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Sunday, February 28, 2016

Original Production Animation Drawing of Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck from "Mickey's Fire Brigade," 1935


Original production drawing of Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck from "Mickey's Fire Brigade," 1935; Blue, red, yellow, orange, pink, black, and graphite pencils on peg hole paper; Numbered 133 lower and upper right; Size - Mickey, Donald, and Goofy: 4 1/2 x 9", Sheet 9 1/2 x 12"; Unframed.

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

"Mickey's Fire Brigade," 1935 is an animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Ben Sharpsteen, music by Bert Lewis, and with animation by Paul Allen, Milt Kahl (inbetweening), Grim Natwick, Fred Spencer, Bill Tytla, and Cy Young. The short features the voices of Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse, Clarence Nash as Donald Duck, Pinto Colvig as Goofy, and Elvia Allman as Clarabelle Cow.


Close up of the Goofy, Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck production drawing.

The plot of "Mickey's Fire Brigade" is that Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy are firefighters responding to a hotel fire. Mickey drives a contemporary style hook-and-ladder fire truck, Donald is standing on the stack a ladders on the truck shouting "Fire! Fire! Fire!", while Goofy is steering the rear of the truck. The three fire fighters arrive at the hotel and go to work. The film is filled with lots of comedic gags which show the trio to be inept fireman. The fire and smoke are animated as if to have a mind of their own, and they make every attempt to foil the fireman's efforts to put them out!

The firefighters soon realize that there is a woman upstairs who needs saving. They find Clarabelle Cow locked in the bathroom taking a bath and singing, unaware that the hotel is on fire. After Goofy unsuccessfully warns her through the transom, Mickey and Donald break the door down using Goofy as a battering ram. Clarabelle is alarmed and thinks that Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are criminals. As Clarabelle is screaming for the police and hitting them with her scrub brush, the three firefighters lift her bathtub (with Clarabelle still in it) and shove it out the window. Clarabelle sails through the air in her tub, and slides down a ladder to the ground. The three firefighters then land in the bathtub. The film ends with Clarabelle continuously hitting them with her scrub brush.


Close up of the production number.

This is an extremely rare and wonderful drawing of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy from the 1935 Walt Disney animated short, "Mickey's Fire Brigade." This is one of the finest color call out drawings I have ever offered for sale in my 20 + years of dealing and it is from the high point of Walt Disney Mickey Mouse shorts, right in the middle of the 1930's. It is rare to have multiple characters on a single animation drawing, and this is certainly one of the best scenes in the animated short. In addition, this is a rare multi-colored shaded, color call out drawing; that indicates to the Walt Disney Ink and Paint Department which paint colors are to be used for each section of the characters. The numbers represent different paint colors and the lines indicate which parts of the character are to receive that specific color. In addition, the drawing was used in the scene when Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy are using a fireman's ladder to try and save Clarabelle Cow from a hotel fire! However, they end up having to save themselves. All three characters are full figure, the image is centered on the sheet, and the action pose is beautifully rendered.

To view the scene which this drawing was used to create, click on the short video below:


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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Original Production Animation Setup of Alice, The Mad Hatter, The March Hare, and The Dormouse from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951


Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel setup of 1) Alice 2) The Mad Hatter, The March Hare, & The Dormouse; Production numbers bottom right of both cels; Set on a hand prepared watercolor non-production background from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951; Size - Alice, The Mad Hatter, The March Hare, & The Dormouse: 5 3/4 x 8 1/4", Image 11 1/2 x 15", Frame 24 1/4 x 27 1/4"; Framed using a gold wood frame, three acid free mats, a gold fillet, and UV conservation clear glass.

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

"Well, it all started while I was sitting on the riverbank with Dinah." - Alice

"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.

Initial design for the character of Alice was accomplished by Mary Blair during the storyboard phase and also by Les Clark. Alice was animated by Ollie Johnston and also by Marc Davis, who animated her for the tea party scene.


Close up of the original production cels of Alice, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse.

The animator Ward Kimball was a tour de force for the film "Alice In Wonderland," and he animated the following: Alice (one scene), the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Walrus and the Carpenter, the Oysters, and the Dormouse. Kimball, was a superb draftsman, and he preferred to animate comical characters rather than realistic human figures. Because of this, "Alice In Wonderland" was the perfect film for him as it was filled with wonderful creatures all acting odd and comical. Animating came easily to him and he was constantly looking to do things in a different way; which lead Walt Disney to call Kimball a genius in the book "The Story of Walt Disney."

The Mad Hatter was voiced by Ed Wynn and he is one of the most memorable voices in "Alice" and a real stand out for the film. Wynn had a long history in Vaudeville and had developed his giggly, wavering voice in 1921 for the musical review, "The Perfect Fool." He had several roles at Walt Disney Studios, including his most famous acting role there as Uncle Albert in the film "Mary Poppins," in 1964.

The March Hare's appearance and mannerisms were modeled after his original voice actor, Jerry Colonna. Gerardo Luigi "Jerry" Colonna was an American comedian, singer, songwriter, and trombonist; who is best remembered as the zaniest of Bob Hope's sidekicks in his popular radio shows and films of the 1940s and 1950s.

The Dormouse was voiced by Jimmy MacDonald. John James "Jimmy" MacDonald was a British-born voice actor and the original head of the Walt Disney Sound Effects Department, and also is most known as the voice of Mickey Mouse from 1947 to 1977.

This wonderful cel setup is from the Mad Tea Party scene, one of the greatest sequences in the film and one of the greatest in all of the Disney feature films! To have all four of the characters together in one setup is extremely rare. The cels occur in the scene when Alice mentions her cat Dinah and the Dormouse breaks out in a mad crazed frenzy. The Mad Hatter and the March Hare begin to chase him around the tea table and yell to Alice to get the jam. All three then help to apply jam to the nose of the Dormouse to calm him down, and he soon sinks back into a teapot. The dialog for the scene is below:

ALICE: "Well, it all started while I was sitting on the riverbank with Dinah."
MARCH HARE: "Very interesting. Who's Dinah?"
ALICE: "Why, Dinah is my cat. You see..."
DORMOUSE: "Cat?"
MARCH HARE: "Hurry! Give the jam! Quickly! Give the jam! On his nose! Put it on his nose!" MAD HATTER: "On his nose, on his nose!"
DORMOUSE: "Where's the cat... "
MAD HATTER: "Oh. Oh, my goodness! Those are the things that upset me!" 

To see these cels in the film, just click on the short video below:

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Original Production Animation Cel of The March Hare from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951


Original hand inked and hand painted production cel of The March Hare set on a lithographic background from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951; Size - March Hare 5 1/4" x 3 3/4", Cel 9 1/2" x 12"; Image 8 1/2" x 10 3/4"; Unframed.

“If you don't think, you shouldn't talk!” - March Hare

The Mad Hatter and the March Hare are two of the most famous characters in the Walt Disney classic film "Alice In Wonderland," from 1951. The story is taken from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (commonly shortened to "Alice in Wonderland"), 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 75 minutes). Kathryn Beaumont was just 10 years old when she was chosen for the voice of Alice and Walt Disney was so impressed by her that she was also chosen to be a model for Alice. The interesting thing about the story and the film is that practically every character that Alice meets functions as an antagonist towards her.


Original production animation cel of The March Hare without the background.

The animator Ward Kimball was a tour de force for the film "Alice In Wonderland," and he animated the following: Alice (one scene), the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Walrus and the Carpenter, the Oysters, and the Dormouse. Kimball, was a superb draftsman, and he preferred to animate comical characters rather than realistic human figures. Because of this, "Alice In Wonderland" was the perfect film for him as it was filled with wonderful creatures all acting odd and comical. Animating came easily to him and he was constantly looking to do things in a different way; which lead Walt Disney to call Kimball a genius in the book "The Story of Walt Disney."


Close up of the original production animation cel of The March Hare.

The March Hare's appearance and mannerisms were modeled after his original voice actor, Jerry Colonna. Gerardo Luigi "Jerry" Colonna was an American comedian, singer, songwriter, and trombonist; who is best remembered as the zaniest of Bob Hope's sidekicks in his popular radio shows and films of the 1940s and 1950s. This wonderful original cel is from the Mad Tea Party scene which is one of the most famous scenes in the film, if not all of the Disney films!  The cel is from the sequence where The March Hare uses a spoon as a baton, and begins to conduct a band of tea pots in the singing of "The Unbirthday Song." A great pose with both his eyes and mouth open, and you can even see his fluffy white tail!

To see this cel in the film, just click on the short video below:

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Original Production Animation Cels of Katrina Van Tassel and Ichabod Crane On A Key Matching Production Background From "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Section of "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," 1949


Original hand inked & hand painted production cels of Katrina Van Tassel and Ichabod Crane; Set on a key matching (To the Katrina Van Tassel cel) hand painted production background from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" section of "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," 1949; Production numbers bottom & left side of the background; Size - Katrina: 7 x 4 1/5", Ichabod Crane: 7 x 3", Background 11 3/4 x 14 1/4", Image 11 x 13"; Unframed.


"The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," 1949 is an animated package film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film consists of two segments – the first is based on the 1908 children's novel "The Wind in the Willows" by British author Kenneth Grahame, and the second is based on the 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," (named Ichabod Crane in the Disney film) by American author Washington Irving. The famed American singer and actor Bing Crosby provided the voice of Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, and the Narrator.

The story takes place in October 1790 when Ichabod Crane, a lanky, gluttonous, superstitious yet charming man; arrives in Sleepy Hollow, New York. It's a small village north of Tarrytown and is renowned for its ghostly hauntings and Ichabod is to be the town's new schoolmaster. Despite his odd behavior and awkward appearance, he soon wins the hearts of the village's women. Brom Bones, the roughish town hero, does his best to bully Ichabod; however he is very good at ignoring Brom's taunts. Soon Ichabod falls in love with eighteen-year-old Katrina van Tassel, the beautiful daughter and only child of Baltus van Tassel who is the richest man in all of Sleepy Hollow. Brom, who is also in love with the beautiful Katrina, begins to compete with the schoolmaster for her affection. However, Ichabod succeeds in winning Katrina over at every opportunity. Unbeknownst to Ichabod, Katrina is only using him to make Brom jealous.


Original production animation cels of Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel without the background.

Both Brom and Ichabod are invited to the annual van Tassel Halloween party. While sitting down to dinner, Brom tells Ichabod and the party guests the ghost story of the Headless Horseman, who had lost his head a long time ago during the Revolutionary War. Ever since, on every Halloween night he rides into Sleepy Hollow looking for a new head. The only way to escape him is to cross the covered bridge, as the Headless Horseman's evil powers are limited to within the dark woods.


Original hand painted production background without the cels.

After the Halloween party ends, Ichabod rides home alone and keeps imagining that he is being followed. He hears strange sounds and then realizes that it's only cattails bumping against a log; Ichabod and his horse begin to hysterically laugh. But then suddenly both stop, as they realize that another laugh has joined them. As Ichabod and his horse slowly turn around, they find the Headless Horseman about to attack them with his sword. The Horseman begins to chase them, laughing all the while. Ichabod gallops for the bridge and barely manages to make it across. As Ichabod turns around, he screams as the Horseman's black horse rears up, and the Headless Horseman throws a flaming jack o' lantern right at him. The very next morning, Ichabod's hat was found next to a shattered pumpkin; however, Ichabod was never heard from again.

Katrina Van Tassel was animated by Ollie Johnston and Ward Kimball, and Ichabod Crane was animated by Ollie Johnston, Ward Kimball, and Frank Thomas. Katrina never speaks in the film and Ichabod was voiced by Bing Crosby. Katrina has a short song devoted to her (titled "Katrina") and it was sung by the narrator of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Bing Crosby. The lyrics are below:

"Oo oo oo oo
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
Once you have met that little coquette Katrina
You won't forget Katrina
But nobody yet has ever upset Katrina
That cute coquette Katrina
You can do more with Margaret or Helena
Or Ann or Angelina
But Katrina will kiss and run
To her a romance is fun
With always another one to start
And then when you've met that little coquette Katrina
You've lost your heart"

This is a very rare and wonderful key set-up composed of an original production cel of Katrina Van Tassel on her matching original production background. The cel and background were used during her first appearance in the film when she flirts with the men of Sleepy Hollow and soon catches the attention of it's new schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane. A full figure original production cel of Ichabod Crane has been added to complete the setup. Key setups (an original production cel on it's matching production background) from vintage Disney films (1937-1959) are extremely rare; so this piece would make a great addition to any animation art collection!

To see these cels and the background in the film, just click on the short video below:


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Original Production Animation Cel of Jiminy Cricket from "Pinocchio," 1940


Original hand painted and hand inked production cel of Jiminy Cricket from "Pinocchio," 1940; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Jiminy Cricket: 6 1/2 x 5 1/2", Image 10 1/4 x 13"; Unframed.


Pinocchio: "What's a conscience?"
Jiminy Cricket: "What's a conscience! I'll tell ya! A conscience is that still small voice that people won't listen to. That's just the trouble with the world today..." 

"Pinocchio," 1940 was the second animated feature film produced by Disney, and followed on the success of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." 1937. It was released to theaters by RKO Radio Pictures on February 23, 1940 and was based on the Italian children's novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi. The general plot of the film involves an old wood-carver named Geppetto, who carves a wooden puppet that he names Pinocchio. One night the puppet is brought to life by the Blue Fairy, who informs him that he can become a real boy if he proves himself to be "brave, truthful, and unselfish". Pinocchio's journey to become a real boy is challenged by his encounters with an array of scrupulous characters.

"Pinocchio" became the first animated feature to win an Academy Award; it won for both Best Music - Original Score and for Best Music - Original Song for "When You Wish Upon A Star." Most critics and audiences agree that "Pinocchio" is among the finest Disney features ever made, and one of the greatest animated films of all time. In 1994, it was added to the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."


Close up of the original production animation cel of Jiminy Cricket.

Due to the huge success of "Snow White," Walt Disney wanted more famous voice actors for "Pinocchio." He cast popular singer Cliff Edwards (who had made the first record selling over a million copies) as Jiminy Cricket. Disney also wanted the character of Pinocchio to be voiced by a real child. The role ended up going to twelve year old actor Dickie Jones, who had previously been in Frank Capra's enormous Hollywood hit, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

Jiminy Cricket was animated by Ward Kimball, with Joe Grant working up early rough model sketches.  Kimball would go on to work on many characters for the Walt Disney studios, including the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat in "Alice In Wonderland;" however the great Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston thought that Kimball's animation of Jiminy Cricket was "the most sincere he ever did."


Original production animation cel of Jiminy Cricket without the background.

From veteran Walt Disney animator Andreas Deja:
"Ward Kimball surely was looking forward to animating Jiminy Cricket, after the bad experience he just had on Snow White. His brilliantly animated "Soup Eating Sequence" had been cut from the film, and now it was time for a fresh start on the next feature film Pinocchio. Even though Walt Disney personally assigned the Cricket to Kimball, the animator didn't seem to be able to please the boss with his initial designs. Not appealing, too grotesque and insect like! After many revised versions in which Ward de-insectified the design, Walt finally approved a design that though very appealing had very little to do with the anatomy of a real cricket."

The is one of the finest original production cels of Jiminy Cricket that exists. He stands 6 1/2 inches tall and his pose is just wonderful. He is leaning on his umbrella with his top hat in his hand, his eyes and mouth open, and he has a fantastic happy and smiling expression. A great addition to any animation art collection.
 
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Original Production Animation Cel of Snow White from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937


Original hand painted and hand inked production cel of Snow White from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937; Numbered 35 in ink lower right; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Snow White: 7 x 4 1/2", Image 8 1/4 x 11"; Unframed.

 “Lips red as the rose. Hair black as ebony. Skin white as snow.”
―The Magic Mirror describing Snow White

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).


Original production animation cel of Snow White without the background.

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!

A large number of actresses auditioned for the voice of Snow White. Walt Disney listened to each audition in his office while the actress performed in another room, without any knowledge of the actress' appearance or reputation. This would insure that he would only judge based on the sound of the voice. According to later accounts, most of the voices Disney felt, did not sound young enough. Eventually, in September of 1935, Adriana Caselotti was chosen for the voice of Snow White. Caselotti was eighteen at the time and made her coloraturo soprano sound younger, knowing that the character was intended to be 14 years old. In recording sessions Caselotti found difficulty in the line, "Grumpy, I didn't know you cared"; instead of "didn't", Caselotti was only able to say "din". After rehearsing the line many times, Walt Disney eventually said "Oh, the heck with..." and "din'" remained in the final film.


Close up of the original production animation cel of Snow White.

Snow White's design was supervised by Grim Natwick, an animator who had previously developed and worked on Betty Boop at Fleischer Studios. It is interesting to note that early designs for the Snow White resemble Betty Boop, and some appear to be caricatures of famous actresses of the time. As development continued, Snow White became more and more lifelike. Another animator, Hamilton Luske's first designs for Snow White depicted her as a slightly awkward, gangly teenager. However, Walt Disney had a different idea in mind; he wanted Snow White to be older, and more realistic-looking. This was achieved by the use of live-action references for the animators. Also, in order for Snow White to better relate onscreen to the seven Dwarfs, it was decided that her head be slightly larger than normal. In addition, the women in the animation studio's ink and paint department felt that Snow White's black hair was too unnatural and harsh, so they drybrushed whisps of light grey over the top of each and every cel.

This cel is from the "Whistle While You Work" song sequence which occurs at the Dwarf cottage. Snow White and her animal friends begin to clean up the Dwarf's home while she his singing. The sequence is one of the most beautiful in the film, and the song (music written by Frank Churchill with lyrics by Larry Morey) has become a staple of Pop culture. This cel was used at the end of the song during the sequence when a small bird lands on Snow White's hand as she is singing. The top of the broom handle can be seen in her left hand. Snow White is three quarters image, her eyes and mouth are open, and she would make a wonderful addition to any animation art collection!

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Sunday, February 7, 2016

Original Production Animation Drawing of Monstro The Whale from "Pinocchio," 1940


Original production drawing in red and graphite pencils of Monstro The Whale from "Pinocchio," 1940; On watermarked five peg hole paper; Numbered 10 in pencil lower right; Size - Monstro The Whale: 6 1/2 x 12", Sheet: 12 x 14"; Unframed.


“This Monstro, I've heard of him! He's a whale of a whale!”
―Jiminy Cricket

"Pinocchio," 1940 was the second animated feature film produced by Disney, and followed on the success of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." 1937. It was released to theaters by RKO Radio Pictures on February 23, 1940 and was based on the Italian children's novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi. The general plot of the film involves an old wood-carver named Geppetto, who carves a wooden puppet that he names Pinocchio. One night the puppet is brought to life by the Blue Fairy, who informs him that he can become a real boy if he proves himself to be "brave, truthful, and unselfish". Pinocchio's journey to become a real boy is challenged by his encounters with an array of scrupulous characters.

"Pinocchio" became the first animated feature to win an Academy Award; it won for both Best Music - Original Score and for Best Music - Original Song for "When You Wish Upon A Star." Most critics and audiences agree that "Pinocchio" is among the finest Disney features ever made, and one of the greatest animated films of all time. In 1994, it was added to the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."


Close up of the original production animation drawing of Monstro.

Monstro was an enormous sperm whale and certainly was one of the greatest villains for Pinocchio. Joe Grant's Character Model Department was responsible for the design of Monstro, and models were constructed both of the whale and the inside of his belly. The animation of Monstro was originally to be assigned to Vladimir Tytla (the great Disney animator responsible for such characters as Doc, Grumpy, Stromboli, and, later, Yen Sid, Chernabog and Dumbo); however Walt Disney worried that Tytla might get carried away with the character, and so the assignment went to Wolfgang Reitherman. Reitherman animated Monstro as a cunning creature with a sharp mind, thus allowing for the pursuit of his prey to be even more frightening. Reitherman also worked out the timing and staging of Monstro's chase sequences, allowing  the whale's great weight and power to come forth on the big screen. Thurl Ravenscroft, an American voice actor and singer (most known as the voice of Tony the Tiger), provided the voice of Monstro.

This is a spectacular and rare drawing of a full figure and eyes open Monstro The Whale. The drawing was used when Pinocchio, walking along the sea bed floor, comes across the sperm whale for the first time as he is resting at the bottom of the ocean.

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Original Production Animation Cel of Peter Pan Hand Signed by Frank Thomas, Marc Davis, and Ollie Johnston from "Peter Pan," 1953

 
Original hand inked and hand painted production cel of Peter Pan over a lithographic background from "Peter Pan," 1953; The cel is hand signed in ink by Frank Thomas, Marc Davis, and Ollie Johnston; Size - Peter Pan: 2 3/4 x 6 1/2", Image 9 1/2 x 13 1/4", Mat 16 1/2 x 20"; Triple matted, wood fillet, and inset plaque.

Peter Pan: "Well, well, a codfish on a hook."
Captain Hook: "I'll get you for this, Pan, if it's the last thing I do!"

The author J. M. Barrie first used Peter Pan as a character in a section of the adult novel "The Little White Bird" in 1902. He returned to that character with his stage play entitled "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," which premiered in London on December 27, 1904. The play ran until 1913, and it was later adapted by Walt Disney for the animated feature film entitled, "Peter Pan," in 1953.

The main character of Peter Pan was animated by Milt Kahl and Eric Larson. Kahl did the majority of the animation sequences with Larson working mainly on the flying to London sequence, as well as some animation work on both Wendy Darling and Captain Hook.

Milt Kahl was not very excited about his assignment for Peter Pan. He had to animate both Peter Pan and Wendy Darling; two characters that had to be handled like real human beings and therefore would be a great challenge. “Peter was interesting in that you had to make him fly but after that was over he became a chore,” said Kahl. "Peter Pan's" supervising animator, Ron Clements, remembered that for years Milt Kahl resented the fact that animator Frank Thomas was assigned the character of Captain Hook instead of him. It is interesting to note that Peter Pan is one of the most interesting male protagonists of the early Walt Disney films because he is very heroic, opinionated, and has a zeal for life. Kahl’s animation of him totally embraces those characteristics as well as his great grace, expert timing, all combined with a very appealing artistic design.


Close up of the triple signed original production animation cel of Peter Pan.

Bobby Driscoll was the first actor Walt Disney ever put under contract, and was cast to play the lead character in the 1946 film "Song of the South." The film would introduce live action into an extensive animation based film. The film was very successful and turned Driscoll, and his co-star Luana Patten, into overnight child stars! The pair were even discussed for a special Academy Award as the best child actors of the year.

Driscoll went on to appear in a large number of specials and to star in some of The Walt Disney Company's most popular live-action pictures of that period, such as "So Dear to My Heart" in 1948, and in the role of Jim Hawkins in "Treasure Island" in 1950. This last role earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1953, he served as animation model and provided the voice for the title role in "Peter Pan," Driscoll's last major success. Driscoll was cast opposite Disney's "Little British Lady" Kathryn Beaumont, who was in the role of Wendy Darling. Driscoll was the model for all the close up Peter Pan scenes and the dancer and choreographer Roland Dupree was the model for the character's motion sequences. All the live action model scenes were played out on an almost empty sound stage with only the most essential props, and filmed for use by the animators.


Triple matted photograph of the triple signed original production animation cel of Peter Pan.

This is a wonderful original production cel of Peter Pan flying. It is from the scene when Peter Pan is fighting with Captain Hook at Skull Rock. Peter is full figure with his eyes and mouth open; and the cel has been hand signed in ink by master Walt Disney animators Frank Thomas, Marc Davis, and Ollie Johnston.

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Saturday, February 6, 2016

Original Production Animation Drawing of Cinderella from "Cinderella," 1950


Original production drawing of Cinderella in brown, red, and graphite pencils from "Cinderella," 1950; Numbered 13 in pencil lower right; Size - Cinderella 5 1/4 x 2 1/2", Sheet 10 x 12"; 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.

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.

According to Christopher Finch, from his book "The Art of Walt Disney":
"Disney insisted that all scenes involving human characters should be shot first in live-action to determine that they would work before the expensive business of animation was permitted to start. The animators did not like this way of working, feeling it detracted from their ability to create character. The animators understood the necessity for this approach and in retrospect acknowledged that Disney had handled things with considerable subtlety."


Close up of the Cinderella production drawing.

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. 


Close up of the production number.

This is a wonderful and very delicate production drawing of Cinderella. She is masterfully rendered in brown, graphite, and red pencils. Her eyes and mouth are open are her hands are visible in front of her. A rare and beautiful drawing, perfect for any collection.

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Friday, February 5, 2016

Original Production Animation Drawing of Scar from "The Lion King," 1994


Original production drawing of Scar in red and graphite pencils from "The Lion King," 1994; Numbered S-63 in blue and graphite pencil lower right; Size - Scar: 9 x 8", Sheet 12 1/2 x 17"; Unframed.

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

"Well, as far as brains go, I got the lion's share." - Scar

"The Lion King," 1994 is an animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The story centers on an African kingdom of lions, and was derived from William Shakespeare's famous play "Hamlet." The film was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, with the screenplay written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Original songs were by Elton John and Tim Rice, and the original score was written by Hans Zimmer. The film features an ensemble voice cast including: Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Madge Sinclair, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings.


Close up of the original production animation drawing of Scar.

Prince Taka, also known as Scar, is the Villain of the film. The name Scar is due to his having a small, thin, red gash located above and below his left eye. He was very resentful of Mufasa and his young cub Simba, because Simba's birth ruined any chance of him ever becoming king. Scar was marvelously voiced by veteran screen actor Jeremy Irons. Although he voices Scar for most of the movie, Irons lost his voice while recording "Be Prepared" (Specifically the line "You won't get a sniff without me!"), and the rest of the song is sung by Jim Cummings. Ironically, "Be Prepared" is also where Ed the hyena (also voiced by Jim Cummings) has his only line that is not laughter.

The principal animator for Scar was Andreas Deja, and this is a great quotation of the experience: "Working with Jeremy Irons was a joy. The man can read anything, and you'd want to animate it, I swear. What an inspiring voice!  It was a privilege to be assigned to this character. I remember during production I didn't watch "Jungle Book" once, I tried to do a different type of villain than Shere Khan, as far as design and personality. I wished I could redo a lot of my scenes, but this is all I could do way back. At least the personality seems to be coming through. Scar was evil, but also intelligent. And that's  a dangerous combination. And he sure enjoyed being bad."


Close up of the production number.

Scar topped The Huffington Post's list for Disney Villains and ranked within the top ten of similar lists published by Yahoo! Movies, the Orlando Sentinel, E! and CNN. He has also been ranked among the greatest villains in film history by Digital Spy and Entertainment Weekly. This is a wonderful and very large portrait of Scar; he is eyes open and the drawing is an impressive 9" x 8". In addition, there is red pencil highlighting the scar around his left eye.

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Original Production Animation Drawing of Scar from "The Lion King," 1994


Original production drawing of Scar in red and graphite pencils from "The Lion King," 1994; Numbered S-43 in blue and graphite pencil lower right; Size - Scar: 9 1/2 x 10", Sheet 12 1/2 x 17"; Unframed.

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

"Well, as far as brains go, I got the lion's share." - Scar

"The Lion King," 1994 is an animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The story centers on an African kingdom of lions, and was derived from William Shakespeare's famous play "Hamlet." The film was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, with the screenplay written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Original songs were by Elton John and Tim Rice, and the original score was written by Hans Zimmer. The film features an ensemble voice cast including: Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Madge Sinclair, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings.


Close up of the original production animation drawing of Scar.

Prince Taka, also known as Scar, is the Villain of the film. The name Scar is due to his having a small, thin, red gash located above and below his left eye. He was very resentful of Mufasa and his young cub Simba, because Simba's birth ruined any chance of him ever becoming king. Scar was marvelously voiced by veteran screen actor Jeremy Irons. Although he voices Scar for most of the movie, Irons lost his voice while recording "Be Prepared" (Specifically the line "You won't get a sniff without me!"), and the rest of the song is sung by Jim Cummings. Ironically, "Be Prepared" is also where Ed the hyena (also voiced by Jim Cummings) has his only line that is not laughter.

The principal animator for Scar was Andreas Deja, and this is a great quotation of the experience: "Working with Jeremy Irons was a joy. The man can read anything, and you'd want to animate it, I swear. What an inspiring voice!  It was a privilege to be assigned to this character. I remember during production I didn't watch "Jungle Book" once, I tried to do a different type of villain than Shere Khan, as far as design and personality. I wished I could redo a lot of my scenes, but this is all I could do way back. At least the personality seems to be coming through. Scar was evil, but also intelligent. And that's  a dangerous combination. And he sure enjoyed being bad."


Close up of the production number.

Scar topped The Huffington Post's list for Disney Villains and ranked within the top ten of similar lists published by Yahoo! Movies, the Orlando Sentinel, E! and CNN. He has also been ranked among the greatest villains in film history by Digital Spy and Entertainment Weekly. This is a wonderful and very large portrait of Scar; he is eyes open and the drawing is an impressive 9 1/2" x 10". In addition, there is red pencil highlighting the scar around his left eye.

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