Original Hand Signed by Mel Blanc, Friz Freleng, and Virgil Ross Production Animation Cels of Sylvester and Tweety From A Cartoon Short, 1945-1956

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cels of Sylvester and Tweety from a cartoon short, 1945-1956; Set on a lithographic background; Warner Bros. Studios; Hand signed in ink by Mel Blanc, Friz Freleng, and Virgil Ross lower left and lower center; Size - Sylvester: 3 3/4 x 3 1/2", Tweety: 2 x 1", Image 7 3/4 x 11 1/4"; Frame 18 1/2 x  21 3/4"; Framed with four acid free mats, UV conservation clear glass, and a blue wood frame.

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

 "I tawt I taw a putty tat!" - Tweety

During the golden age of American animation, the "Merrie Melodies" were a series of comedy short films produced by the Warner Bros. Studios. As with its parent series "Looney Tunes," "Merrie Melodies" featured some of the most famous cartoon characters ever created including: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Elmer Fudd.

"Merrie Melodies" was originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures from 1931-1933, and then Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933-1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944, and the newly renamed Warner Bros. Cartoons continued production until 1963. "Merrie Melodies" was outsourced to DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and Format Films from 1964 to 1967, and Warner Bros. Cartoons resumed production for the final two years.

Three of the "Merrie Melodies" films (Tweetie Pie, Speedy Gonzales, and Birds Anonymous) won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and another three (Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening, and What's Opera, Doc?) have been inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

Sylvester J. Pussycat, also known as Sr., Sylvester the Cat, Puddy Tat, or simply Sylvester; is an animated anthropomorphic cat from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is often chasing Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper. The name "Sylvester" is a derivation of Felis silvestris, the scientific name for the wild cats. Sylvester first appeared in Friz Freleng's Life With Feathers, 1945 and in the 1947 cartoon Tweetie Pie which was the first pairing of Tweety with Sylvester. Sylvester would appear in 103 cartoons during the Golden Age of animation, and three of his cartoons won Academy Awards (Tweetie Pie, Speedy Gonzales, and Birds Anonymous); the most for any starring Looney Tunes character! Sylvester was voiced by Mel Blanc from 1945 to 1988.

Tweety (short for Tweety Bird or Tweety Pie) is an animated yellow canary in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Tweety appeared in 47 cartoons during the Golden Age of animation, and legendary artist Mel Blanc originated the character's voice. Even after the cartoon shorts came to an end, Blanc continued to voice the character in TV specials, commercials, music recordings, and films, such as 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit; which was one of Blanc's final projects as Tweety. 

Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor, actor, radio comedian, and recording artist. He began his 60-plus-year career performing in radio, but he is best remembered for his work in animation as the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, the Tasmanian Devil, and many of the other characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons during the Golden Age of American animation. He was the voice for all of the major male Warner Bros. cartoon characters except for Elmer Fudd, whose voice was provided by fellow radio actor Arthur Q. Bryan (although Blanc later voiced Fudd, after Bryan's death). Mel Blanc earned the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Voices," and is regarded as one of the most influential people in the voice-acting industry.

Virgil Walter Ross (August 8, 1907 – May 15, 1996) was an American artist, cartoonist, and animator best known for his work on the Warner Bros. animated shorts. He first worked in animation for Walter Lantz, but then in 1935, he moved on to work for Leon Schlesinger at Warner Bros. where he spent about 30 years. He was first under Tex Avery's supervision, until 1942, then for Bob Clampett, and finally worked with Friz Freleng. Virgil Ross stated, "I always had an eye for movement, and I think this kept me in the business a lot longer than a lot of guys, despite the fact that I really wasn't very good at drawing. When I started out in animation, you didn't have to be a good artist. I just had a little natural talent, and it's mostly just timing anyway."

Ross animated many characters including Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, Road Runner, and Wile E. Coyote; but he is most closely associated with Bugs Bunny. "We received orders from the story department that they needed a drawing of a bunny. We all did drawings and tacked them on the wall, and the storymen voted on them. We had one writer named Bugs Hardaway, and for some reason, this one drawing became known as Bugs' Bunny. Leon Schlesinger liked the sound of the name and told them to keep it, and that's how Bugs Bunny got his name. Years later, before he died, Hardaway tried to get some credit for making the character, which he probably deserved. But Warner Bros owned the rights to everything we created." - Virgil Ross

Isadore "Friz" Freleng (1906-1995) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work on the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. The nickname "Friz" came from his friend, Hugh Harman, who nicknamed him "Congressman Frizby" after a fictional senator who appeared in satirical pieces in the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper. Over time, the name was shortened to simply "Friz".

Friz Freleng created and/or developed several of the biggest animated character stars, including Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Yosemite Sam, and Speedy Gonzales. Freleng directed 256 cartoons, and is the most honored of the Warner Bros. directors; having won five Academy Awards and three Emmy Awards. After the Warner Bros. Studios shut down the animation studio in 1963, Freleng and business partner David H. DePatie founded DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. The newly formed animation studio would go on to produce many successful cartoons including The Pink Panther Show, feature film title sequences, and many Saturday-morning cartoons through the early 1980s.

Framed production animation cels of Sylvester and Tweety hand signed by Mel Blanc, Friz Freleng, and Virgil Ross.

This is an early set of original production cels of Sylvester and Tweety from the Golden Age of animation. What makes them even more wonderful is that they have been hand signed by the characters voice actor, Mel Blanc, their animator Virgil Ross, and the most honored Warner Bros. director Friz Freleng! Both Sylvester and Tweety are full figure, eyes open, and this is a beautiful piece of Golden Age American animation art!

#Sylvester #SylvesterandTweety #Tweety #TweetyPie #TweetyBird #Sylvesterthecat #BugsBunny  #MerrieMelodies #WarnerBros #EliotNess #VirgilRoss #GerryChiniquy #BobMatz #ArtLeonardi #LeeHalpern #ACME #LooneyTunes #FrizFreleng #MelBlanc #RalphJames #WalterWinchell #HarmanIsing #DaffyDuck #PorkyPig #ElmerFudd #LeonSchlesinger #Schlesinger #DePatieFreleng #cel #animation #cartoon #animationcel #animationdrawing #productioncel #productiondrawing #untitledartgallery

Original Production Animation Cel of The Pink Panther and Two Cels of The Arcade Game "The Claw" from "Pink Arcade," 1978

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of the Pink Panther and two cels of the arcade game "The Claw" from "Pink Arcade," 1978," Depatie-Freleng Enterprises; Production numbers upper and lower cel edges; Set on a production background from an unknown Depatie-Freleng cartoon; Size - Pink Panther & Arcade Game: 9 x 6 3/4", Image 9 1/2 x 12 1/2"; Unframed.

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

DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, (1963-1981) was an American animation company that was based in Burbank, California. It produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, film title design sequences, and television specials; but was most known for The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts, as well as the Dr. Seuss cartoon adaptations made for CBS and ABC. The company was founded by two former Warner Bros. Cartoons employees, director/composer/producer Friz Freleng and executive David H. DePatie. Although Freleng and DePatie were no longer working for Warner Bros., they were able to lease the former Warner cartoons studio, complete with equipment and supplies, for only a few dollars each year.

Image showing the entire background sheet and production numbers.

Director Blake Edwards contacted DePatie-Freleng and asked them to design a panther character for Edwards's new film, The Pink Panther; and they would also produce the animated titles for the film. The opening titles were hugely popular and soon DePatie-Freleng contracted with United Artists to produce a series of cartoon shorts featuring the Pink Panther. The first entry in the Pink Panther series, The Pink Phink, was directed by Freleng; and won the studio its only Academy Award in 1964. In 1967, DePatie-Freleng would receive another Academy Award nomination for The Pink Blueprint. The studio created over 100 Pink Panther shorts for both theatrical release and television through 1980.

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of the Pink Panther.

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of the arcade game.

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of the glass cover of the arcade game.

Original production background.

Henry Mancini composed "The Pink Panther Theme" for the live action films, which was also used in the cartoon series. Doug Goodwin composed the show's opening title music, while William Lava and Walter Greene composed music scores heard throughout the cartoons; many of which were derivations of Mancini's composition.

Close up of the production numbers.

Close up of the production numbers.

The Pink Panther theatrical series of cartoons became the basis of a Saturday morning television series, The Pink Panther Show. The series (1969-1980) also included cartoons of The Inspector; and eventually The Ant and the Aardvark, Tijuana Toads (a.k.a. Texas Toads), Hoot Kloot, Misterjaw, Roland and Rattfink, The Dogfather, and two Tijuana Toads spinoffs: The Blue Racer and Crazylegs Crane. It was produced by Mirisch Films and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, and was broadcast on two American television networks: from September 6, 1969 to September 2, 1978, on NBC; and from September 9, 1978 to September 1, 1980, on ABC (as The All New Pink Panther Show). After nine years on NBC, the Pink Panther moved to ABC in 1978 and was titled The All New Pink Panther Show, where it lasted one season before leaving the network realm entirely. The ABC version of the series featured sixteen episodes with 32 new Pink Panther cartoons, and 16 featuring Crazylegs Crane.

Over its 11 years on various television networks, The Pink Panther Show had a variety of names:
The Pink Panther Show (1969–1970)
The Pink Panther Meets the Ant and the Aardvark (1970–1971)
The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974)
The Pink Panther and Friends (1974–1976)
It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw (1976–1977)
Think Pink Panther (1977–1978)
The All New Pink Panther Show (1978–1980)

This is an absolutely spectacular multi-cel setup of the Pink Panther from "Pink Arcade," 1978. The story of the short is that the Pink Panther heads out to the local arcade with a hand full of quarters, but the games don't always cooperate. This is a great cel of the Pink Panther as he is being lifted up by "The Claw" arcade game. Also included are two cels of the arcade game and an original production background from an unknown Depatie-Freleng Enterprises cartoon. A beautiful piece of animaton artwork.

#PinkPanther #ThePinkPanther #PinkArcade #DepatieFrelengEnterprises #Depatie-Freleng #TheInspector #TheAntandtheAardvark #TijuanaToads #TexasToads #HootKloot #Misterjaw #RolandandRattfink #TheDogfather #TheBlueRacer #CrazylegsCrane #ThePinkPantherShow #FrizFreleng #untitledartgallery #cel #animation #animationcel #animationdrawing #productioncel #productiondrawing #productionbackground #cartoon #DavidHDePatie #DavidDePatie #BlakeEdwards #HenryMancini

Original Production Animation Cels of Cleo and Bubble Effects from "Pinocchio," 1940

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cels of Cleo and Bubble Effects from "Pinocchio," 1940, Walt Disney Studios; Set over a Courvoisier air brush background; With original Courvoisier Galleries label; Size - Cleo: 3 1/4 x 3 1/2", Image 6 1/4 x 7"; Unframed.

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

"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."

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."

Animation began in September 1938 and just as in "Snow White," live-action footage was shot for "Pinocchio" with the actors playing the scenes; which was supervised by Hamilton Luske. The animators then used the footage as a guide for their animation drawings by studying the human movement and then incorporating many of those poses and scenes. The title character was animated by Milt Kahl (initial design), Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston. "When I was doing Pinocchio," Johnston said, "I thought of the character being real, a living person, not a drawing."

Original Courvoisier Galleries label.

Cleo is Geppetto's pet goldfish (who he refers to as his little water baby) with red lips and blue eyes, and she is always seen in her fishbowl. Cleo is very affectionate towards everyone (even though Figaro does not always reciprocate). She was wonderfully animated by Eric Larson and Don Lusk.

This is a spectacular original production animation cel of Cleo with an original bubble effects cel overlay. A beautiful full figure, eyes open, and smiling image of her. She has great scale detail, blush on her cheeks, and transparent paints were used for her fins. The cel would be a great addition to any Walt Disney animation art collection!

#Pinocchio #JiminyCricket #CliffEdwards #BlueFairy #Geppetto #WaltDisney #Disney #untitledartgallery #animation #animationart #cel #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #DickieJones #MiltKahl #FrankThomas #OllieJohnston #Bach #SandyStrother #JoeGrant #JackCampbell #MargeChampion #HamiltonLuske #JohannSebastianBach #Bach #OskarFischinger #JeanHarlow #EvelynVenable #EricLarson #Figaro #Cleo #MelBlanc #DisneyCat #EricLarson #DonLusk #goldfish #Courvoisier #CourvoisierGalleries

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

Original production animation drawing of Prince Charming in brown, red, and graphite pencils from "Cinderella," 1950, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 105 in pencil lower right; Size - Prince Charming: 6 x 2 1/2", Sheet 10 x 12"; Unframed.

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

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.

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 original production animation drawing of Prince Charming.

Prince Charming was animated by Eric Larson, who according to Andreas Deja "Confessed to some of us newcomers that he felt kind of embarrassed about the stiffness in his performance." The Prince was voiced by William Phipps, and after Phipps's initial audition; the studio was so impressed with his performance that Walt Disney himself offered him the role. William Phipps is perhaps best known for his roles in dozens of classic sci-fi and westerns, both in films and on television. It is a little known fact that Mike Douglas (yes of "The Mike Douglas Show") provided the singing voice for Prince Charming for the song "So This Is Love," as the Prince and Cinderella danced together at the Grand Ball.

A bit of trivia, not only is the name of the Prince never revealed, he is never actually referred to as "Prince Charming" in "Cinderella." His name was mentioned only in merchandise and, more recently in the various films and TV appearances of the character. Prince Charming was the first Disney Prince to participate in a duet with his respective love interest, the first Prince to be featured in a wedding celebration, and the first to  dance with his heroine just after they met.

Close up of the production number.

This is an extremely rare original production animation drawing of Prince Charming from "Cinderella." He is full figure, wearing his classic yellow green coat with gold epaulets and his gold striped red pants. Production artwork is rare for "Cinderella" and, because Prince Charming was only in the film for a relatively short time, original animation drawings are very difficult to acquire. This drawing was used for the scene when single female guests at the Grand Ball were introduced to the Prince, and he greeted and bowed to each beautifully dressed girl. A great addition to any animation art collection!

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

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

Original production animation drawing of Prince Charming in brown, red, and graphite pencils from "Cinderella," 1950, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 61 in pencil lower right; Size - Prince Charming: 6 3/4 x 1 3/4", Sheet 10 x 12"; Unframed.

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

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.

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 original production animation drawing of Prince Charming.

Prince Charming was animated by Eric Larson, who according to Andreas Deja "Confessed to some of us newcomers that he felt kind of embarrassed about the stiffness in his performance." The Prince was voiced by William Phipps, and after Phipps's initial audition; the studio was so impressed with his performance that Walt Disney himself offered him the role. William Phipps is perhaps best known for his roles in dozens of classic sci-fi and westerns, both in films and on television. It is a little known fact that Mike Douglas (yes of "The Mike Douglas Show") provided the singing voice for Prince Charming for the song "So This Is Love," as the Prince and Cinderella danced together at the Grand Ball.

A bit of trivia, not only is the name of the Prince never revealed, he is never actually referred to as "Prince Charming" in "Cinderella." His name was mentioned only in merchandise and, more recently in the various films and TV appearances of the character. Prince Charming was the first Disney Prince to participate in a duet with his respective love interest, the first Prince to be featured in a wedding celebration, and the first to  dance with his heroine just after they met.

Close up of the production number.

This is an extremely rare original production animation drawing of Prince Charming from "Cinderella." He is full figure, wearing his classic yellow green coat with gold epaulets and his gold striped red pants. Production artwork is rare for "Cinderella" and, because Prince Charming was only in the film for a relatively short time, original animation drawings are very difficult to acquire. This drawing was used for the scene when single female guests at the Grand Ball were introduced to the Prince, and he greeted and bowed to each beautifully dressed girl. A great addition to any animation art collection!

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

Original Production Animation Cels of Tinker Bell With Matching Wings from "Peter Pan," 1953

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cels of Tinker Bell with Matching Wings from "Peter Pan," 1953; Walt Disney Studios; Set over a hand prepared custom background; Size - Tinker Bell: 7 1/2 x 3 1/2", Image 10 3/4 x 14 3/4", Frame 23 1/2 x 24 1/2"; Framed with a gold wood frame, two suede mats, gold wood fillet, plexiglass, and a custom engraved brass title plaque.

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

"Don't you understand, Tink? You mean more to me than anything in this whole world!" - Peter Pan

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.

Close up of the original production animation cels of Tinker Bell with Matching Wings.

Tinker Bell was designed and animated by Walt Disney veteran animator, Marc Davis (who supervised the animation and contributed to the design of: Cinderella, Alice, Wendy, Tinker Bell, Aurora, Maleficent, and Cruella De Vil). Without the aid of a vocal performance, he relied on Tinker Bell's facial and body expressions for the animation; taking inspiration from previous pantomime characters such as Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto and Dopey from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Once "Peter Pan" was released, Tinker Bell received critical acclaim and would continue to be one of Disney's trademark characters. She has become one of the main spokes-characters for The Walt Disney Company and one of its most popular and iconic characters since her creation. Many people remember the opening to the TV show "The Wonderful World of Disney," as Tinker Bell would fly towards the center of the screen with a thin wand in her hand, waving it, and causing fairy dust to fly out towards the viewer!

Framed Tinker Bell cels.

From veteran Walt Disney animator Andreas Deja:
"To me Tinker Bell is perfection. Her character arc in the story is very strong. Because of her affection for Peter Pan she is jealous of Wendy, which gets her into trouble. But toward the end of the film she saves Peter's life as well as the other kids. Her animation throughout is flawless. Occasionally based on live action reference, Marc animated her beautifully. She always feels like a small figure, but the acting has great range and subtlety. Marc said he really enjoyed the challenge of a mute character, where pantomime is the name of the game."

Close up of the custom engraved brass title plaque.

Because of the public's love of the character, DisneyToon Studios decided to create a series of films staring Tinker Bell; and the movies were extremely popular and very well received. The voices of Mae Whitman, Raven-Symoné, Lucy Liu, America Ferrera, Kristin Chenoweth and Pamela Adlon are featured in the series of films. Each of the first four films is set around one of the four seasons: "Tinker Bell," 2008 centered around Spring, "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure," 2009 around Autumn, "Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue," 2010 around Summer, and "Secret of the Wings," 2012 around Winter. A fifth title, "Pixie Hollow Games," 2011 was supposed to be based on all four seasons, but it was released before "Secret of the Wings" and the film was scaled down. A sixth film, entitled "The Pirate Fairy," was released on April 1, 2014, followed by the release of a seventh film "Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast" on March 3, 2015. The film series was a spin-off of and prequel to the animated feature film "Peter Pan" and to its sequel, "Return to Never Land."

This is an exceptionally rare original production animation cel of Tinker Bell; but making the work even more extraordinary, is that the cel also has her matching wings. Production artwork of Tinker Bell (much less with their matching wings) is rare to the market, and this is both a great pose and a large image. She stands over seven inches tall, full figure, eyes open, and smiling. The cel is from the scene when Peter Pan and Tinker Bell first enter the Darling nursery in London, to search for Peter's shadow. This image is from the sequence when Tinker Bell is gesturing to Peter, because she has found his shadow in a dresser drawer. This work is beautifully custom framed, and would be the stand out piece for any serious Walt Disney animation art collection!

#Tinkerbell #PeterPan #Disney #WaltDisney #animationcel #animationdrawing #productioncel #productiondrawing #Smee #MrSmee #captainhook #cel #animation #animationart #hansconried #frankthomas #jollyroger #pirate #untitledartgallery #Neverland #MarcDavis #WolfgangReitherman #WendyDarling #DisneyCel #Nana

Original Production Animation Cels of Merlin and Mad Madam Mim from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963

Original hand painted production animation cels of Merlin and Mad Madam Mim from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Merlin & Mad Madam Mim: 9 x 10", Image 10" x 11 3/4; Unframed.

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

"And just what are you gonna do about it? Want to fight? Want to have a wizard's duel?"

- Mad Madam Mim

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

Original hand painted production animation cel of Merlin without the background.

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

Madam Mim was the villain in the film and was voiced by Martha Wentworth, a veteran actress with a long radio history dating back to the 1920's. She was the voice of several Disney characters in "101 Dalmatians" including Nanny; and Mim was her final credited role. Madam Mim was animated by two of Disney's greatest animators Milt Kahl (who also designed the character, refining storyboard sketches from animator Bill Peet), and Frank Thomas. Kahl animated her first appearance in the film, her initial interaction with Arthur; while Frank Thomas oversaw her famous "Wizards' Duel" with Merlin.

Original hand painted production animation cel of Mad Madam Mim without the background.

Although Mim claims to be more powerful than Merlin, during her opening scene she does only minor tricks. When Merlin stops her from attacking Arthur she challenges him to a Wizard's duel which involves mutating into various forms in order to best your opponent. She states that she is "mad for games," and lays out the rules for her duel with Merlin.

From Andreas Deja:
"The Wizard's duel sequence is a part of "The Sword in the Stone", the movie that edged out Chanticleer in the early 1960s. This brilliant sequence is the brainchild of story man Bill Peet, who boarded the entire film by himself. Peet started out by doodling character situations and dialogue ideas on note paper sheets. After polishing the continuity with endless beautiful story sketches, it was up to Milt Kahl to take a look at  Bill's boards as an inspiration for final animation designs. As so often the combined talents of these two extraordinary men produced some very inspired situations and great looking characters."

This is a great two cel setup of Merlin and Mad Madam Mim. The cels are from the scene that occurs in Mim's home after she has caught Wart, who is is the form of a sparrow. Merlin arrives just in time to save him, and Mim challenges him to a Wizard's Duel! A rare and wonderful pair of cels from one of Walt Disney's most memorable contemporary films. The dialog for the scene is below:

Madam Mim: "Uh! Me-Me... Oh, Merlin! Well, you're just in time. We were playing a little game."
Wart: "She was gonna destroy me."
Madam Mim: "And just what are you gonna do about it? Want to fight? Want to have a wizard's duel?"

#FrankThomas #OllieJohnston #Wart #madmadammim #swordinthestone #RickieSorensen #Excalibur #RichardReitherman #RobertReitherman #mim #madammim #merlin #arthur #kingarthur #disney #cel #animationcel #animationart #artcollecting #untitledartgallery #WaltDisney #THWhite #productioncel #productiondrawing #Malignalitaloptereosis #dragon #MiltKahl #BillPeet #KarlSwenson #MarthaWentworth

Original Production Animation Drawing of Peter Pan from "Peter Pan," 1953

Original production animation drawing of Peter Pan in pink, blue, yellow, purple, and graphite pencils from "Peter Pan," 1953, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 16 in pencil lower right; Size - Peter Pan with Present: 6 1/2 x 4 1/4", Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

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.

Close up of the original production animation drawing of Peter Pan.

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.

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.

Close up of the production number.

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.

This wonderful drawing is from the scene in the film when Peter Pan receives a wrapped present with a gift tag that reads, "To Peter with love from Wendy - Do not open till 6 o'clock." The gift is actually from Captain Hook and is a ticking time bomb set to explode at exactly 6 o'clock. Just as the bomb is getting ready to explode, Tinkerbell grabs it from Peter's hands and flies away. This is a rare drawing of Peter Pan, he is eyes and mouth open and his image is centered on the sheet. The wrapped gift part of the drawing is also a color call out for the Disney Paint and Ink Department, indicating the paint colors for both the wrapping paper, and the ribbon and bow.

#PeterPan #Disney #WaltDisney #animation #animationart #animationdrawing #EricLarson #MiltKahl #FrankThomas #RonClements #BobbyDriscoll #JMBarrie #animationcel #cel #productiondrawing #CaptainHook #untitledartgallery #PeterPan1953 #Tinkerbell #HangmansTree #Neverland #WendyDarling #JohnDarling #MichaelDarling #MrSmee #LostBoys #SkullRock

Original Production Animation Drawing of Peter Pan from "Peter Pan," 1953

Original production animation drawing of Peter Pan in pink, blue, yellow, purple, and graphite pencils from "Peter Pan," 1953, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 14 in pencil lower right; Size - Peter Pan with Present: 8 1/4 x 4 3/4", Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

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.

Close up of the original production animation drawing of Peter Pan.

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.

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.

Close up of the production number.

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.

This wonderful drawing is from the scene in the film when Peter Pan receives a wrapped present with a gift tag that reads, "To Peter with love from Wendy - Do not open till 6 o'clock." The gift is actually from Captain Hook and is a ticking time bomb set to explode at exactly 6 o'clock. Just as the bomb is getting ready to explode, Tinkerbell grabs it from Peter's hands and flies away. This is a rare drawing of Peter Pan, he is eyes and mouth open and his image is centered on the sheet. The wrapped gift part of the drawing is also a color call out for the Disney Paint and Ink Department, indicating the paint colors for both the wrapping paper, and the ribbon and bow.

#PeterPan #Disney #WaltDisney #animation #animationart #animationdrawing #EricLarson #MiltKahl #FrankThomas #RonClements #BobbyDriscoll #JMBarrie #animationcel #cel #productiondrawing #CaptainHook #untitledartgallery #PeterPan1953 #Tinkerbell #HangmansTree #Neverland #WendyDarling #JohnDarling #MichaelDarling #MrSmee #LostBoys #SkullRock

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

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of The Carpenter set on a lithographic background from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951; Numbered  15-A lower right; Walt Disney Studios; Size - The Carpenter: 5 3/4" x 3 1/4", Cel 12 1/2 x 15 1/4", Image 11 3/4" x 15"; 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).

Close up of the original production animation cel of The Carpenter.

One of the most memorable segments of "Alice In Wonderland" were the two characters The Walrus and The Carpenter. Both of them were voiced by J. Pat O'Malley and they were animated by John Lounsbery, Ward Kimball, Wolfgang Reitherman, and Charles A. Nichols. They were originally created by Lewis Carroll for his book "Through the Looking Glass."

Original production animation cel of The Carpenter without the background.

J. Pat O'Malley had a long history with voice work for Disney: he was the Cockney guy in the "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" sequence in "Mary Poppins," 1964, Cyril Proudbottom, Winkie, and a policeman in "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad," 1949, and Colonel Hathi and Buzzie in "The Jungle Book," 1967. O'Malley performs all the character voices in the "The Walrus and the Carpenter" segment (besides Alice), including Tweedledum and Tweedledee, The Walrus, The Carpenter, and Mother Oyster.

Close up of the production number.

The Walrus and The Carpenter are two hobos whose story was told to Alice by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. The Walrus acts as the leader of the duo and in many ways he is like Honest John from "Pinocchio." They are both conniving moochers who will resort to trickery to get what they want. Finding a job and working is the last thing on The Walrus's mind, regardless of his constant ramblings of "cabbages and kings" (his way of saying that his future will soon be bright). He is also very greedy and tricks The Carpenter into leave the room so that he can eat all of the naive oysters (whom he had convinced to follow him ashore and into a restaurant that The Carpenter built out of left over remnants from a boat).

This is a wonderful original production animation cel of The Carpenter. He is full figure, eyes open, and his tongue is hanging out of his wide open mouth; a fantastic pose of this rare to find character!

#Alice #madhatter #Walrus #WalrusandCarpenter #JPatOMalley #aliceinwonderland #marchhare #KathrynBeaumont #HyndenWalch #OllieJohnston #MarcDavis #teaparty #unbirthday #disney #WaltDisney #LesClark #MaryBlair #untitledartgallery #animation #productioncel #animationart #lewiscarroll #edwynn #jerrycolonna #cel #animationcel #artcollecting #JohnLounsbery #WardKimbal #WolfgangReitherman #CharlesNichols