most loved of all the Disney Princesses, she has least amount of screen time of any prior Princess; only 18 minutes to be exact and during those 18 minutes she only has 18 lines.

This drawing is an absolutely wonderful work from one of the most important key scenes in the film, when Maleficent has enchanted Princess Aurora. Slowly Aurora climbs a stone staircase leading into an empty room, where suddenly a spinning wheel appears. Soon Maleficent is heard urging Aurora to touch the spindle (thereby fulfilling the evil curse) as the three good fairies are quickly flying to save her; all the while shouting "Don't touch anything!" This is a very rare original production drawing of Princess Aurora wearing her crown. She has both eyes open and her hand is just in front of her, soon to be outstretched towards the spindle of the spinning wheel.

#maleficent #sleepingbeauty #diablo #MarcDavis #sleepingbeauty1959 #Disney #animationart #cel #animationcel #productioncel #animation #drawing #productiondrawing #animationcollection #WaltDisney #castingthespell #untitledartgallery #EleanorAudley #Goons #Disneycel #Disneyvillain #EyvindEarle #CharlesPerrault #LesClark #EricLarson #WolfgangReitherman #JoeRinaldi #WinstonHibler #BillPeet #TedSears #RalphWright #MiltBanta #PrincePhillip #ThreeGoodFairies #Flora #Fauna #Merryweather #KingHubert #KingStefan #PrincessAurora #BriarRose #animationdrawing #Diablo

Original Production Animation Drawing of Thumper from "Bambi," 1942

Original production animation drawing in red and graphite pencils of Thumper from "Bambi," 1942, Walt Disney Studios; Production numbers in pencil lower sheet edge; Numbered C-105 in pencil lower right; Size - Thumper: 2 x 1 1/2", Sheet: 10 x 12"; Unframed.

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

"Whatcha gonna call him?" - Thumper
"Well, I think I'll call him Bambi." - Bambi's Mother
"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.

Close up of the original production animation drawing of Thumper.

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.

Thumper (whose name is derived from his common habit of thumping his hind left foot), is Bambi's first and closest friend. He is a young, comical rabbit; and a well-known inhabitant of the forest who takes Bambi "under his wings" and teaches him the ways of the forest. Thumper was voiced by 4-year-old Peter Behn. With Behn's voice added to the film; suddenly the vivacious bunny character was expanded from him having only minor role, to playing a much more significant lead. In addition, the film underwent a major plot change with the theme of friendship front and center. The character of Thumper was initially designed by animator Marc Davis and was brought to life by several animators including: Frank Thomas, Milt Kahl, Eric Larson, and Ollie Johnston. Thumper was not only voiced by Peter Behn (young Thumper), but by Tim Davis (young adult Thumper) and Sam Edwards (adult Thumper).

This is a wonderful original production animation drawing of Thumper from Walt Disney's favorite full length feature animated film "Bambi." This is a great full figure, eyes and mouth open drawing of Thumper rendered in red and graphite pencils. A beautiful and rare piece of vintage Walt Disney original production animation that is perfect for any art collection!

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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; Numbered 99 in ink and Walt Disney seal lower right; Size - Shere Khan: 7 3/4 x 4 1/2", Image 9 1/2 x 15"; Unframed.

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

"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."

Original production animation cel of Shere Khan without the background.

Close up of the Walt Disney seal and the production number.

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, and a wicked mouth open smile. It really does not get better, just a spectacular full cel of the villainous tiger that is perfect for any animation art collection!

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