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Thursday, January 30, 2025

Original Production Animation Cels of Ariel and Sebastian from "The Little Mermaid," 1989

Original hand painted production animation cels of Ariel and Sebastian on a lithographic background from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; With Walt Disney Certificate; Disney seal lower right; Production numbers in ink bottom right; Size - Ariel & Sebastian: 4 3/4 x 5 1/4", Image 7 x 13"; Unframed.


"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.


Original Production Animation Cels of Ariel and Sebastian from "The Little Mermaid," 1989


Walt Disney Certificate
 
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.
 
Sebastian is a red Jamaican crab and is one of the major characters of the film. He is the "distinguished" court composer for King Triton, and is regularly asked to watch over his youngest daughter, Princess Ariel. Sebastian was voiced by Samuel E. Wright and Sebastian's line "Teenagers, they think they know everything. You give them an inch, they swim all over you!" was ad-libbed by Wright. Sebastian was animated by Duncan Marjoribanks, Tom Sito,  and Will Finn; and the animators drew inspiration for the character from the American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.

This is an absolutely beautiful cel of Ariel and Sebastian. Ariel is eyes open, smiling, and holding Sebastian in her hands. The cels are from the scene when Ariel as just been transformed into a human, gaining her legs after signing a contract with Ursula the Sea Witch, and sacrificing her voice for her quest for true love. 
 
Sebastian's dialog for this cel setup is below:
"And she's only got three days. Just look at her. On legs. On human legs! My nerves are shot. This is a catastrophe! What her father say? I'll tell you what her father'd say, he'd say he's gonna kill himself a crab, that's what her father'd say! I'm gonna march meself straight home right now and tell him just like I shoulda done de minute - (Ariel grabs him.)... and don't you shake your head at me, young lady. Maybe there's still time. If we could get that witch to give you back your voice, you could go hone with all the normal fish, and just be... just be... just be miserable for the rest of your life. All right, all right. I'll try to help you find that prince. Boy. What a soft-shell I'm turning out to be."
 
A wonderful piece of animation art from the last Walt Disney feature film that utilized hand painted cels, and from a great pivotal scene in the film. A wonderful addition to any animation art collection!

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Original Production Animation Cels of King Triton and Attina, Aquata, Alana, & Adella from "The Little Mermaid," 1989

Original hand painted production animation cels of King Triton and Ariel's Sisters (Attina, Aquata, Alana, & Adella) set on a lithographic background from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; With Walt Disney Certificate; Walt Disney Seal lower right; Size - King Triton & Daughters: 7 3/4 x 11 1/2", Image 9 1/4 x 15"; Unframed.

"I consider myself a reasonable merman... I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed!" - King Triton


"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.


Original Production Animation Cels of King Triton and Attina, Aquata, Alana, & Adella from "The Little Mermaid," 1989
 
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.


Walt Disney Certificate
 
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.
 
King Triton, also known as the Sea King, is the ruler of Atlantica, an undersea kingdom inhabited by merpeople. He wields a magical trident that gives him control over the oceans. He, with his late wife Queen Athena, had seven daughters; Attina, Arista, Andrina, Aquata, Alana, Adella, and their youngest daughter Ariel. King Triton was animated by Andreas Deja and voiced by Kenneth Mars. 
 
From Andreas Deja:
"One thing I remember having just figured out was how to treat Triton's hair and beard. Earlier my first scene with him showed his hair resting on his back and shoulders, and that just didn't look like an under water scene at all. In order to achieve that effect, hair needs to float as it reacts to under water currents."

This is a rare and beautiful cel setup of King Triton and Princesses of Atlantica; Attina, Aquata, Alana, and Adella. All the characters are eyes open and create a fantastic action oriented scene. A wonderful piece of production artwork from the last Walt Disney film that utilized hand painted cels, that would make a great addition to any animation art collection!

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

Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of the White Rabbit from "Alice In Wonderland," 1951, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - White Rabbit: 3 1/2 x 4 1/2", Image 8 1/2 x 10 3/4"; Unframed.

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

"Oh, my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! No time to say goodbye - Hello! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" - White Rabbit

"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).

Kathryn Beaumont, who was born in London England, was just 10 years old when she was chosen for the voice of Alice. Walt Disney personally cast Beaumont after seeing her in the film "On an Island with You," in which the child actress had a small role. Disney was so impressed by her that she was also chosen to be the model for Alice, and would also go on to provide the voice for Wendy in "Peter Pan," 1953. Beaumont has also reprised her voice acting role as Alice in two episodes of the animated series, Disney's "House of Mouse," and as both Alice and Wendy in the video game "Kingdom Hearts." She did not retire as the voice of Alice and Wendy until 2005, when her role for these two characters was taken over by Hynden Walch.

The White Rabbit is one of the most well known and referenced fictional characters in Lewis Carroll's book "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." He first appears in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" Alice follows him down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, and encounters him again when he mistakes her for his housemaid Mary Ann. Soon Alice becomes trapped in his house after growing too large. The Rabbit shows up again in the last few chapters of the book, as a herald-like servant of the King and Queen of Hearts.

However, in Walt Disney's animated version of the story, the White Rabbit seems to be the most logical of all the Wonderland characters; and appears throughout the film to lead Alice along further into Wonderland. The Rabbit is perhaps most famous for the little song he sang at the beginning of the film - "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" He was animated by various animators including: Fred Moore, Ward Kimball, Judge Whitaker, and Wolfgang Reitherman. But most of the work was done by either Fred Moore or Ward Kimball; both of whom were wonderful at bringing this type of exaggerated character to life.

The White Rabbit was voiced by American Radio and Voice Actor Bill Thompson. Thompson had an extraordinary career spanning from the 1930's until he passed away in 1971. He worked extensively for Walt Disney Studios, and can be heard in many shorts and features, often in either dialect parts or a variation of his famous and masterful Wimple/Droopy voice. For "Alice In Wonderland," he was the voice of both the White Rabbit and the Dodo. He went on to be the voice of Mr. Smee (and the other pirates) in "Peter Pan," and also King Hubert in "Sleeping Beauty."

This is a wonderful original production animation cel of the White Rabbit. He is a very nice full figure image and he is wearing his eyeglasses, blue Victorian collar, red heart tunic, and he is holding his horn in his left paw. This is an absolutely beautiful piece of vintage Walt Disney animation art and a great addition to any animation collection!

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Original Production Animation Cel of Merlin and Sir Ector from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963

Original hand painted production animation cel of Merlin and Sir Ector from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Merlin & Sir Ector: 6 1/2 x 5 1/4", Image 11 x 14 1/2"; Unframed.


"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 Merlin and Sir Ector 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.
 
Sir Ector was animated by Milt Kahl and Eric Larson and voiced by the great Sebastian Cabot. Sir Ector was once a knight of Uther Pendragon, and at some point adapted the orphaned Arthur whom Ector and his son Kay now refers to as The Wart. Sir Ector does not know about Arthur's birthright, dotes on his birth son Sir Kay, and does not trust magic and therefore Merlin; who is incorrectly refers to as Marvin.

The cel Merlin and Sir Ector appears in the film with the following dialog:
 
Sir Ector: "You will, uh... yes, I must say, you... have me there, Marvin, Yes. Well, as you win. You're welcome to stay if you like.
Merlin: (magically reappears) "Thank you. You're very kind. Very generous, I must say."
Sir Ector: "Well, uh, all we can offer is room and board. Hard times, you know, Marvin, we'll put you up in the northwest tower. (points to an aged, damaged tower) That's the guest room. It's a bid drafty in the winter, but in this blazing hot weather, it's the best room in the house."

This is a great original production animation cel of Merlin and Sir Ector, both characters are eyes open, and full figure images. An absolutely wonderful piece of original animation artwork perfect for any animation art collection!

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Sunday, January 5, 2025

Original Production Animation Drawing of The Prince from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937

Original production animation drawing of The Prince from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937, Walt Disney Studios; Red, green, and graphite pencils on peg hole paper; Numbered 24 in graphite pencil lower right; Size - The Prince: 6 1/2 x 5 1/2", Sheet 10 x 12"; Unframed.


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!

A large number of actresses auditioned for the voice of Snow White. Walt Disney listened to each audition in his office while the actress performed in another room, without any knowledge of the actress' appearance or reputation. This would insure that he would only judge based on the sound of the voice. According to later accounts, most of the voices Disney felt, did not sound young enough. Eventually, in September of 1935, Adriana Caselotti was chosen for the voice of Snow White. Caselotti was eighteen at the time and made her coloraturo soprano sound younger, knowing that the character was intended to be 14 years old. In recording sessions Caselotti found difficulty in the line, "Grumpy, I didn't know you cared"; instead of "didn't", Caselotti was only able to say "din". After rehearsing the line many times, Walt Disney eventually said "Oh, the heck with..." and "din'" remained in the final film.

Snow White's design was supervised by Grim Natwick, an animator who had previously developed and worked on Betty Boop at Fleischer Studios. It is interesting to note that early designs for the Snow White resemble Betty Boop, and some appear to be caricatures of famous actresses of the time. As development continued, Snow White became more and more lifelike. Another animator, Hamilton Luske's first designs for Snow White depicted her as a slightly awkward, gangly teenager. However, Walt Disney had a different idea in mind; he wanted Snow White to be older, and more realistic-looking. This was achieved by the use of live-action references for the animators. Also, in order for Snow White to better relate onscreen to the seven Dwarfs, it was decided that her head be slightly larger than normal. In addition, the women in the animation studio's ink and paint department felt that Snow White's black hair was too unnatural and harsh, so they drybrushed whisps of light grey over the top of each and every cel.

After a long and difficult four years, on January 13, 1938, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made its New York premiere at Radio City Music Hall. The film ran for five weeks in a row, the first motion picture to do so, and it could have played longer if not for prior commitments of the venue. It was to be the theatres' most successful engagement in all of the 1930s. The film was loved by everyone and Disney, along with his animation team, had managed to make an animated film that the audience would believe! The crowd would be sad and cry when Snow White bit the apple and was placed in a glass casket; and they would laugh, smile, and be happy during the song and dance numbers with the Dwarfs.

The Prince was the first realistic human male that the animators at Walt Disney Studios ever attempted to bring to life. It was soon determined to be the most difficult character to create, so The Prince only appears in two relatively short segments. The rotoscoped scenes were acted out by Louis Hightower; and consisted of The Prince's first meeting with Snow White and the final kiss and the leading of Snow White away on his white horse. The Prince was voice by the American actor and singer Harry Stockwell, and animated by Milt Kahl.

From veteran Walt Dinsey animator Andreas Deja:
"As I said before, Milt Kahl despised an assignment like a Prince character. As a young animator on Snow White he animated complex scenes involving all the forest animals surrounding the title character. "But I also got stuck with the clean up job on the Prince" he stated in an interview. The fact is that Milt drew over tracings of photo stats and therefor is credited with animating the Prince as well."

This particular drawing is from one of the most memorable scenes in the film, when Snow White dressed in rags is at a well filling a wooden bucket with water. The scene begins when, Snow White talking to a group of white doves standing on the ledge of the well, says "Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell? We are standing by a wishing well." She quickly goes into the famous song, "I'm Wishing" with music and lyrics by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey. An absolutely stunning drawing of the Prince, that is a highlight to any vintage animation art collection!

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Original Production Animation Cel of Bambi on a Courvoisier background from "Bambi," 1942

Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of Bambi over a Courvoisier air brush background from "Bambi," 1942, Walt Disney Studios; Walt Disney Productions Copyright stamp verso; Size - Bambi: 2 1/4 x 1 1/2"; Image 5 x 4 3/4"; Unframed.

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

"Whatch gonna call 'im?" - Thumper
"Well, I think I'll call him Bambi." - Bambi's Mother
"Bambi... Yep, I guess that'll do all right." - Thumper

"Bambi," 1942 is a full length animated film by Walt Disney Studios and based on the book "Bambi, A Life in the Woods" by Austrian author Felix Salten. The film was released by RKO Radio Pictures on August 13, 1942. "Bambi" received three Academy Award nominations: Best Sound (Sam Slyfield), Best Song (for "Love Is a Song" sung by Donald Novis), and Best Original Music Score. In June 2008, the American Film Institute presented a list of its "10 Top 10" (the best ten films in each of ten classic American film genres) and "Bambi" placed third in the animation category. In December 2011, "Bambi" was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

The story centers on Bambi, a white-tailed deer, his parents (the Great Prince of the forest and his unnamed mother), his animal friends Thumper (a pink-nosed rabbit), Flower (a skunk), and his childhood friend and future mate, a doe named Faline. Walt Disney wanted all of the animals to be more realistic and expressive than those in "Snow White". He had Rico LeBrun, a wildlife animal painter, come into the Disney Studios to lecture to the animators on the structure and movement of animals. The animators went on excursions to the Los Angeles Zoo and Walt Disney set up a small zoo at the Disney Animation Studio with animals such as rabbits, ducks, owls, skunks, and a pair of fawns aptly named Bambi and Faline; so that the artists could see first-hand animal movement. Animator Marc Davis created the final design of Bambi by incorporating LeBurn's realistic study of deer anatomy but exaggerating the character's face by making his proportions baby-like; including a short snout and big expressive eyes.

"Bambi" was Walt Disney's favorite film he ever made, and it is not too surprising given his love of nature films. The special effects, particularly the water, and the lush hand painted backgrounds create a wonderful environment that allows the viewer to be totally immersed into the film. Combined with a great story of friendship and complete success in the creation of characters; the film is able to provide amazing feelings of both happiness and sadness, as the viewer watches Bambi grows up from fawn to deer.

Although the character of Bambi was designed by Marc Davis; animation was accomplished by Frank Thomas, Milt Kahl, Eric Larson, Ollie Johnson, and Preston Blair. The voice of Bambi was provided by four different actors, corresponding to the different ages of Bambi as he grew older: Bobby Stewart (baby), Donnie Dunagan (young), Hardie Albright (adolescent), and John Sutherland (young adult). Donnie Dunagan was also the performance model for the character, with the animators integrating his facial expressions onto the face of Bambi.

This is a wonderful full figure and eyes open original production animation cel of Bambi that has been set on a Courvoisier air brushed forest background. A beautiful and rare piece of vintage Walt Disney original production animation artwork that is perfect for any collection!

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