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Friday, June 28, 2019

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: 7 x 6 1/2", Image 8 x 11 1/4"; Unframed.

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

"Huh... your majesty... members of the jury.. loyal subjects..." - White Rabbit
"H-hem.." -King of Hearts
"... and the king." - 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.


Original production animation cel of the White Rabbit without the background.

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, wearing his eyeglasses, eyes open, and is holding Alice's trial charge document. The cel is from the beginning of the scene when Alice is being put on trail and the White Rabbit begins to address the courtroom: "Huh... your majesty... members of the jury.. loyal subjects..." The King of Hearts says "H-hem..." and taps the White Rabbit on the shoulder to remind him not to forget to mention him. The White Rabbit looks at him a bit annoyed and says "... and the king." The white Rabbit continues and says "The prisoner at the bar is charged with enticing Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, into a game of croquet and thereby willfully and with malice aforethought, teasing, tormenting and otherwise annoying our beloved... Thereby causing the Queen to lose her temper." This is an absolutely beautiful piece of vintage Walt Disney animation art and a great addition to any animation collection!

Monday, June 24, 2019

Original Production Animation Cel of Merlin, Archimedes, and Owl Wing Flutter Effects from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963


Original hand painted production animation cels of Merlin, Archimedes and Owl Wing Flutter Effects from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Merlin & Archimedes: 7 1/4 x 10", Image 7 1/4 x 10"; Unframed.

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

"This is Archimedes, a highly educated owl." - Merlin 

"The Sword in the Stone," 1963 is the 18th full length feature film produced by Walt Disney and it was released on December 25, 1963 by Buena Vista Distribution. The film was based on the novel of the same name, that was first published in 1938. It was later republished in 1958 as the first book of T. H. White's tetralogy "The Once and Future King." It was to be the final Disney animated film released before Walt Disney's death on December 15, 1966. The songs in the film were written and composed by the Sherman Brothers, who would become very famous for their future work on later Disney films including; "Mary Poppins," 1964, "The Jungle Book," 1967, and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," 1971.


Original production animation cel of Merlin without the background.


Original production animation cel of Archimedes without the background.


Original production animation cel of Owl Wing Flutter Effects without the background.

Merlin is a very powerful wizard with a pet owl named Archimedes. He befriends and becomes the teacher of a 12-year old orphan named Arthur, who goes by the name of Wart. Merlin is first seen living in a forest cottage, and he believes in the philosophy of "Brain over Brawn." As a wizard, he is very intelligent, has a wide variety of powers, and is considered the most powerful wizard in the world. He has the ability to see into the future, and has the ability to shape-shift. Merlin was animated by Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston; and voiced by Karl Swenson who was an American theater, radio, film, and television actor.

Archimedes (named after the Greek mathematician, physicist, philosopher, engineer, inventor, and astronomer) is Merlin's pet talking owl, who is very well educated and also versed on practical knowledge. He can be a bit sarcastic and somewhat grouchy, and he is not afraid to point out Merlin's shortcomings. He was based on Merlin's talking owl from "The Sword in the Stone" by T.H. White. Archimedes was brilliantly animated by Ollie Johnston, and voiced by Junius Matthews (who also voiced Rabbit in the Winnie the Pooh movies and featurettes from 1966-1977).

This is a rare and great image of Merlin, Archimedes, and Owl Wing Flutter Effects. Merlin is eyes and mouth open and holding his staff in his right hand. Merlin's highly educated companion is full figure, eyes open, and has an overlay cel of his wings flutter effects. Just  a wonderful three cel setup from one of Walt Disney's most memorable contemporary films. A great piece of animation artwork perfect for any collection!

Original Production Animation Cel of Flora from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959


Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cels of Flora and Magic Effects set on a lithographic background from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959, Walt Disney Studios; With original Art Corner Certificate sticker; Size - Flora: 8 1/2 x 6 1/2", Image 9 3/4 x 7 1/4"; Unframed.

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

Flora: "Make it pink!"
Merryweather: "Make it blue!"
Fauna: "Oh, I just love happy endings."

"Sleeping Beauty," 1959 is an animated musical film produced by Walt Disney based on two stories: "The Sleeping Beauty" by Charles Perrault and "Little Briar Rose" by The Brothers Grimm. The film was released to theaters on January 29, 1959, by Buena Vista Distribution. This was the last Disney adaptation of a fairy tale for 30 years because of its initial mixed critical reception and because of under performance at the box office. The next Disney adaption of a fairy tale would not occur until 1989 with "The Little Mermaid."

"Sleeping Beauty" was directed by Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman; under the supervision of Clyde Geronimi. Additional story work was by Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, and Milt Banta. The film's musical score and songs, featuring the work of the Graunke Symphony Orchestra under the direction of George Bruns, are arrangements or adaptations of numbers from the 1890 "Sleeping Beauty Ballet" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. "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). The film was presented in Super Technirama 70 and 6-channel stereophonic sound in first-run engagements.

Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are Princess Aurora's Fairy Godmothers, who appear at baby Aurora's christening to present their gifts to her, as well as go on to become her guardians. The Fairies were voiced by Verna Felton (Flora), Barbara Jo Allen (Fauna), and Barbara Luddy (Merryweather). Verna Felton also voiced Queen Leah, Aurora's mother; and had prior roles as Dumbo's mother in "Dumbo," the Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella," the Queen of Hearts in "Alice in Wonderland," and Aunt Sarah in "Lady in the Tramp." Barbara Luddy had previously voiced Lady in "Lady and the Tramp." The principle animator for the Three Fairies was Ollie Johnston and a little known fact is that one of the actresses who was one of the live action models for the Good Fairies was Frances Bavier, the future Aunt Bee on "The Andy Griffith Show." 


Original production animation cel of Flora without the background.


Original production animation cel of Magic Effects without the background.

Flora is the tallest and oldest Fairy, dressed in a red gown (although she is obsessed with the color pink), a red hat, and a red cape clipped with a yellow square. She is the strongest-willed leader of the group, and her gift to Aurora is the gift of beauty. She also created for Prince Phillip the powerful Sword of Truth and the invulnerable Shield of Virtue, for his escape and battle with Maleficent.


Art Corner Certificate sticker.

This is a wonderful hand painted and hand inked original production animation cel of the Good Fairy Flora from the full length feature film Walt Disney masterpiece "Sleeping Beauty," 1959. A great eyes open pose, and she is holding her magic wand complete with sparkling magic effects overlay cel. A fantastic piece that is perfect for any vintage Walt Disney animation art collection!

Original Production Animation Cel of Napoleon and Lafayette from "The Aristocats," 1970


Original hand painted production animation cel of Napoleon and Lafayette from "The Aristocats," 1970, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Numbered R40 in ink lower right; Size - Napoleon, Lafayette, and Edgar's Motorcycle Sidecar: 8 x 14 1/4", Image: 11 1/4 x 14 1/4"; Unframed.

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

"Step of the gas Napoleon!" - Lafayette  

"The Aristocats," 1970 is an animated feature film produced and released by Walt Disney Productions.  This was the last film project to be approved by Walt Disney himself, as he died in late 1966, before the film was finally released to theaters by Buena Vista Distribution on December 11, 1970. "The Aristocats" featured the voice talent of Eva Gabor, Hermione Baddeley, Phil Harris, Dean Clark, Sterling Holloway, Scatman Crothers, and Roddy Maude-Roxby.

The film is based on a story by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe, and centers around a family of aristocratic cats. After the mistress's butler kidnaps them (to gain his mistress' fortune which was intended to go to the cats) an unlikely alley cat acquaintance helps them escape and be returned to their home.  

It is Paris 1910 and Madame Bonfamille tells her lawyer Georges Hautecourt that she has decided to leave all of her stocks, bonds, mansion, treasures, jewels, and her entire fortune to her beloved cats rather than to her butler, Edgar Balthazar.  When Edgar overhears this he fears the cats will outlive him, and that he will never see a penny of the inheritance.  He then realizes that he has to get rid of the cats; "I'll be gone, no oh no... they'll be gone," he says.  Edgar decides to put sleeping tablets into the cats milk and when they fall asleep, he takes them in a covered basket on his motorcycle far away from the city of Paris. 

The two dogs Napoleon a Bloodhound and Lafayette a Bassett Hound, were both animated by Frank Thomas. The dogs were initially going to be in only one scene, but because it was so successful; a second scene was developed involving Edgar returning to the French countryside in order to collect his umbrella and bowler hat. Napoleon and Lafayette were voiced by Pat Buttram and George Lindsey, respectively. The two voice actors would later reunite in "Robin Hood" to provide the voices for the Sheriff of Nottingham and Trigger the vulture guard; and again in "The Rescuers" as Luke and Deadeye.


Original production animation cel of Napoleon and Lafayette without the background.

The character of Edgar was voiced by Roddy Maude-Roxby, an accomplished English actor.  He was just wonderful in the role with the delightful snooty English butler voice, that could also morph into a scheming cunning timber perfect for a Disney Villain.
This cel of Napoleon and Lafayette appears in the scene when Edgar first makes his appearance at their abandoned windmill site in the French countryside, in order to dispose of Duchess and her kittens. A hilarious chase scene occurs between the two dogs and Edgar riding his motorcycle with attached sidecar. This is a large, rare, and wonderful cel of an eyes and mouths open image of Napoleon pushing and running behind Lafayette riding in Edgar's side car. A great addition to any animation art collection!

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Original Production Animation Cels of Ursula and her Tentacles from "The Little Mermaid," 1989


Original hand painted matching production animation cels of Ursula and her Tentacles numbered W5 and T5 set on a lithographic background from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; Walt Disney seal upper right; Size - Ursula: 5 1/4 x 8 3/4", Image 8 x 12 3/4"; Unframed.


"She (Ariel) may be the key to Triton's undoing" - Ursula

"The Little Mermaid," 1989 was the final Disney film using hand painted animation cels. Disney Studios, specifically Ron Clements and John Musker, adapted the Hans Christian Anderson story to give the villain a much bigger role. The first choice to voice the character was Beatrice Arthur who turned down the part. It was eventually accepted by veteran stage actress Elaine Stritch; however she clashed with the music stylist. The voice was finally given to Pat Caroll who described the role as, "part Shakespearean actress, with all the flair, flamboyance and theatricality, and part used-car salesman with a touch of con artist." Caroll also served as the live action model of the character.


Original production cel of Ursula without the background.



Original production cel of Ursula's Tentacles without the background.

The animation of the character was initially offered to Glen Keane, however after hearing Jodi Benson sing "Part of Your World" he wanted to animate Ariel instead and so Ursula ended up going to Disney animator, Ruben Aquino. Aquino credits Ursula as his favorite character in which he has ever worked and said, "When animating Ursula, I was inspired mainly by the voice and by the story sketches, but of course, I also worked very closely with the directors (John Musker and Ron Clements) to realize their vision. Given a great voice, the scenes almost animate themselves, and that definitely was the case with Pat Carroll's amazing vocal performance. I also did a lot of research on octopus locomotion to make sure Ursula's movements were convincing."


Close up of the Walt Disney Seal.

This is a matched two cel setup of Ursula's body, and a cel of her tentacles. The image of her is perfect and the cels appear at the end of Ursula's first appearance in the film, when she realizes that Ariel (King Triton's daughter) may be able to be manipulated. The dialog for the cel is below:

"She (Ariel) may be the key to Triton's undoing" - Ursula

Saturday, June 22, 2019

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


Original hand painted production animation cels of Shere Khan and Kaa from "The Jungle Book," 1967, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Numbered 95 and 339 in ink lower right; Walt Disney seal lower left; Size - Shere Khan: 7 x 5 1/2",  Kaa: 4 1/2 x 6 1/4", Image 10 1/4 x 15"; Unframed.

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

"Yes? Yes? Who is it?" - Kaa
"It's me, Shere Khan. I'd like a word with you if you don't mind." - Shere Khan

"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.

"The Jungle Book" was released on October 18, 1967, with noted acclaim for its soundtrack that featured eight original songs: seven by the Sherman Brothers and one by Terry Gilkyson. Longtime Disney collaborator Gilkyson was the first songwriter to complete several songs which followed Kipling's book closely; however Walt Disney felt that the works were too dark. The only piece of Gilkyson's work which survived to the final film, was his very upbeat song "The Bare Necessities." The Sherman Brothers were then brought in to do a complete rewrite. Disney frequently brought the composers to the storyline sessions, and asked them to "find scary places and write fun songs" that fit into the story and advanced the plot. The popular success of the film in undoubtedly due to both the music and songs, that were primarily written by the Sherman Brothers.


Shere Khan original production animation cel without the background.

Wolfgang Reitherman began working for Walt Disney in 1934, along with future Disney legends Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl. Reitherman worked on various Disney feature films produced from 1937 to 1981, including "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (animating the Slave in the Magic Mirror) up to "The Fox and the Hound," where he was the co-producer. Beginning with 1961's "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," "Woolie", as he was called by friends, served as Disney's chief animation director. In addition to "101 Dalmatians," Reitherman directed "The Sword in the Stone" (1963), "The Jungle Book" (1967), "The Aristocats" (1970), "Robin Hood" (1973) and "The Rescuers" (1977).

One of Reitherman's productions, the 1968 short "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day," won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. In addition, all three of Reitherman's sons — Bruce, Richard, and Robert provided voices for Disney characters, including Mowgli in "The Jungle Book," Christopher Robin in "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree," and Wart in "The Sword in the Stone." Not only did Bruce Reitherman provided the voice of Mowgli in "The Jungle Book," but he also acted out certain scenes as live action reference for the animators. The character of Mowgli was animated by quite a few animators, however Milt Kahl set the final design and the majority of Mowgli's scenes were animated by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.

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."


Kaa original production animation cel without the background.

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."


Close up of the Walt Disney seal.

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."

Kaa, which means "snake" in Hindi, is a python who is almost always hungry and is known for being persuasive and tricky. He lives mainly in the upper limbs of trees and has the ability to hypnotize other creatures through eye contact. Kaa is often seen pursuing Mowgli, in an attempt to devour the man-cub, and he was animated by both Frank Thomas and by Milt Kahl.

Kaa was the second character who was originally voiced by Sterling Holloway, the first being Winnie-the-Pooh. Holloway's voice is just so wonderful in tone and pitch, and it is hard to imagine any other person doing the character justice. Kaa is very similar to another snake character, Sir Hiss from "Robin Hood". The two share several traits as both use hypnosis, and both suck up to the film's main antagonist (Shere Khan in Kaa's case, and Prince John in Sir Hiss's case). Exceptions are that they are different colors, sizes, and Sir Hiss wears a cape and hat.

This wonderful pair of original production cels are from one of the most memorable scenes in the entire film; when Shere Khan finds Kaa and tries to find out the whereabouts of Mowgli the Man Cub. Shere Khan and Kaa are great large images, and both characters are eyes and mouth open. A spectacular setup of the evil tiger finding and getting ready to interrogate Kaa the python. It really does not get better! The dialog for this scene is below:

Kaa: Yes? Yes? Who is it?
Shere Khan: "It's me, Shere Khan. I'd like a word with you if you don't mind."
Kaa: "Shere Khan. What a surprise."
Shere Khan: "Yes, isn't it? I just dropped by. Forgive me if I've interrupted anything."

Original Production Animation Cel of Lucifer from "Cinderella," 1950


Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of Lucifer set on a lithographic background from "Cinderella," 1950, Walt Disney Studios; Production numbers in ink lower center; Size - Lucifer: 4 1/2 x 6 1/2", Image 11 1/4 x 15 1/4"; Unframed.


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.

Lucifer was the name of the pet cat of Lady Tremaine, Cinderella's evil Stepmother. The name Lucifer, a synonym of Satan, was chosen by Walt Disney himself probably due to his known hatred of cats. Lucifer was largely created for comic relief from the main storyline of Cinderella. Ward Kimball, the animator for Lucifer, was also responsible for the comedic subplot of the cat-and-mouse chase scenes between the cat and the two featured mice of the film, Jaq and Gus. His design for Lucifer was largely inspired by a pet cat belonging to Kimball himself; and Kimball's excellent animation skills have made Lucifer one of Disney's greatest Villains!


Original production animation cel of Lucifer without the background.

Lucifer was voiced by the very well known voice actress, June Foray. Foray worked for many different animation studios and is probably most well known as the voice of Cindy Lou Who, in Chuck Jone's holiday favorite "How The Grinch Stole Christmas," 1966. Chuck Jones is reported to have said, "June Foray is not the female Mel Blanc, Mel Blanc was the male June Foray."

This is a very large and expressive original production animation cel of Lady Tremaine's wicked and sinister cat, Lucifer. Original artwork of Lucifer is very rare and this is a great piece. He has his green eyes open, sporting a great wicked smile, and he is licking his lips with anticipation. This is a full cel with ink production numbers and Lucifer is a large 4 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches big. A rare and beautiful piece of vintage Walt Disney animation artwork from the full length feature film masterpiece "Cinderella!"