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Wednesday, January 31, 2024

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

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of Jock set on a lithographic background from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Jock: 4 1/4 x 5 1/2", Image 9 x 11 3/4"; Unframed.


"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 story man Joe Grant invited Walt Disney over to his house for dinner and ended up showed Disney a drawing he had made of his pet Springer 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.

Jock (Heather Lad O'Glencairn) is a Scottish terrier who lives near Trusty. He is very loyal and protective of his friends. He was animated by Ollie Johnston and voiced by Bill Thompson (who had provided the voice to Mr. Smee for "Peter Pan").
 
Jock actually had his own short song called "Jock's Song" which he sang during his first appearance in the film; where he is seen visiting his secret cache of bones buried under some bushes in his backyard. The song followed the tune of the Scottish folk song "The Bonnie Banks o'Loch Lomond." The lyrics are below:
 
"Four steps a-straight, and then to my left
And right at the place where I marked it
With a Bonnie, Bonnie bone that I'll bury for me own
In the Bonnie, Bonnie bank in the backyard"
 
At the end of the film, it's Christmas time and Jim Dear and Darling are take a holiday family photograph. Tramp has become an official member of the Jim Dear and Darling family. It is revealed that Tramp and Lady have had four puppies, three females and a single male puppy named Scamp. Jim and Darling's baby has grown larger and after the photograph is taken, Jock and Trusty arrive for a visit. Trusty has a bandaged broken front leg from his encounter with the Dogcatcher's wagon and Jock is wearing a red, green, black, and gold tartan plaid sweater. When Trusty and Jock see the four puppies, Trusty looks at the three female puppies and says, "Oh no doubt about it. They've got their mother's eyes." Jock looks back behind him to see Scamp tugging and unraveling the yarn of his sweater and says "Aye. But there's a bit of their father in 'em too." This is an absolutely adorable original production animation cel featuring Jock the Scottish Terrier. He is full figure, eyes and mouth open, and wearing his Christmas sweater that is being pulled in the back by Scamp. This is just a wonderful piece of vintage Walt Disney animation art history and 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 blue and graphite pencils of Pinocchio from "Pinocchio," 1940, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 15A in pencil lower right; Size - Pinocchio: 3 3/4 x 3", Sheet: 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; 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."

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 is a wonderful full figure drawing of Pinocchio from "Pinocchio," 1940. His eyes open, smiling, and walking. A great vintage Walt Disney production drawing of the famous puppet, perfect for any art collection!

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

Original production animation drawing in red and graphite pencils of Pinocchio with Strings from "Pinocchio," 1940, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 5 in pencil lower right; Size - Pinocchio w/Strings: 7 x 3 1/4", 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."

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 is a wonderful full figure drawing of Pinocchio from "Pinocchio," 1940. His eyes open, smiling, and has his strings attached. A great vintage Walt Disney production drawing, perfect for any art collection!

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Sunday, January 28, 2024

Original Production Animation Drawing of Fidget and Olivia Flaversham from "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986

Original production animation drawing of Fidget and Olivia Flaversham in blue and graphite pencils from "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 31 in pencil lower right; Size - Fidget & Olivia: 3 x 3 1/2"; Sheet 12 1/2 x 20 1/2"; Unframed.

To purchase this drawing or to visit the Art Gallery, CLICK HERE!
 
"Stop! Let me go, you ugly old thing!" - Olivia Flaversham

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.
 
"The Great Mouse Detective" begins in London in June of 1897; when a young mouse, Olivia Flaversham, is with her toy maker father celebrating her birthday. Suddenly, a peg leg bat breaks into the toy shop and kidnaps Mr. Flaversham and Olivia sets out to find the famous Great Mouse Detective, Basil of Baker Street. Unfortunately she loses her way, but meets a retired army surgeon mouse, David Q. Dawson who has just returned from Afghanistan. Both of them make their way to Basil's residence, only to find him busy at work. Basil initially ignores them until Olivia mentions the peg leg bat. Basil realizes that the bat is Fidget, a henchman to Professor Ratigan, the criminal mastermind that Basil is looking to apprehend. It is revealed that Ratigan had Mr. Flaversham kidnapped in order for him to create a robot replica of the Queen Mousetoria, so that Ratigan can be named "Supreme Ruler of all of Mousedom."
 
Fidget suddenly appears in Basil's window but quickly vanishes. Basil, Dawson and Olivia take Toby, Sherlock Holmes' pet Basset Hound, in order to trail Fidget's scent. They track Fidget to a human-sized toy shop. There Dawson finds Fidget's checklist and Basil discovers Fidget has been stealing clockwork mechanisms along with toy soldiers' uniforms. 
 
Fidget, the peg legged and one wing crippled bat, is the right hand henchman to Professor Ratigan. Glen Keane was responsible for the character design of Fidget; and he was voiced by Candy Candido, the veteran radio performer who also had a long career at Walt Disney Studios. Candido portrayed the Indian Chief in Peter Pan, one of Maleficent's goons in Sleeping Beauty, the Alligator Captain of the Guard in Robin Hood, Brutus and Nero in The Rescuers, the deep voiced escaped convict (Gus) in the Haunted Mansion attraction, and of course Fidget the peg-legged bat that would be his final role before his death.  Since Candido normally has a deep, croaky voice; his voice track had to be digitally sped up in order for Fidget to sound high-pitched. Olivia Flaversham was animated by Mark Henn and voiced by Susanne Pollatschek, a Scottish actress from Glasgow, when she was only eight years old.

This is a wonderful original production animation drawing of Fidget and Oliva Flaversham from "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986. The drawing is used for the scene when Fidget is stuffing the kidnapped Olivia into a glass bottle, and then sealing it with a cork. This is an action packed drawing, showcases animation at it's best, and would be great addition to any art collection!

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Original Production Animation Cels of Merlin and Wart as Fish with Bubbles from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963

Original hand painted production animation cels of Merlin and Wart as Fish with Bubbles from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; With original Art Corner Sticker certificate verso; Size - Merlin & Wart: 3 1/2 x 6", Image 6 3/4 x 9 1/2", Mat 11 x 13 3/4"; Matted.


"You mean you can turn yourself into a fish?" - Wart
"After all, I happen to be a wizard." - Merlin
"Could you turn me into a fish?" - Wart
"Well, do you have any imagination? Can you imagine yourself as a fish?" - Merlin
"Oh, that's easy. I've done that lots of times." - Wart
"Oh. Well, good. Then I think that my magic can do the rest." - Merlin
 
"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.

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.

Wart was animated by both Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston; and the voice was provided by three different actors; Rickie Sorensen, Richard Reitherman and his brother Robert Reitherman. This lead to noticeable changes in the character's voice between scenes. Also, the three voices all have Brooklyn-esque accents, which differed with the English setting for the film and with the accents spoken by all other characters. 

In order to teach Wart life lessons, Merlin transforms both himself and Wart into a fish. After a bit, Wart who is now a small yellow fish, ends up being chased by a giant fish, Merlin asks the boy “But did you get the point?” and Wart replies “Yes, yes! Brain over brawn!” Another wonderful dialog exchange from this sequence is below:
 
"You were really great, Merlin. But you could have been killed." - Wart
"It was worth it, lad, if you learned something from it." - Merlin
"Knowledge and wisdom are the real power." - Wart
"Right you are, Wart. So stick to your schooling, boy." - Merlin
"Oh, don’t worry, I will, sir. I will. I really will." - Wart
 
This is a great original production animation cel setup of Merlin and Wart after being polymorphed into fish. Merlin is the larger blue fish and Wart is the smaller yellow fish and both are full figure, eyes and mouth open images. Also included in the setup is the original production animation cel of underwater bubbles and the original Art Corner Sticker certificate. An absolutely wonderful and rare piece of original animation artwork perfect for any collection!

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Friday, January 26, 2024

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

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of Jock set on a lithographic background from "Lady and the Tramp," 1955, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Jock: 4 1/4 x 5", Image 9 x 11 3/4"; Unframed.


"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 story man Joe Grant invited Walt Disney over to his house for dinner and ended up showed Disney a drawing he had made of his pet Springer 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.

Jock (Heather Lad O'Glencairn) is a Scottish terrier who lives near Trusty. He is very loyal and protective of his friends. He was animated by Ollie Johnston and voiced by Bill Thompson (who had provided the voice to Mr. Smee for "Peter Pan").
 
Jock actually had his own short song called "Jock's Song" which he sang during his first appearance in the film; where he is seen visiting his secret cache of bones buried under some bushes in his backyard. The song followed the tune of the Scottish folk song "The Bonnie Banks o'Loch Lomond." The lyrics are below:
 
"Four steps a-straight, and then to my left
And right at the place where I marked it
With a Bonnie, Bonnie bone that I'll bury for me own
In the Bonnie, Bonnie bank in the backyard"
 
At the end of the film, it's Christmas time and Jim Dear and Darling are take a holiday family photograph. Tramp has become an official member of the Jim Dear and Darling family. It is revealed that Tramp and Lady have had four puppies, three females and a single male puppy named Scamp. Jim and Darling's baby has grown larger and after the photograph is taken, Jock and Trusty arrive for a visit. Trusty has a bandaged broken front leg from his encounter with the Dogcatcher's wagon and Jock is wearing a red, green, black, and gold tartan plaid sweater. When Trusty and Jock see the four puppies, Trusty looks at the three female puppies and says, "Oh no doubt about it. They've got their mother's eyes." Jock looks back behind him to see Scamp tugging and unraveling the yarn of his sweater and says "Aye. But there's a bit of their father in 'em too." This is an absolutely adorable original production animation cel featuring Jock the Scottish Terrier. He is full figure, eyes and mouth open, wearing his Christmas sweater, and has a great facial expression. This is just a wonderful piece of vintage Walt Disney animation art history and a great addition to any animation art collection!

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Original Production Animation Drawing of Basil of Baker Street from "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986


Original production animation drawing of Basil in blue and graphite pencils from "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 71 in pencil lower right; Size - Basil: 4 1/2 x 3"; Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"Not a corner of London is safe while Ratigan is at large. There's no evil scheme he wouldn't concoct, no depravity he wouldn't commit! Who knows what dastardly scheme that that villain may be plotting even as we speak?" - Basil of Baker Street

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.

Basil was animated by Mark Henn and voiced by British actor Barrie Stanton Ingham, who also provided the voice of the Ratigan henchman Bartholomew. Basil is named after Basil Rathbone, the actor who portrayed Sherlock Holmes numerous times on screen.
 
"The Great Mouse Detective" begins in London in June of 1897; when a young mouse, Olivia Flaversham, is with her toy maker father celebrating her birthday. Suddenly, a peg leg bat breaks into the toy shop and kidnaps Mr. Flaversham and Olivia sets out to find the famous Great Mouse Detective, Basil of Baker Street. Unfortunately she loses her way, but meets a retired army surgeon mouse, David Q. Dawson who has just returned from Afghanistan. Both of them make their way to Basil's residence, only to find him busy at work. Basil initially ignores them until Olivia mentions the peg leg bat. Basil realizes that the bat is Fidget, a henchman to Professor Ratigan, the criminal mastermind that Basil is looking to apprehend. It is revealed that Ratigan had Mr. Flaversham kidnapped in order for him to create a robot replica of the Queen Mousetoria, so that Ratigan can be named "Supreme Ruler of all of Mousedom."
 
Fidget suddenly appears in Basil's window but quickly vanishes. Basil, Dawson and Olivia take Toby, Sherlock Holmes' pet Basset Hound, in order to trail Fidget's scent. They track Fidget to a human-sized toy shop. There Dawson finds Fidget's checklist and Basil discovers Fidget has been stealing clockwork mechanisms along with toy soldiers' uniforms.

This is a wonderful original production animation drawing of Basil of Baker Street. The drawing is used for the scene when Basil is searching the toy shop and is suddenly caught in a windup automaton music box featuring a group of figures playing various musical instruments. Basil is caught between a pair of cymbals and he begins to vibrate from the impact. This is an excellent example of animation at it's best! Basil is full figure, eyes open, his tongue is sticking out of his mouth, and with multiple images drawn to represent the vibration. This would make a great addition to any Walt Disney animation art collection!

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Thursday, January 25, 2024

Original Production Animation Drawing of Ariel and Ursula from "The Little Mermaid," 1989

Original production animation drawing of Ariel and Ursula in red, light blue, dark blue, and graphite pencils from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 86 lower right; Size - Ariel & Ursula: 7 1/4 x 8", Sheet 12 1/2 x 17"; Unframed.

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

"You're too late! You're too late! So long loverboy." -Ursula
 
"The Little Mermaid," is an American animated musical fantasy film and the 28th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures to theaters on November 17, 1989. The film was based on the Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, which tells the story of a beautiful mermaid princess who dreams of becoming human. The film was written, directed, and produced by Ron Clements and John Musker; with music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. The voice cast includes: Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Buddy Hackett, and René Auberjonois. 

There was more money and resources dedicated by the Walt Disney Studios to "The Little Mermaid" than any other Disney animated film in decades. Aside from its main animation facility in Glendale, California; Disney opened a satellite feature animation facility in Lake Buena Vista, Florida that was within the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park at Walt Disney World. Their first projects were to produce an entire Roger Rabbit cartoon short, "Roller Coaster Rabbit," and to contribute ink and paint support to "The Little Mermaid." Another first for Disney films of recent years, was the filming of live actors and actresses for motion reference material for the animators. Broadway actress Jodi Benson (who was predominantly a stage actress when she was cast) was chosen to play Ariel, and Sherri Lynn Stoner, a former member of Los Angeles' Groundlings improvisation comedy group, acted out Ariel's key scenes.
 
The Little Mermaid's supervising animators included Glen Keane and Mark Henn on Ariel, Duncan Marjoribanks on Sebastian, Andreas Deja on King Triton, and Ruben Aquino on Ursula. Originally, Keane had been asked to work on Ursula, as he had established a reputation for drawing large powerful figures, such as the bear in "The Fox and the Hound," 1981 and Professor Ratigan in "The Great Mouse Detective," 1986. Keane however, was assigned as one of the two lead artists on the petite Ariel and oversaw the "Part of Your World" musical number. He jokingly stated that his wife looks exactly like Ariel "without the fins." The character's body type and personality were based upon that of Alyssa Milano, who was starring on TV's "Who's the Boss?". The effect of Ariel's hair underwater was based on footage of Sally Ride when she was in space; and scenes of Sherri Lynn Stoner in a swimming pool were used in animating Ariel's swimming. A challenge in animating Ariel were the colors required to show her in various changing environments, both under the sea and on land. By the end of the film, the animators required a total of 32-color models; not including costume changes. The sea-green color of her fin was a hue specially mixed by the Disney paint lab, and the color was named "Ariel" after the character.

"The Little Mermaid," 1989 was the final Disney film using hand painted animation cels. Disney Studios, specifically Ron Clements and John Musker, adapted the Hans Christian Anderson story to give the villain a much bigger role. The first choice to voice the character was Beatrice Arthur who turned down the part. It was eventually accepted by veteran stage actress Elaine Stritch; however she clashed with the music stylist. The role was finally given to Pat Caroll who described the role as, "part Shakespearean actress, with all the flair, flamboyance and theatricality, and part used-car salesman with a touch of con artist." Caroll also served as the live action model of the character. Although I would have loved to have heard Arthur and Stritch sing "Pour Unfortunate Souls," Ursula is the absolute embodiment of Caroll and I think she was the best choice!

The animation of the character was initially offered to Glen Keane, however after hearing Jodi Benson sing "Part of Your World" he wanted to animate Ariel instead and so Ursula ended up going to Disney animator, Ruben Aquino. Aquino credits Ursula as his favorite character in which he has ever worked and said, "When animating Ursula, I was inspired mainly by the voice and by the story sketches, but of course, I also worked very closely with the directors (John Musker and Ron Clements) to realize their vision. Given a great voice, the scenes almost animate themselves, and that definitely was the case with Pat Carroll's amazing vocal performance. I also did a lot of research on octopus locomotion to make sure Ursula's movements were convincing."

This is a wonderful original production animation drawing of both Ariel the Little Mermaid and Ursula the Sea Witch from the full length feature film "The Little Mermaid," 1989. The drawing is from the scene when Ursula (disguised as a human named Vanessa) is on Eric's ship and about to marry him; when her nautilus is ripped off her neck during a a fight with Max and Scuttle. The necklace goes flying through the air, falls, and breaks releasing and restoring Ariel's voice back to Ariel. The spell on Eric is broken and he grabs his head. Eric realizes that Ariel is really who he feel in love with, and the sun begins to set as Eric and Ariel are about to kiss. Suddenly, Ariel feels her legs turn back into a mermaid tail. Ursula cackles, "You're too late! You're too late!" as she rips out of here dress turning back into the Sea Witch's octopus form. The crowd on the ship gasps in shock, Ursula grabs Ariel, says "So long Loverboy," and they both go over the side of the ship. This is a rare drawing of both Ursula and Ariel now transformed back to a mermaid (her tail fin can be seen poking from under the bottom of her dress). It is very rare to have two characters on a single animation drawing, because each individual character is animated independently. Both Ariel and Ursula are full figure in this action packed drawing from the exciting and climatic ending of the film. An absolutely beautiful, large, and rare drawing which would be a great addition to any animation art collection!

#TheLittleMermaid #LittleMermaid #Ariel #SherriLynnStoner #GlenKeane #MarkHenn #DuncanMarjoribanks #Sebastian #AndreasDeja #KingTriton #RubenAquino #Ursula #AlyssaMilano #PartofYourWorld #Disney #WaltDisney #Disneycel #cel #untitledartgallery #productioncel #productiondrawing #animation #animationart #animationcel #animationdrawing #JodiBenson #HansChristianAndersen #RonClements #JohnMusker #AlanMenken #HowardAshman #ChristopherDanielBarnes #PatCarroll #SamuelEWright #JasonMarin #KennethMars #BuddyHackett #RenéAuberjonois #Flotsam #Jetsam #PaddiEdwards
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Original Production Animation Drawing of Briar Rose from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959

  Original production animation drawing of Briar Rose graphite pencil from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 169 in pencil lower right; Size - Briar Rose: 6 1/2 x 3", Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; Unframed.


"She is indeed most wondrous fair. Gold of sunshine in her hair. Lips that shame the red, red rose. In ageless sleep, she finds repose." - Maleficent describing Aurora
 
"Sleeping Beauty," the 1959 Walt Disney full length motion picture, introduced two characters that would become universal favorites; Maleficent and Princess Aurora. Aurora, along with Snow White and Cinderella would be forever immortalized in the public's view as the three greatest Disney Princesses. The original design for Aurora and her peasant disguise Briar Rose was developed by Tom Oreb, who based the character on the famed Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn; known for her thin frame and a very graceful demeanor. Marc Davis, the head animator, would continue the development process by morphing her general appearance and the clothing of the heroine. The fine tuning of the character continued so that she could be combined with the very angular forms present in the Eyvind Earle hand painted backgrounds.

As with other Disney films, an actress was hired as a live-action model (as a guide for the animators) for Princess Aurora/Briar Rose. Helene Stanley, who was also the model for Cinderella in 1950, became the model for the heroine. It is interesting to note that prior to marrying Marc Davis in 1956, Alice (Davis) designed some of costumes worn by Stanley in her acting role in "Sleeping Beauty."
 
In 1952, the professional opera singer Mary Costa, after meeting people at a party with her future husband director Frank Tashlin, auditioned for the part of Disney's Princess Aurora/Briar Rose. Walt Disney called her personally within hours of the audition to inform her that the part was hers. The success of the film "Sleeping Beauty," owes a chuck of those accolades to the voice of Mary Costa. Her songs were some of the most beautiful ever sung by a Disney Princess. In November 1999 Mary Costa received the Disney Legends Award, and her hand prints are now a permanent part of the Disney Legends Plaza at the entrance to Walt Disney Studios.

After Maleficent's evil curse that Princess Aurora would (before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday) prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die; the three Good Fairies disguise Aurora as a peasant named Briar Rose and hide her deep in a remote forest cottage. The majority of the movie focuses on Briar Rose, and this is a beautiful original production drawing of her. She is full figure, eyes open, her shawl is draped over behind her back, and she is walking barefoot. A wonderful addition to any animation vintage Walt Disney animation art collection!

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Original Production Animation Drawing of Mickey Mouse from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" sequence of "Fantasia," 1940

Original production animation drawing of Mickey Mouse in red and graphite pencils; Numbered 110 1/2 lower and upper right, and used during the production of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" sequence of "Fantasia," 1940, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Mickey Mouse: 7 x 7 1/4", Sheet 10 x 12"; Unframed.

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

"Fantasia" is the third full length animated feature film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions on November 13, 1940. Story direction was by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer and production supervision was by Ben Sharpsteen. The film consists of eight animated segments, each set to a piece of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski. Seven of pieces were performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" used an ad hoc studio orchestra. A live action introduction to each animated segment was by the Master of Ceremonies, music critic and composer Deems Taylor.

The concept of the film was developed as Disney was near the completion of a Silly Symphony, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice;" which was designed to be a comeback role for Mickey Mouse, who had declined in popularity. The production costs for the short had grown higher than it would have been able to earn as a stand alone short, so Disney decided to include it within a full length feature film, along with other classic music created animated shorts.

The soundtrack for "Fantasia" was recorded using multiple audio channels and reproduced with "Fantasound," a pioneering sound reproduction system that made "Fantasia" the first commercial film shown with stereophonic sound. The film was released as a theatrical roadshow in thirteen US cities, and although acclaimed by critics; it was unable to make a profit due to World War II cutting off distribution to the European market, the initial high production costs, and the expense of leasing theaters and installing the "Fantasound" equipment. The film was subsequently reissued multiple times with it's original footage and audio being deleted, modified, and/or restored in each version. "Fantasia" is now the 23rd highest-grossing film of all time in the US, when adjusted for inflation. In 1998 the American Film Institute ranked it as the 58th greatest American film in their "100 Years... 100 Movies" and the fifth greatest animated film in their "10 Top 10" list. In 1990, "Fantasia" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being, "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." A sequel, "Fantasia 2000" was co-produced by Roy E. Disney and was released in 1999.

Over 1,000 artists and technicians were used in the making of "Fantasia," resulting in more than 500 animated characters. "The Nutcracker Suite," originally composted by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is made up of selections from the ballet suite underscoring scenes depicting the changing seasons from summer to winter. A variety of dancers are utilized including fairies, fish, flowers, mushrooms, and leaves; and including the music scores of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," "Chinese Dance," "Arabian Dance," Russian Dance," "Dance of the Flutes," and "Waltz of the Flowers."

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was initially going to be a "Silly Symphonies" short and be a venue for a comeback role for Mickey Mouse, who had declined in popularity. However, it was eventually included in the full length feature film "Fantasia," in 1940. The Disney version of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is based on the 1797 poem by Goethe of the same name. Mickey Mouse takes the role of the apprentice and the only real change from the original poem occurs when the Sorcerer is stern and angry with the apprentice after he saves him from a spell gone horribly wrong.

In 1935 a young animator, born in Los Angeles, named Fred Moore gave Mickey his first makeover. Earlier animators had drawn the mouse as a series of circles, which limited his movement. Moore gave him a pear-shaped body, pupils, white gloves, and a shortened nose; all of which added to make the World's most famous mouse a lot cuter. Moore animated Mickey Mouse for the 1938 short "The Brave Little Tailor," which was to be the last significant appearance of the "pie-eyed" Mickey. For "Fantasia," 1940 the "pie-eyes" were gone and Moore's complete transformation of Mickey Mouse for the film continues to be his official look up to this day.

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice," is perhaps Mickey Mouse's most well known role (despite the fact that he never utters a single word), and as such it was the only 1940 segment that was added to the later film "Fantasia, 2000." "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" starts with Sorcerer Yen Sid (Disney spelled backwards) who is working on his magic while his apprentice Mickey Mouse is doing chores. After some magic, Yen Sid puts his hat down, yawns, and leaves the room to retire to his chambers. When he is out of sight, Mickey puts the Sorcerer's hat on and tries to magically animate a broom. He commands the broom to carry buckets of water to fill a cauldron. Since Mickey is satisfied, he sits down on the chair and falls asleep. He dreams that he is a powerful sorcerer high on top of a mountain pinnacle commanding the stars, planets, and water. Mickey is suddenly woken up by being splashed by water and finding the room is filled with water, and despite the cauldron is overflowing, the broom carrying the bucket of water is not stopping. 
 
Original production drawings of Mickey Mouse from "Fantasia" are extremely rare and highly collected. This is a full figure image of Mickey, wearing his robe, Sorcerer's magic hat, and large brown shoes. His left arm is extended above him as he dreams of commanding stars, planets, and large waves of water below him. A large, centered, and action packed production drawing of Mickey Mouse accomplished in red and graphite pencils would make a great addition to any vintage Walt Disney animation art collection!

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

Original hand painted production animation cels of Tod and Big Mama from "The Fox and the Hound," 1981, Walt Disney Studios; Set on lithographic background; Tod numbered T99 in ink lower right; Big Mamma numbered 69 in ink lower right; Walt Disney seal lower right; Size - Tod & Big Mama: 5 3/4 x 11 3/4", Image 11 x 15 1/4"; Unframed.

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

"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.

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.

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. Big Mama was animated by Gary Goldman, Ron Clements, and John Lasseter, and voiced by Peal Bailey.

This is an absolutely stunning original hand painted production animation cel of Tod and Big Mama from "The Fox and the Hound," 1981. These are very large, full figure, eyes open, and centered images; and would be a great addition to any art collection!

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