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Monday, January 9, 2017

Original Production Animation Cel of Sebastian and a Lobster from "The Little Mermaid," 1989


Original hand painted production animation cel of Sebastian and a Lobster on a lithographic background from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; With Walt Disney Certificate; Size - Sebastian & Lobster: 6 1/2 x 9 1/2", Image 7 1/2 x 12", Frame 19 1/2 x 21 1/2"; Framed with two acid free mats, antique gold wood frame, custom engraved brass title plaque, and plexiglass.

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

"Down here all the fish is happy." - Sebastian

"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 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.


Custom engraved brass title plaque.

"The Little Mermaid," 1989 was the final Disney film using hand painted animation cels. 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..

The song "Under the Sea" was composed by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Howard Ashman, and was based on the song "The Beautiful Briny" from the 1971 film "Bedknobs and Broomsticks." The sound was influenced by Caribbean Calypso music, which had it's origins in Trinidad and Tobago. "Under the Sea" was performed by Samuel E. Wright (Sebastian) and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1989; as well as the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 1991.


Framed original hand painted production animation cel of Sebastian and a Lobster.

The lyrics of "Under the Sea" is a plea by Sebastian to Ariel, that she remain in the sea and resist her desire to become a human and spending the rest of her life with Prince Eric. Sebastian tells of the struggles of being human while at the same time, glorifying the benefits of a care-free life underwater. However, his words fall on deaf ears because Ariel swims off before the song ends.

This is a wonderful original production cel of a smiling Sebastian and lobster from the performance of the song "Under the Sea." The lobster is the drummer in the scene and a series of different sized clams are his drums. In this cel, Sebastian is singing the line "Down here all the fish is happy." A wonderful original hand painted production cel from the most famous song in the film!

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