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Friday, March 24, 2023

Original Production Animation Cel of Edgar, Scat Cat, and the Alley Cats (Shun Gon the Chinese Cat, Hit Cat the English Cat, and Peppo the Italian Cat) from "The Aristocats," 1970

 

Original hand painted production animation cel of Edgar, Scat Cat, and the Alley Cats (Shun Gon the Chinese Cat, Hit Cat the English Cat, and Peppo the Italian Cat) from "The Aristocats," 1970, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Edgar & Cats: 7 x 6 3/4", Image: 11 x 10"; Unframed.

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

"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. 
 
Scat Cat is the leader of the musical group the Alley Cats composed of Shun Gon the Chinese Cat, Hit Cat the English Cat, Billy Boss the Russian Cat, and Peppo the Italian Cat. Scat Cat was originally named Satchmo Cat and was intended to be voiced by Louis Armstrong; unfortunately he became ill and was unable to follow through with the project. The replacement was Scatman Crothers, the character was renamed Scat Cat, and the song "Everybody Wants To Be A Cat" was written for him. It is worth noting that Scat Cat still retains the Louis Armstrong musical instrument of choice, the trumpet.

The song "Everybody Wants To Be A Cat" was written by Al Rinker and Floyd Huddleston, is the last song in "The Aristocats" and is sung by Scatman Crothers as Scat Cat, Phil Harris as Thomas O'Malley, Thurl Ravenscroft as Bill Boss the Russian Cat, Robie Lester as Duchess, and Liz English as Marie. The lines that were sung by Shun Gon the Chinese cat, voiced by Paul Winchell, have been removed as they are now viewed as politically incorrect.

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 is a spectacular image of Edgar, Scat Cat, and the Alley Cats (Shun Gon the Chinese Cat, Hit Cat the English Cat, and Peppo the Italian Cat) as they try and stop Edgar from shipping Madame Bonfamille's cats to Timbuktu! A very action packed image and this would be a great addition to any animation art collection!

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Thursday, March 23, 2023

Original Production Animation Cel of Edgar from "The Aristocats," 1970


Original hand painted production animation cel of Edgar holding the Basket of Cats from "The Aristocats," 1970, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Edgar: 6 3/4 x 6", Image: 9 3/4 x 12"; Unframed.

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

"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 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 is a very nice image of Edgar holding the Basket of Cats and would be a great addition to any animation art collection!

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Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Original Production Animation Cels of Ariel and Flounder from "The Little Mermaid," 1989

Original hand painted production animation cels of Ariel and Flounder on a lithographic background from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; With Walt Disney Certificate; Disney seal lower left; Size - Ariel & Flounder: 5 1/2 x 11 1/4", Image 10 3/4 x 16 1/4"; Unframed.


"Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?" - Ariel

"The Little Mermaid," is an American animated musical fantasy film and the 28th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures to theaters on November 17, 1989. The film was based on the Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, which tells the story of a beautiful mermaid princess who dreams of becoming human. The film was written, directed, and produced by Ron Clements and John Musker; with music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The voice cast includes: Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Buddy Hackett, and René Auberjonois.

There was more money and resources dedicated by the Walt Disney Studios to "The Little Mermaid" than any other Disney animated film in decades. Aside from its main animation facility in Glendale, California; Disney opened a satellite feature animation facility in Lake Buena Vista, Florida that was within the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park at Walt Disney World. Their first projects were to produce an entire Roger Rabbit cartoon short, "Roller Coaster Rabbit," and to contribute ink and paint support to "The Little Mermaid." Another first for Disney films of recent years, was the filming of live actors and actresses for motion reference material for the animators. Broadway actress Jodi Benson (who was predominantly a stage actress when she was cast) was chosen to play Ariel, and Sherri Lynn Stoner, a former member of Los Angeles' Groundlings improvisation comedy group, acted out Ariel's key scenes.
 
The Little Mermaid's supervising animators included Glen Keane and Mark Henn on Ariel, Duncan Marjoribanks on Sebastian, Andreas Deja on King Triton, and Ruben Aquino on Ursula. Originally, Keane had been asked to work on Ursula, as he had established a reputation for drawing large powerful figures, such as the bear in "The Fox and the Hound," 1981 and Professor Ratigan in "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986. Keane however, was assigned as one of the two lead artists on the petite Ariel and oversaw the "Part of Your World" musical number. He jokingly stated that his wife looks exactly like Ariel "without the fins." The character's body type and personality were based upon that of Alyssa Milano, who was starring on TV's "Who's the Boss?". The effect of Ariel's hair underwater was based on footage of Sally Ride when she was in space; and scenes of Sherri Lynn Stoner in a swimming pool were used in animating Ariel's swimming. A challenge in animating Ariel were the colors required to show her in various changing environments, both under the sea and on land. By the end of the film, the animators required a total of 32-color models; not including costume changes. The sea-green color of her fin was a hue specially mixed by the Disney paint lab, and the color was named "Ariel" after the character.

Flounder, despite his name, is not a flounder but rather a yellow and blue colored tropical fish. He is Ariel's best and most loyal undersea friend. Flounder scares easily, but even when there is danger, he is always there to help Ariel. He was animated by David Pruiksma and voiced by child actor Jason Marin.

This is an absolutely beautiful multi-cel setup of Ariel and her best friend Flounder. The cels are from the scene of Ariel singing the movie's theme song "Part of Your World." The song was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman. "Part of Your World" was an enormous hit with audiences and was praised by critics as being one of the greatest Disney songs ever written. Jodi Benson made it her signature song, and it has been recorded by a large number of other artists including: Faith Hill, Jessica Simpson Miley Cyrus, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jessie J, and Sara Bareilles. This is a great cel setup of Ariel holding out her arms and looking at Flounder. Ariel and Founder are both full figure and this is a wonderful piece of animation art from the last Walt Disney film that utilized hand painted cels. A spectacular addition to any animation art collection!

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Original Production Animation Cels of Ariel, Ursula, and Ursula's Reflection from "The Little Mermaid," 1989


Original hand painted production animation cels of Ariel, Ursula, and Ursula's reflection all set on a lithographic background from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; With Walt Disney Certificate; Disney seal lower right; Size - Ariel, Ursula, and Ursula's Reflection: 6 1/4 x 9 1/2", Image 8 x 12"; Unframed.


"The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself." - Ursula The Sea Witch

"The Little Mermaid," is an American animated musical fantasy film and the 28th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures to theaters on November 17, 1989. The film was based on the Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, which tells the story of a beautiful mermaid princess who dreams of becoming human. The film was written, directed, and produced by Ron Clements and John Musker; with music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The voice cast includes: Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Buddy Hackett, and René Auberjonois.

There was more money and resources dedicated by the Walt Disney Studios to "The Little Mermaid" than any other Disney animated film in decades. Aside from its main animation facility in Glendale, California; Disney opened a satellite feature animation facility in Lake Buena Vista, Florida that was within the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park at Walt Disney World. Their first projects were to produce an entire Roger Rabbit cartoon short, "Roller Coaster Rabbit," and to contribute ink and paint support to "The Little Mermaid." Another first for Disney films of recent years, was the filming of live actors and actresses for motion reference material for the animators. Broadway actress Jodi Benson (who was predominantly a stage actress when she was cast) was chosen to play Ariel, and Sherri Lynn Stoner, a former member of Los Angeles' Groundlings improvisation comedy group, acted out Ariel's key scenes.

The Little Mermaid's supervising animators included Glen Keane and Mark Henn on Ariel, Duncan Marjoribanks on Sebastian, Andreas Deja on King Triton, and Ruben Aquino on Ursula. Originally, Keane had been asked to work on Ursula, as he had established a reputation for drawing large powerful figures, such as the bear in "The Fox and the Hound," 1981 and Professor Ratigan in "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986. Keane however, was assigned as one of the two lead artists on the petite Ariel and oversaw the "Part of Your World" musical number. He jokingly stated that his wife looks exactly like Ariel "without the fins." The character's body type and personality were based upon that of Alyssa Milano, who was starring on TV's "Who's the Boss?". The effect of Ariel's hair underwater was based on footage of Sally Ride when she was in space; and scenes of Sherri Lynn Stoner in a swimming pool were used in animating Ariel's swimming. A challenge in animating Ariel were the colors required to show her in various changing environments, both under the sea and on land. By the end of the film, the animators required a total of 32-color models; not including costume changes. The sea-green color of her fin was a hue specially mixed by the Disney paint lab, and the color was named "Ariel" after the character.

"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." Although I would have loved to have heard Arthur and Stritch sing "Pour Unfortunate Souls," Ursula is the absolute embodiment of Caroll and I think she was the best choice!

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."

This is an outstanding three cel setup of Ariel, Ursula, and Ursula's Reflection that occurs when Ursula, looking in her mirror at Ariel's reflection, says one of her most famous lines "The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself." This and two more lines of dialogue occur just prior to Ursula's performance of the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls," one of the true highlights of the entire film! The complete dialogue for this scene is below:

Ursula: "The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself."
Ariel:   "Can you do that?"
Ursula: "My dear sweet child. That's what I do, it's what I live for. To help unfortunate merfolk like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to."

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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 from "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," 1961, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Cruella De Vil: 6 1/4" x 8 1/2", Image 8 3/4" x 12 1/2"; Unframed.


"Cruella De Vil, Cruella De Vil, if she doesn't scare you; no evil thing will." - Roger

"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.

This is absolutely perfect cel of Cruella De Vil; she has her right arm up with her hand waving, her eyes are open, she is sporting a wicked smile, wearing her classic mink coat, and holding her cigarette with holder in her left hand. A great addition to any Disney Villain or animation art collection!
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Monday, March 20, 2023

Original Production Animation Cel of Briar Rose and Eighteen Animals from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959

 

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cels of Briar Rose and Two Birds, Eight Rabbits, Five Squirrels, and Three Chipmunks set on a lithographic background from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Briar Rose: 5 1/4 x 2 3/4", Image 10 1/2 x 14 1/4"; Unframed.


"Oh, we walk together, and talk together, and just before we say goodbye, he takes me in his arms, and then... I wake up.
[all the animals sigh]
Yes, it's only in my dreams. But they say if you dream a thing more than once, it's sure to come true, and I've dreamed that dream so many times." - Briar Rose
 
"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.

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.


Original production animation cel of Briar Rose without the background.
 

Original production animation cel of Six Rabbits, Five Squirrels, and Three Chipmunks without the background.
 

 Original production animation cel of Two Birds and Two Rabbits without the background.

After Maleficent's evil curse that Princess Aurora would (before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday) prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die; the three Good Fairies disguise Aurora as a peasant named Briar Rose and hide her deep in a remote forest cottage. The majority of the movie focuses on Briar Rose, and this is a beautiful original production animation cel setup of her. She had been placed on a custom background of the forest, just outside and beyond her woodcutter's cottage home. Rose is surrounded by two birds, eight rabbits, five squirrels, and three chipmunks; that are hand inked and hand painted on a pair of original production animation cels. An absolutely beautiful three cel setup and a great addition to any vintage Walt Disney animation art collection!
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Saturday, March 18, 2023

Original Production Animation Cel of Ichabod Crane from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Section of "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," 1949

 

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of Ichabod Crane riding his horse Gunpowder set on a lithographic background from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" section of "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," 1949, Walt Disney Studios; Size -  Ichabod Crane: 4 1/2 x 4 3/4", Image 6 1/4 x 8 1/4"; Unframed.

This wonderful hand-inked and hand-painted original production cel features Ichabod Crane, the lanky and eccentric schoolmaster from Walt Disney’s beloved 1949 animated classic The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Released by Walt Disney Productions through RKO Radio Pictures, the film is an animated package feature consisting of two segments. The first is based on British author Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 children’s novel The Wind in the Willows, while the second adapts American author Washington Irving’s 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The famed American singer and actor Bing Crosby provided the voices of Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, and the Narrator.

The story takes place in October 1790, when Ichabod Crane arrives in the small village of Sleepy Hollow, New York, north of Tarrytown, to become the town’s new schoolmaster. Lanky, gluttonous, superstitious, and somewhat awkward, Ichabod nevertheless possesses a charming personality that quickly wins the attention of the village women. His unusual appearance and eccentric behavior do little to discourage him, and he soon becomes enamored with Katrina van Tassel, the beautiful eighteen-year-old daughter and only child of Baltus van Tassel, the wealthiest man in Sleepy Hollow.

Ichabod’s romantic pursuit of Katrina brings him into direct competition with Brom Bones, the rough-and-tumble local hero who is also in love with her. Brom frequently attempts to intimidate and bully the schoolmaster, but Ichabod is remarkably good at ignoring his taunts. To Ichabod’s delight, he repeatedly appears to win Katrina’s affection, although he remains unaware that Katrina is primarily using his attention to make Brom jealous.

The dramatic climax unfolds at the annual van Tassel Halloween party, where Brom entertains the guests with the terrifying tale of the Headless Horseman. According to the legend, the ghostly rider lost his head during the Revolutionary War and returns every Halloween night to Sleepy Hollow in search of a replacement. The only safe escape is across the covered bridge, beyond which the Horseman’s supernatural powers cannot reach.

This cel captures Ichabod at a particularly memorable moment as he nervously rides his horse, Gunpowder, home through the dark woods after hearing Brom’s frightening ghost story. His wide-open eyes and anxious expression perfectly convey the schoolmaster’s growing unease as his vivid imagination transforms every strange sound into a potential supernatural threat. Ichabod and Gunpowder initially convince themselves that the strange noises around them are nothing more than cattails striking a log, and the two hysterically laugh with relief—until they suddenly realize that another, much more sinister laugh has joined theirs.

The image is especially appealing for its expressive depiction of Ichabod. His elongated features, distinctive pointed nose, wide eyes, pale green clothing, and characteristic hat are beautifully rendered in the traditional Disney animation style. The dark, atmospheric forest background surrounding him further emphasizes the tension of his nighttime journey and contrasts wonderfully with the lighter colors of the character.


Original production animation cel of Ichabod Crane without the background.

Moments later, Ichabod discovers that the Headless Horseman is indeed pursuing him. The terrifying rider gives chase as Ichabod desperately urges Gunpowder toward the covered bridge. Although they barely make it across, the Horseman ultimately hurls a flaming jack-o’-lantern at the fleeing schoolmaster. The following morning, Ichabod’s hat is discovered beside a shattered pumpkin, but Ichabod himself is never heard from again.

This is a wonderful original Walt Disney production cel of Ichabod Crane, presented with his eyes open and his nervous expression clearly visible as he rides Gunpowder through the haunted woods. Original artwork from Disney’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is scarce on the market, making this an especially attractive piece for collectors of classic Disney animation, Golden Age animation art, and original production cels. It would make a wonderful addition to any serious animation art collection.

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