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Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Original Production Animation Cel of Fauna from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959


Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of Fauna set on a lithographic background from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Fauna: 6 1/4 x 7", Image 7 1/4 x 8 3/4"; Unframed.

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

"I'm going to bake a fancy cake. - I'm going to make it fifteen layers with pink and blue, forgive-me-nots..." - Fauna

"Sleeping Beauty," 1959 is an animated musical film produced by Walt Disney based on two stories: "The Sleeping Beauty" by Charles Perrault and "Little Briar Rose" by The Brothers Grimm. The film was released to theaters on January 29, 1959, by Buena Vista Distribution. This was the last Disney adaptation of a fairy tale for 30 years because of its initial mixed critical reception and because of under performance at the box office. The next Disney adaption of a fairy tale would not occur until 1989 with "The Little Mermaid."

"Sleeping Beauty" was directed by Les Clark, Eric Larson, and Wolfgang Reitherman; under the supervision of Clyde Geronimi. Additional story work was by Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, and Milt Banta. The film's musical score and songs, featuring the work of the Graunke Symphony Orchestra under the direction of George Bruns, are arrangements or adaptations of numbers from the 1890 "Sleeping Beauty Ballet" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. "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). The film was presented in Super Technirama 70 and 6-channel stereophonic sound in first-run engagements.


Original production animation cel of Fauna without the background.

Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are Princess Aurora's Fairy Godmothers, who appear at baby Aurora's christening to present their gifts to her, as well as go on to become her guardians. The Fairies were voiced by Verna Felton (Flora), Barbara Jo Allen (Fauna), and Barbara Luddy (Merryweather). Verna Felton also voiced Queen Leah, Aurora's mother; and had prior roles as Dumbo's mother in "Dumbo," the Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella," the Queen of Hearts in "Alice in Wonderland," and Aunt Sarah in "Lady in the Tramp." Barbara Luddy had previously voiced Lady in "Lady and the Tramp." The principle animator for the Three Fairies was Ollie Johnston and a little known fact is that one of the actresses who was one of the live action models for the Good Fairies was Frances Bavier, the future Aunt Bee on "The Andy Griffith Show." Fauna is the middle Fairy and is dressed in a green gown, a green hat, and a green cape clipped with a green triangle; and her gift to Aurora on her birth was the gift of song.

To celebrate Aurora's sixteenth birthday, the Three Good Fairies decide to throw her a surprise party. Flora and Merryweather decide to make a dress but argue over whether it should be pink or blue, while Fauna decides to bake the birthday cake. Fauna says, "I'm going to bake a fancy cake. - I'm going to make it fifteen layers with pink and blue, forgive-me-nots..." This is a wonderful cel of Fauna as she places a lit candle on the top of the cake. A great piece of vintage Walt Disney animation artwork!

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