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Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Original Production Animation Cel of Sleepy, A Squirrel, and A Chipmunk Set On A Courvoisier Background from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937


Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of Sleepy, a Squirrel, and a Chipmunk set over an airbrushed wood veneer Courvoisier background from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Sleepy: 4 3/4 x 4 1/4", Image 6 3/4 x 8 1/4", Frame 18 x 19 1/2"; Framed with a gold wood frame, two linen mats, gold wood fillet, and plexiglass.

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

"Maybe the old Queen's, uh, got Snow White." - Sleepy

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).

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!


Framed original production animation cel of Sleepy.

Although the initial concept designing of the dwarfs was relatively easy for the Walt Disney animation department, the actual animating of them proved to be difficult. The animators, already finding human figures difficult to animate, now had to animate dwarfed human figures. The great Disney animator Vladimir Tytla noted that the dwarfs should walk with a swing to their hips, and Fred Moore commented that they had to move a little more quickly in order to keep up with the other human characters. In order to establish Sleepy's character during the march home in "Heigh Ho", the animation director Vernon Stallings noted that traits specific to Sleepy should be taken into account. An early drawing by Albert Hurter of Sleepy with his mouth wide open in a yawn inspired the lead animator for the character, Fred Moore to be more extreme in Sleepy's animation. Moore made sure that, on every animation drawing of Sleepy, one eye was larger than the other; or one eye was more squashed than the other; in order to suggest the dwarf's perpetual sleepiness. Sleepy was voiced by the great Walt Disney voice actor, Pinto Colvig.

These are absolutely wonderful original hand painted and hand inked production cels of Sleepy, a Squirrel, and a Chipmunk; all set over an airbrushed wood veneer Courvoisier background. Courvoisier Galleries, the first to recognize the artistic value to the newly emerging animation art form, in the 1930s and 40s created the series to sell to the public. This cel of Sleepy is from the scene in the film when the forest animals realize that the Old Hag (disguised Evil Queen) is trying to harm Snow White, and they race to alert the Dwarfs. As the animals try to pull and push at the Dwarfs in order to move them; the Dwarfs are confussed as to why the animals are acting so odd. Only Sleepy asks the question out loud, "Maybe the old Queen's, uh, got Snow White." All the Dwarfs finally realize what is happening and race from their Jewel Mine back to their Cottage to try to save Snow White. This is a great full figure, eyes and mouth open image of Sleepy; together with cels of two of the forest animals, a Squirrel and a Chipmunk. A beautiful piece of vintage Walt Disney history, and a wonderful addition to any animation art collection!

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