Original Production Animation Cels of Ursula and Tentacle with Hair Mousse from "The Little Mermaid," 1989

Original matching hand painted production animation two cel set-up of Ursula numbered 27 lower right, and Tentacle with Hair Mousse numbered A-27 and Walt Disney Seal lower right; All set on a lithographic background from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Ursula: 5 1/4 x 5 1/2", Image 7 x 13"; Unframed.

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

"Now, then. You're here because you have a thing for this human. This, er, prince fellow. Not that I blame you - he is quite a catch isn't he?" - Ursula

"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.

"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 role 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. 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 a wonderful original production animation two cel setup of Ursula the Sea Witch from the full length feature film "The Little Mermaid," 1989. The cels can be seen from the section of the film when Flotsam and Jetsam convince Ariel that they know someone who can help her, and they two eels lead them to the Sea Witch's lair. This great action oriented cel setup is composed of a cel of Ursula and a cel of one of her tentacles holding a container of hair mousse and she says to Ariel "Now, then. You're here because you have a thing for this human. This, er, prince fellow. Not that I blame you - he is quite a catch isn't he?" A spectacular matching cel setup and an absolutely beautiful piece that would be a great addition to any animation art collection!

#TheLittleMermaid #LittleMermaid #Ariel #SherriLynnStoner #GlenKeane #MarkHenn #DuncanMarjoribanks #Sebastian #AndreasDeja #KingTriton #RubenAquino #Ursula #AlyssaMilano #PartofYourWorld #Disney #WaltDisney #Disneycel #cel #untitledartgallery #productioncel #productiondrawing #animation #animationart #animationcel #animationdrawing #JodiBenson #HansChristianAndersen #RonClements #JohnMusker #AlanMenken #HowardAshman #ChristopherDanielBarnes #PatCarroll #SamuelEWright #JasonMarin #KennethMars #BuddyHackett #RenéAuberjonois #Flotsam #Jetsam #PaddiEdwards

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

Original production animation drawings of Briar Rose and the Mock Prince in graphite and blue pencils from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959, Walt Disney Studios; Briar Rose  numbered E-113 in pencil lower right and Mock Prince numbered 74 in pencil lower right; Size - Briar Rose: 7 x 3 3/4", Mock Prince: 5 1/4 x 4 1/4", 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.

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.

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.

This is wonderful pair of original production animation drawings of Briar Rose and the Mock Prince dancing in the forest. Briar Rose is  full figure, barefoot, and holding her arms out 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 a pair of birds are holding up each side of the caplet. A beautiful 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 Drawing of Maleficent from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959

Original production animation drawing of Maleficent from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959, Walt Disney Studios; Graphite, blue, and red pencils on peg hole paper; Numbered 151 in pencil lower right; Size - Maleficent: 8 x 10 1/2", Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"What a pity prince Phillip can't be here to enjoy the celebration. Come, we must go to

the dungeon and cheer him up." - Maleficent

"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.

The style for "Sleeping Beauty" was based on the art of Eyvind Earle, who was known for his 'Pre-Renaissance' style; accomplished with strong vertical lines combined with Gothic elegance. Earle was involved with the design of all the characters in the film, and he designed and painted most of the backgrounds. The early sketches for Maleficent depicted a hag-like witch, however it was later decided that her final design should be more elegant; as it better suited Earle's backgrounds. The principal animator for Maleficent, Marc Davis, decided to make Maleficent a powerful fairy rather than an old crone that had been described in the original source material. A contributing factor for this decision may have been influenced by the choice of Eleanor Audley to be the voice of the character. Audley had previously worked for Disney by providing the voice for the cold and calculating Lady Tremaine (The Stepmother) in "Cinderella." It is known that Frank Thomas who animated Lady Tremaine and Marc Davis who animated Maleficent, incorporated the facials features of Eleanor into both characters. Audley was also the live-action model for Maleficent, and Marc Davis claimed that her movements and expressions were ultimately incorporated into the animation.

Marc Davis's design for Maleficent's costume was inspired by a book on Medieval art. One of the images featured was that of a religious figure with long robes, the ends of which resembled flames. Davis incorporated this into Maleficent's final design, and he based the sides of her headdress on the wings of a bat, and the top of her headdress on the horns of a devil. If you ask people to name their favorite Disney Villain, chances are you will one of three answers; The Evil Queen/Witch from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Cruella DeVil from "One hundred and One Dalmatians," or Maleficent from "Sleeping Beauty." Two of the three, Cruella and Maleficent, were created and drawn by the great Walt Disney animator Marc Davis.

This is a very rare, original production animation drawing of Maleficent in graphite, blue, and red pencils. She is full figure and holding her staff. The drawing was used for the scene when the Goons are celebrating Maleficent's fulfillment of her curse on Princess Aurora, and her imprisonment of Prince Phillip in her dungeon. She then decides to torment the Prince further. The dialog from the scene is below:

Maleficent speaking with her raven Diablo: "What a pity prince Phillip can't be here to enjoy the celebration. Come, we must go to the dungeon and cheer him up."

This is an absolutely beautiful drawing of Maleficent, the Mistress of all evil, and would make a great addition to any animation collection!

 

#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 Cels of Si and Am Siamese Cats from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cels of Si and Am Siamese Cats set on a lithographic background from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955; Walt Disney Studios; Size - Si and Am: 8 3/4 x 8 1/4", Image 9 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"We are Siamese if you please. We are Siamese if you don't please." - Si and Am

"Lady and the Tramp" (released on June 22, 1955) is a full length featured animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The film was the 15th in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, and it was the first animated feature filmed in with the CinemaScope widescreen film process. The film was based on the story "Happy Dan, The Whistling Dog" by Ward Greene and tells the story of a female American Cocker Spaniel named Lady who lives with a refined, upper-middle-class family. Lady meets a male stray mutt named Tramp and they embark on many exciting and romantic adventures. 

Si and Am account for a very large amount of Villain merchandise sold by Walt Disney Studios. The cats were only in the film "Lady and the Tramp" for a very short amount of time; however their film time is very much remembered and loved. With their names combined, "Siam" is the former name of the Kingdom of Thailand, referencing the cats' heritage. Si and Am are a pair of identical twin seal-point Siamese cats and belong to Aunt Sarah. Their physical appearance is sleek, with cream colored coats, angular wedge-shaped faces, and large blue almond eyes. They have deep brown facial points with a darker, almost black muzzle with dark triangular ears; and their noses are black and small, and both have two middle incisors that hang over their lower lip. Si and Am have dark brown "stockings" on their front legs and shorter "socks" on their hind legs, with dark long winding tails.

The famed Disney animator Milt Kahl did the final character design for Si and Am; but the cats were animated beautifully by Bob Carlson, Bill Justice, and John Sibley. There is little doubt that a huge amount of the success of Si and Am goes to Peggy Lee and her performance of their signature song, "The Siamese Cat Song."  Peggy Lee was an American pop and jazz singer, songwriter, and actress who provided the original speaking and singing voices of not only Si and Am; but Darling and Peg. She also composed the majority of the film's soundtrack with Sonny Burke; as well as performed "He's a Tramp", "La La Lu", "What Is a Baby?", and of course "The Siamese Cat Song"!

The cats storyline is that while Aunt Sarah is upstairs, Si and Am perform their trademark musical number, "The Siamese Cat Song". During their song, the cats wreak havoc throughout the house, claiming it as their own, and even attempt to eat both the family fish and family bird! During the closure of their song, Lady ferociously chases after them upon hearing of their intentions to sample some of the newborn baby's milk. Lots of household damage ensues, and although the cats caused all the trouble, Si and Am feign injury in order to lay all the blame on Lady; who is then muzzled by Aunt Sarah.

Original production cels of Si and Am are extremely rare and this set is one of the finest I have ever seen in my 20+ years of collecting/dealing animation art. I have only seen a handful of cels on the market and I have never seen any production drawings. The cats famous quote is "We are Siamese if you please," and this pair of cels is from the very beginning of their famous song "The Siamese Cat Song," from which the line originates. In this two cel setup both cats are very large full figure images, with both of their blue eyes and their mouths open. The cat cels are from the scene when they have emerged from their basket, begin to sing, and of course wreck havoc. An absolutely fantastic piece of vintage animation artwork that would be a stand out for any animation 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 The Caterpillar from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of The Caterpillar set on a lithographic background from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Caterpillar: 4 1/2 x 5"; Image 9 1/4 x 7 1/4"; Unframed.

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

"Who R U?" - Caterpillar

"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 Caterpillar is known for smoking his hookah and blowing colorful smoke that forms letters, words, and even amazing moving images; as he talks to Alice. The Caterpillar was animated by John Lounsbery and Eric Larson, and voiced by the English comedic actor Richard Haydn.

 

Alice comes across the Caterpillar after being kick out of the Garden of Living Flowers for being a weed. She hears singing and walks towards the sounds to find the singing Caterpillar who is sitting on the top of a mushroom smoking his hookah. After a very odd conversation, an annoyed Alice stomps off; but the Caterpillar tells her to come back because he has something useful to say. When she returns, Alice tells the Caterpillar that she wants to return to her normal size and the Caterpillar asks "Y." Alice says that it is terrible to be only three inches tall, which is an awful height. The Caterpillar loses his temper (as he is three inches tall) and transforms into a butterfly. He then tells Alice that one side of the mushroom will make her grow taller and the other side will make her grow smaller.

 

The Caterpillar appears at the end of the film in his caterpillar form, but with butterfly wings on his back, sitting on a floating mushroom, and smoking his hookah. Alice is trying to escape from many of the inhabitants of Wonderland and also from being beheaded by the Queen of Hearts. The Caterpillar asks "Who R U?" and blows smoke that warps into a surreal smoke tunnel that leads Alice back to the Doorknob.

This is a rare and wonderful original production animation cel of the Caterpillar. A great action packed close up image with his eyes open, eyebrows raised, and his mouth in an O shape. He is holding the end of his hookah in one of his many hands, and you can just image him saying "Who R U?" This is an absolutely beautiful piece of vintage Walt Disney animation art and a great addition to any animation collection!

#Alice #madhatter #aliceinwonderland #marchhare #KathrynBeaumont #HyndenWalch #OllieJohnston #MarcDavis #wardkimball #teaparty #unbirthday #disney #WaltDisney #LesClark #MaryBlair #untitledartgallery #animation #productioncel #animationart #lewiscarroll #edwynn #BillThompson #cel #animationcel #artcollecting #whiterabbit #wonderland #CheshireCat #JimmyMacDonald

Original Production Animation Cel of Dodo from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of Dodo set on a lithographic background from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 39 in ink lower right; Size - Dodo: 4 1/2 x 3 1/2", Image 11 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"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.

Dodo was brilliantly animated by Milt Kahl and Wolfgang "Woolie" Reitherman. and the character was voiced by Bill Thompson. The following paragraph is from master Walt Disney animator Andreas Deja:

"This character (Dodo) from "Alice In Wonderland" is beautifully designed, sometime gorgeously animated, but with a completely underdeveloped personality. There is way too little screen footage of him to get any real sense of who he is and why he would be important to the story. The Dodo is a very handsome design though, and it's fun to trace back his visual development.... It's the character's unique proportions that make him stand out. A huge lower body with a relatively small chest."

This cel is from the scene when Alice grows in size inside of the White Rabbit's house. The White Rabbit refers to Alice as Mary Ann and rushes outside seeking help and sees Dodo, who happens to be walking along a path. The dialog for the scene is below:

 

White Rabbit: Oh! Mary Ann! Now you see here, Mary Ann… Help! No! No! Help! Monsters! Help,
assistance!

Alice: Hrmm… hrmm… hrmm… dear!

White Rabbit: A monster! A monster, Dodo! In my house, Dodo!

Alice: Dodo…?

White Rabbit: Oh might, poor little bitty house…

Dodo: Uh, steady old champ.Can’t be as bad as all that you know.

White Rabbit: Oh my poor roof and rafters, all my walls and… there it is!

Dodo: By Jove! Jolly well?? is! Isn’t it?

White Rabbit: Well, do something, Dodo!

This is wonderful cel of Dodo holding is pipe in one hand and his walking stick in the other. Dodo is full figure, eyes and mouth open, and is an absolutely beautiful piece of vintage Walt Disney animation artwork that is perfect for any collection!

#Alice #madhatter #aliceinwonderland #marchhare #KathrynBeaumont #HyndenWalch #OllieJohnston #MarcDavis #wardkimball #teaparty #unbirthday #disney #WaltDisney #LesClark #MaryBlair #untitledartgallery #animation #productioncel #animationart #lewiscarroll #edwynn #jerrycolonna #cel #animationcel #artcollecting #whiterabbit #wonderland #CheshireCat #JimmyMacDonald

Original Production Animation Drawing of Ursula from "The Little Mermaid," 1989

Original production animation drawing of Ursula in blue, red, and graphite pencils from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 5 lower right; Size - Ursula: 5 x 8", Sheet 12 1/2 x 17"; Unframed.

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

"If I become human, I'll never be with my father or sisters again." - Ariel

"That's right. . . . But - you'll have your man. Life's full of tough choices, innit? Oh - and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know." - Ursula

"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.

"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 role 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. 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 a wonderful original production animation drawing of Ursula the Sea Witch from the full length feature film "The Little Mermaid," 1989. This large drawing is from the scene when Ursula brings up the issue of payment for transforming Ariel, from a mermaid into a human. Ursula is full figure as she spins upside down looking at Ariel, has a wonderfully wicked expression, and says "Oh - and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. " A spectacular drawing from the "Pour Unfortunate Souls" song sequence, and an absolutely beautiful and rare drawing which would be a great addition to any animation art collection!

#TheLittleMermaid #LittleMermaid #Ariel #SherriLynnStoner #GlenKeane #MarkHenn #DuncanMarjoribanks #Sebastian #AndreasDeja #KingTriton #RubenAquino #Ursula #AlyssaMilano #PartofYourWorld #Disney #WaltDisney #Disneycel #cel #untitledartgallery #productioncel #productiondrawing #animation #animationart #animationcel #animationdrawing #JodiBenson #HansChristianAndersen #RonClements #JohnMusker #AlanMenken #HowardAshman #ChristopherDanielBarnes #PatCarroll #SamuelEWright #JasonMarin #KennethMars #BuddyHackett #RenéAuberjonois #Flotsam #Jetsam #PaddiEdwards