Original Production Animation Cel of Copper and Tod from "The Fox and the Hound," 1981

Original hand painted production animation cel of Copper and Tod from "The Fox and the Hound," 1981, Walt Disney Studios; Set on lithographic background; Walt Disney seal lower left; Size - Copper & Tod: 5 1/2 x 9 3/4", Image 10 3/4 x 15"; Unframed.

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

"Copper, you're my best friend." - Tod
"And you're mine too, Tod." - Copper
"And we'll always be friends forever. Won't we?" - Tod
"Yeah, forever." - Copper

"The Fox and the Hound," 1981 is the 24th animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Productions and it was loosely based on the novel, of the same name, by Daniel P. Mannix. The film tells the story of two unlikely friends, a red fox named Tod and a hound dog named Copper. The story centers on the two main character's struggle to preserve their friendship, as their emerging instincts and surrounding social pressures begin to force them to become adversaries. The film was directed by Ted Berman, Richard Rich, and Art Stevens; and features the voice talents of Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson, Sandy Duncan, Jeanette Nolan, Pat Buttram, John Fiedler, John McIntire, Dick Bakalyan, Paul Winchell, Keith Mitchell, and Corey Feldman. At the time of release, "The Fox and the Hound" was the most expensive animated film produced to date, costing $12 million.

Original production animation cel of Copper and Tod without the background.

The story begins with Tod, an orphaned red fox who's mother was shot by a hunter not long after leaving him by a fence post. An owl, Big Mama, feels sorry for the little fox; and with the help of Dinky and Boomer (a sparrow and a woodpecker) they eventually get the Widow Tweed to adopt the young orphan.

Tod befriends a young coonhound dog named Copper, who is supposed to be his sworn enemy; however they soon become inseparable best friends. One day Copper is sent off on a hunting trip and is taught how to be a true hunting dog. He returns home and tells Tod that their friendship can't continue any longer, because he realizes what he must become. This is sad news for Tod, and one day the old Irish Wolfhound hunting dog Chief attacks Tod. Copper saves him from being killed and Tod escapes, but Chief ends up getting severely hurt during the attack. Copper becomes angry and decides to go on the hunt for Tod.

Close up of the Walt Disney seal.

During the hunt, Tod and his new female fox friend Vixey, are able to evade Copper and the hunter Amos Slade. But when the two hunters encounter a bear, Tod is torn between running away or risking his life to save his old best friend. Tod decides to intervene, but falls down a waterfall and is badly hurt. Amos Slade tries to take advantage of the wounded fox, but Copper stands in front of him and preventing Slade from firing a shot. In the end, their friendship is repaired and they are again best friends. Young Copper was animated by legendary Walt Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, while Adult Copper was animated by Randy Cartwright. Young Copper was voiced by Corey Feldman and the Adult voice was provided by Kurt Russell. Tod was animated by Ollie Johnston, Don Bluth, Mark Henn, Dan Haskett, John Lasseter, and John Musker; and was voiced by Keith Coogan (Fox Pup) and Mickey Rooney (Adult Fox). Vixey was wonderfully animated by Glen Keane and Mark Henn; and voiced by the American singer, dancer, comedian, and actress Sandy Duncan.

This is an absolutely stunning original hand painted production animation cel of Copper and Tod. The cel occurs when the puppy and fox pup meet for the very first time. Tod says "My name's Tod. What's your name kid?" Copper responds "Mine's Copper. I'm a hound dog." Tod says "Gee, I be you'd be good playin' hide-and-seek. Wanna try it Copper?" Copper responds "Can I use my nose?" and Tod says "Sure. Ok." This is a great full figure, eyes and mouth open image of both characters during their initial encounter, and a stand out piece of animation artwork that is perfect for any collection!

#FoxandtheHound #TheFoxandtheHound #Disney #WaltDisney #Copper #Tod #Fox #OllieJohnston #DonBluth #MarkHenn #CoreyFeldman #JohnLasseter #JohnMusker #KeithCoogan #MickeyRooney #Disney #WaltDisney #untitledartgallery #animation #Cel #animationcel #productioncel #productiondrawing #Disneyanimation #art #artwork #AmoxSlade #Vixey #BigMama #PearlBailey #KurtRussell #Copper #coonhound #animationdrawing #FrankThomas #OllieJohnston #animationbackground #DanielPMannix #DanielMannix #Chief

Original Production Animation Drawing of Tramp from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955

Original production animation drawing of Tramp in graphite and brown pencils from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 71 in pencil lower right; Size - Tramp: 5 1/2 x 5 1/4", Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

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

One evening in 1937, Disney storyman Joe Grant invited Walt Disney over to his house for dinner and ended up showed Disney a drawing he had made of his pet spinger spaniel, who was named Lady. Walt loved the drawing and suggested that Joe make a storyboard out of it; which he did and the plan was to create a new animated film, simply titled "Lady." The story that was pitched ended up being too simplistic to Walt Disney's taste, and the project was put on hold until about 20 years later.

Initially Tramp was called Homer and although he was first conceived as Lady's suitor, he ended up as her ex-dog pound mate in the initial 1943 storyboard pitch. A few years after that version was scrapped, Walt Disney read a story called "Happy Dan the Cynical Dog" in Cosmopolitan Magazine and decided that this was they type of character that was needed to enhance the film. Although Walt wanted his new character to be called Tramp, the animators feared that audiences would take offense in such a name, due to the word's sexual connotations that had been popularized by the song "The Lady Is A Tramp." The animators first called the character Rags, then Bozo; before Walt insisted that that name Tramp would be acceptable.

Close up of the original production animation drawing of Tramp.

Tramp is a very laid-back dog and acts more like a kid. He's flirtatious and has history of having had a multitude of girlfriends; and he's known for his street smarts, able to both avoid dog catchers and deal with junkyard dogs. However, he dreams about living with a family and in a loving home. Tramp was animated by Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, and Wolfgang Reitherman who animated the rat fight scene.

Larry Roberts (1926 - 1992) was an American voice actor and comedian who was most active in the 1950s. Although he was well known for his role in the 1950s TV series Lights, Camera, Action!, he is best remembered for his role of the voice of Tramp.

This is a wonderful full figure original production drawing of Tramp, eyes open, and rendered in brown and graphite pencils. A great addition to any animation art collection!

#Tramp #Lady #Peg #LadyandtheTramp #Disney #WaltDisney #animation #animationcel #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #productioncel #animationart #cel #Disney #WaltDisney #PeggyLee #MiltKahl #untitledartgallery #EricLarson #LarryRoberts #OllieJohnston #FrankThomas #WolfgangReitherman #JoeGrant #Tony #BellaNotte #spaghetti #TonysRestaurant #BillBaucom #Jock #Trusty #BillThompson 

Original Production Animation Drawing of Pinocchio from "Pinocchio," 1940

Original production animation drawing in blue and graphite pencils of Pinocchio from "Pinocchio," 1940, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 23 in pencil lower right; Size - Pinocchio: 7 1/4 x 5 1/2", Sheet: 10 x 12"; Unframed.

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

"Maybe something awful happened to him." - Pinocchio

"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 Pinocchio.

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."

This drawing is from the scene after Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket escape from Pleasure Island, but not before Pinocchio developed donkey ears, and the pair make their way back home to Geppetto's house and workshop. Unfortunately Geppetto (as well as Figaro and Cleo) is not there and Pinocchio says to Jiminy, "Maybe something awful happened to him." This is a large and impressive original production drawing of Pinocchio accomplished in graphite and blue pencils. He is full figure, eyes and mouth open, and still has his donkey ears after barely escaping from Pleasure Island and the evil Coachman. This would be a great addition to any animation art collection!

#Pinocchio #JiminyCricket #CliffEdwards #BlueFairy #Geppetto #WaltDisney #Disney #untitledartgallery #animation #animationart #cel #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #DickieJones #MiltKahl #FrankThomas #OllieJohnston #CarloCollodi #PleasureIsland #JoeGrant #HamiltonLuske #Coachman

Original Production Animation Cel of Goofy and Percy from "How To Ride A Horse," 1941

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of Goofy and Percy from "How To Ride A Horse," 1941, Walt Disney Studios; Set over a Courvoisier air brush background; WDP stamp lower right; Numbered A-117 in ink lower right; Size - Goofy & Percy: 6 x 6 1/4", Image 9 x 11 1/4"; Unframed.

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

"No truer has ever been uttered than those of Confucius, or some other philosopher, who said, "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man"" - Narrator

"How To Ride A Horse," 1941 is an eight minute Goofy cartoon made by Walt Disney Productions and directed by Jack Kinney. The short was originally released as a segment of "The Reluctant Dragon" on June 20, 1941; but was later released as a standalone cartoon on February 24, 1950.

In 1938, one year after his last session as the character Goofy, Pinto Colvig (the original voice actor for Goofy) had a falling out with Walt Disney and quit the studio, leaving Goofy without a voice. According to film critic Leonard Maltin, this event is what gave birth to the "How To..." Goofy cartoons of the 1940's; in which Goofy had little dialogue and a narrator (often John McLeish) was used as the primary voice of the shorts. As a stand in for limited Goofy dialogue, the Disney Studio would often reuse Colvig's voice taken from prior recordings or they hired George Johnson to imitate Colvig. The "How To..." shorts featured Goofy explaining, but always failing, how to do perform various activities; beginning with "How to Ride A Horse" in 1941 and continuing with "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater," in 2007. Colvig would return to Disney in 1940 and resumed the voice of Goofy three years later.

The plot of "How To Ride A Horse" is that Goofy demonstrates the basics of how to ride a horse (named Percy); from selecting the proper clothes, mounting, the basic horse gaits, jumping, and returning the horse back to the stable. Pinto Colvig is the voice of Goofy, Clarence Nash the voice of Percy, and John McLeish is the narrator.

Close up of the WDP stamp and the production number.

This is a rare original production animation cel of Goofy and his horse Percy from "How to Ride A Horse," 1941. The cartoon's date placement is often incorrect in the list of "How To..." Goofy shorts because of it's original release with the film "The Reluctant Dragon" in 1941, compared to it's rerelease as a stand alone short in 1950. This fact makes "How to Ride A Horse" the first short of the famed "How To..." Goofy series. This is wonderful image of Goofy attempting to mount his horse Percy and would be a great addition to any vintage Walt Disney animation art collection!

#HowToRideAHorse #Disney #WaltDisney #Goofy #untitedartgallery #animation #animationcel #cel #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #productioncel #animationdrawing #Horse #Percy #PintoColvig #ClarenceNash #JohnMcLeish #HowToSeries #HorseRiding

Original Production Animation Cels of Professor Ratigan and Basil from "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986

Original hand painted production animation cels of Professor Ratigan and Basil set on a lithographic background from "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986, Walt Disney Studios; Disney seal lower right; Size - Professor Ratigan & Basil: 4 1/2 x 6 3/4", Image 9 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"Oh I love it when I'm nasty." - Ratigan 

Eve Titus wrote a series of stories about Basil of Baker Street; a mouse that lived next door to Sherlock Holmes and who shared many of his skills and traits. Walt Disney Studios adapted the Titus stories into a wonderful feature film that was still able to maintain the Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes characters, even though they were transformed into a mouse world. The resulting film "The Great Mouse Detective" was directed by Ron Clements, music by Henry Mancini, and was released on July 2, 1986. Although the script took about four years to develop, the animation only took a year with an estimated total budget of $14 million.

Original production animation cel of Professor Ratigan and Basil without the background.

Close up of the Walt Disney Seal.

Basil (named after Basil Rathbone who portrayed Sherlock Holmes fourteen times in Hollywood films) was based on the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, animated by Mark Henn and Steve Gordon, and voiced by Barrie Ingham. Basil resides at 221 1/2 Baker Street and his arch nemesis is Professor Ratigan. Ratian was designed and animated by Walt Disney master animator, Glen Keane. The inspiration for the character was Professor James Moriarty, the nemesis to Sherlock Holmes in the series of stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Ratigan was voiced by veteran Hollywood actor Vincent Price, who stated it was his favorite role because he had two songs written for him, "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind," and "Goodbye, So Soon."

In the following paragraph Ratigan explains his scheme to his henchmen:

"My friends, we are about to embark on the most odious, the most evil, the most diabolical scheme of my illustrious career. A crime to top all crimes.  A crime that will live in infamy! Tomorrow evening, our beloved monarch celebrates her Diamond Jubilee and, with the enthusiastic help of our good friend, Mr. Flaversham, it promises to be a night she will never forget! Her last night, and my first, as supreme leader of all Mousedom!"

This is a wonderful cel Basil; disguised as a sailor so that he, along with Dr. Dawson, could go undercover into the Thames waterfront tavern "Rat Trap" in order to locate Fidget. To the left of Basil is a fantastic cel of the evil Professor Ratigan. He is eyes open with a wide open mouth and a wicked smile. Great full figure images of both the Famous Detective and the villainous rat; and would make a marvelous addition to any animation art collection!

#TheGreatMouseDetective #MichaelGabriel #Toby #BasilofBakerStreet #EveTitus #Disney #ArthurConanDoyle #SherlockHolmes #GlenKeane #OliviaFlaversham #DrDawson #animation #animationcel #VincentPrice #WaltDisney #GreatMouseDetective #Basil #productioncel #cel #animationart #untitledartgallery #MarkHenn

Original Production Animation Drawing of Tramp from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955

Original production animation drawing of Tramp in graphite, green, and red pencils from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 20 in pencil lower right; Size - Tramp: 5 x 2 3/4", Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

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

Initially Tramp was called Homer and although he was first conceived as Lady's suitor, he ended up as her ex-dog pound mate in the initial 1943 storyboard pitch. A few years after that version was scrapped, Walt Disney read a story called "Happy Dan the Cynical Dog" in Cosmopolitan Magazine and decided that this was they type of character that was needed to enhance the film. Although Walt wanted his new character to be called Tramp, the animators feared that audiences would take offense in such a name, due to the word's sexual connotations that had been popularized by the song "The Lady Is A Tramp." The animators first called the character Rags, then Bozo; before Walt insisted that that name Tramp would be acceptable.

Close up of the original production animation drawing of Tramp.

Tramp is a very laid-back dog and acts more like a kid. He's flirtatious and has history of having had a multitude of girlfriends; and he's known for his street smarts, able to both avoid dog catchers and deal with junkyard dogs. However, he dreams about living with a family and in a loving home. Tramp was animated by Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, and Wolfgang Reitherman who animated the rat fight scene.

Larry Roberts (1926 - 1992) was an American voice actor and comedian who was most active in the 1950s. Although he was well known for his role in the 1950s TV series Lights, Camera, Action!, he is best remembered for his role of the voice of Tramp.

This is a wonderful full figure original production drawing of Tramp with both his eyes and mouth open. A great addition to any animation art collection!

#Tramp #Lady #Peg #LadyandtheTramp #Disney #WaltDisney #animation #animationcel #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #productioncel #animationart #cel #Disney #WaltDisney #PeggyLee #MiltKahl #untitledartgallery #EricLarson #LarryRoberts #OllieJohnston #FrankThomas #WolfgangReitherman #JoeGrant #Tony #BellaNotte #spaghetti #TonysRestaurant #BillBaucom #Jock #Trusty #BillThompson 

Original Production Animation Cel of Jane and Junior Kangaroo from Dr. Seuss "Horton Hears A Who!," 1970

Original hand painted production animation cel of Jane and Junior Kangaroo from Dr. Seuss "Horton Hears A Who!," 1970, Chuck Jones Enterprises; Set on a lithographic background; Numbered 1 in ink lower right corner; Size - Jane & Junior Kangaroo: 7 1/2 x 4 1/2", Image 9 3/4 x 12"; Unframed.

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

"Hmph, I heard nothing, and you didn't either, and as for my prodigy, he didn't..." - Jane Kangaroo
"...Neither!" - Junior Kangaroo

Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones (1912 – 2002) was an American animator, filmmaker, cartoonist, author, artist, and screenwriter; and is best known for his work on the Warner Bros. Cartoons, Looney Tunes, and Merrie Melodies shorts. He wrote, produced, and/or directed many classic animated cartoon shorts, that all of us remember, starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Pepé Le Pew, Porky Pig and many other star Warner Bros. characters.

Original production animation cel of Jane and Junior Kangaroo without the background.

After his career at Warner Bros. ended in 1962, he started Sib Tower 12 Productions and began producing cartoons for MGM; including a new series of Tom and Jerry shorts. Also at MGM, in collaboration with Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), he created one of his most famous films; the television adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" Chuck Jones later started his own studio, Chuck Jones Enterprises, where he created several one-shot specials and would periodically work on Looney Tunes related projects.

Chuck Jones was nominated for an Academy Award eight times and won three; receiving awards for the cartoons "For Scent-imental Reasons," "So Much for So Little," and "The Dot and the Line." He received an Honorary Academy Award in 1996 for his work in the animation industry. The famous film historian Leonard Maltin praised Jones' work at Warner Bros., MGM, and at Chuck Jones Enterprises. In Jerry Beck's "The 50 Greatest Cartoons," ten of the entries were directed by Jones, with four out of the five top cartoons being Chuck Jones shorts.

"Horton Hears a Who!" is a television animated special that was originally aired on CBS on March 19, 1970. The film was directed and produced by the legendary animator Chuck Jones. It was based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name and was a follow up to Jones's successful adaptation of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" The film contains songs with lyrics by Seuss and music by Eugene Poddany, who had previously written songs for the Seuss' book "The Cat in the Hat Song Book." "Horton Hears a Who!" stars the voice talents of Hans Conried (Narrator, Horton, and Dr. H. Hoovey), Chuck Jones (Junior Kangaroo, Vlad Vladikoff (renamed Whizzer McKwoff), JoJo, several male Whos), June Foray (Jane Kangaroo, Birds, several female Whos), the musical group The Mellomen as the voices of the Wickersham Brothers, and the MGM Chorus as the Citizens of Whoville.

"Horton Hears a Who!" is about an elephant named Horton who discovers a microscopic community of intelligent beings called Whos, who are so small that they live on a speck of dust. Because of Horton's excellent hearing, only he can hear them and decides he will try and keep them safe from all the dangers they may face. However, the other animals around him thinks that he has gone crazy and decide to take actions for his own good. The story revolves around Horton's struggle to save the Whos from impending tragedy and against all odds.

This is a wonderful hand painted production cel of both Jane and Junior Kangaroo. A great image of this busybody, creator of the jungle's laws, and of her prodigy. A fantastic addition to any animation art collection!

#HortonHearsAWho #Horton #Whos #DrHHoovey #HansConried #DrHoovey #LindaJones #CharlesMartinJones #WarnerBros #Cartoon #LooneyTunes #MerrieMelodies #BugsBunny #DaffyDuck #MGM #Grinch #TheodorSeussGeisel #DrSeuss #TheodorGeisel #HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas #ChuckJonesEnterprises #JuneForay #WickershamBrothers #JaneKangaroo #JerryBeck #LeonardMaltin

Original Production Animation Background and Cel of The Wickersham Brothers from Dr. Seuss "Horton Hears A Who!," 1970

Original hand painted production animation cel of The Wickersham Brothers from Dr. Seuss "Horton Hears A Who!," 1970, Chuck Jones Enterprises; Set on a hand painted production background; Production numbers in pencil upper right corner of the background; Size - Wickersham Brothers: 5 1/2 x 4", Image 9 1/2 x 13", Background 10 1/2 x 14 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"We're the Wickersham Brothers. We're onto your plot. Pretending you're talking to Whos who are not." - The Wickersham Brothers

Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones (1912 – 2002) was an American animator, filmmaker, cartoonist, author, artist, and screenwriter; and is best known for his work on the Warner Bros. Cartoons, Looney Tunes, and Merrie Melodies shorts. He wrote, produced, and/or directed many classic animated cartoon shorts, that all of us remember, starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Pepé Le Pew, Porky Pig and many other star Warner Bros. characters.

Original production animation background and cel of The Wickersham Brothers showing the edges.

After his career at Warner Bros. ended in 1962, he started Sib Tower 12 Productions and began producing cartoons for MGM; including a new series of Tom and Jerry shorts. Also at MGM, in collaboration with Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), he created one of his most famous films; the television adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" Chuck Jones later started his own studio, Chuck Jones Enterprises, where he created several one-shot specials and would periodically work on Looney Tunes related projects.

Chuck Jones was nominated for an Academy Award eight times and won three; receiving awards for the cartoons "For Scent-imental Reasons," "So Much for So Little," and "The Dot and the Line." He received an Honorary Academy Award in 1996 for his work in the animation industry. The famous film historian Leonard Maltin praised Jones' work at Warner Bros., MGM, and at Chuck Jones Enterprises. In Jerry Beck's "The 50 Greatest Cartoons," ten of the entries were directed by Jones, with four out of the five top cartoons being Chuck Jones shorts.

"Horton Hears a Who!" is a television animated special that was originally aired on CBS on March 19, 1970. The film was directed and produced by the legendary animator Chuck Jones. It was based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name and was a follow up to Jones's successful adaptation of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" The film contains songs with lyrics by Seuss and music by Eugene Poddany, who had previously written songs for the Seuss' book "The Cat in the Hat Song Book." "Horton Hears a Who!" stars the voice talents of Hans Conried (Narrator, Horton, and Dr. H. Hoovey), Chuck Jones (Junior Kangaroo, Vlad Vladikoff (renamed Whizzer McKwoff), JoJo, several male Whos), June Foray (Jane Kangaroo, Birds, several female Whos), the musical group The Mellomen as the voices of the Wickersham Brothers, and the MGM Chorus as the Citizens of Whoville.

Close up of background production numbers.

"Horton Hears a Who!" is about an elephant named Horton who discovers a microscopic community of intelligent beings called Whos, who are so small that they live on a speck of dust. Because of Horton's excellent hearing, only he can hear them and decides he will try and keep them safe from all the dangers they may face. However, the other animals around him thinks that he has gone crazy and decide to take actions for his own good. The story revolves around Horton's struggle to save the Whos from impending tragedy and against all odds.

This is a wonderful hand painted production background and cel of all three of The Wickersham Brothers. Jane the Kangaroo sends The Wickersham Brothers to take the clover flower (with the dust speck) away from Horton, because they believe he as gone crazy. Both the cel and background are from the scene when they find Horton and attempt to take the clover flower containing the Whos. The Wickersham Brothers sing the song "We're The Wickersham Brothers" which was written by Dr. Seuss, with music by Albert Hague and Eugene Poddany. An extremely rare original background and cel of this wicked trio of monkeys. This would make a great addition to any animation art collection!

#HortonHearsAWho #Horton #Whos #DrHHoovey #HansConried #DrHoovey #LindaJones #CharlesMartinJones #WarnerBros #Cartoon #LooneyTunes #MerrieMelodies #BugsBunny #DaffyDuck #MGM #Grinch #TheodorSeussGeisel #DrSeuss #TheodorGeisel #HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas #ChuckJonesEnterprises #JuneForay #WickershamBrothers #JaneKangaroo #JerryBeck #LeonardMaltin

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

Original hand painted production animation cels of Mad Madam Mim in Rattlesnake form and Merlin in Mouse form from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Production number in ink lower right corners; Size - Madam Mim & Merlin: 8 x 11 1/2", Image 10 x 15 1/4"; Unframed.

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

"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 production animation cel of Mad Madam Mim in Rattlesnake Form without the background.

Original production animation cel of Merlin in Mouse Form and Mim's rattle tip snake's tail 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.

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.

MADAM MIM: "Now, rule one, no mineral or vegetable. Only animal. Rule two, no make-believe things like, pink dragons and stuff. Now, rule three, no disappearing."
MERLIN: "Rule four, no cheating."
MADAM MIM: "All right, all right."

At the very start of the duel, Mim breaks her own rule by disappearing and proves she can not be trusted. During the battle, Mim's incredible shape shifting abilities almost give her the upper hand against Merlin. Merlin transforms himself into various blue forms including: a turtle, rabbit, rooster, elephant, tiger, crab, and a goat. Mim turned herself into: an alligator, fox, hen, elephant, tiger, rattlesnake, and a rhinoceros, all of which were colored pink and finally into an ugly, purple, fire-breathing dragon. She then asks Merlin (knowing that her rule stated no Pink Dragons), "Did I say no purple Dragons?" However, Merlin outsmarts her by transforming into a fictional germ called "Malignalitaloptereosis" that infects her with a chickenpox-like disease complete with red spots and a fever; effectively defeating her and illustrating the importance of knowledge over strength.

This is a two cel setup of Mad Madam Mim in Rattlesnake form and Merlin in Mouse form. The Mim in Rattlesnake form is spectacular as she has her green eyes open and her red forked tongue is sticking out. She is a large image and composed of pink and purple forms. Merlin as a Mouse is also great; he is eyes open, full figure, and holding onto the back of Mim's rattle tipped snake's tail. A rare and wonderful two cel setup from one of the most memorable scenes in the entire film! A great addition to any animation art collection.

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Original Production Animation Drawing of Pinocchio from "Pinocchio," 1940

Original production animation drawing in red, blue, green, and graphite pencils of Pinocchio from "Pinocchio," 1940, Walt Disney Studios; Production stamp and numbered C19 lower right; Size - Pinocchio and Shadow: 5 1/2 x 6 1/2", Sheet: 10 x 12"; Unframed.

To purchase this drawing 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."

Close up of the original animation drawing of Pinocchio.

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."

"Give a Little Whistle," one of the memorable songs featured in "Pinocchio," was composed by Leigh Harline with lyrics by Ned Washington. The song is sung by Jiminy Cricket (voiced by Cliff Edwards), and the performance and animation is one of the nicest sequences in the film. In the song, Jiminy tries to explain the matters of being a conscience to Pinocchio, and tells him if he needs him all he has to do is "give a little whistle." This is a wonderful drawing from the "Give a Little Whistle" sequence and the image of Pinocchio is perfect; he is eyes and mouth open and looking into his hat. The drawing is rendered in red, green, and graphite pencils on peg hole animation paper, and this would be a great addition to any animation art collection!

#Pinocchio #JiminyCricket #CliffEdwards #BlueFairy #Geppetto #WaltDisney #Disney #untitledartgallery #animation #animationart #cel #animationdrawing #productiondrawing #DickieJones #MiltKahl #FrankThomas #OllieJohnston #CarloCollodi #SandyStrother #JoeGrant #HamiltonLuske #Givealittlewhistle