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Saturday, May 26, 2018

Original Production Animation Cel of Wart from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963


Original hand painted production animation cel of Wart with Excalibur from "The Sword In The Stone," 1963, Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Size - Wart (King Arthur): 6 1/4 x 7 1/2", Image 10 1/4 x 9 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 Wart without the background.

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.

On Christmas Eve, Wart's foster brother Kay is knighted and Wart is reinstated as Kay's squire. On the day of the tournament, Wart realizes that he has left Kay's sword at an Inn, which is now closed. Archimedes sees the Sword in the Stone, and Wart removes it and returns with it to the tournament. Sir Ector, Wart's foster father, recognizes the sword as the one from the stone and the tournament is halted. Sir Ector places the sword back in its anvil, demanding Wart prove that he pulled it. Thinking now that anyone can pull the sword easily, Kay and others try unsuccessfully to remove it. Sir Pellinore and Sir Bart stand up for Wart and encourage him to try and pull the sword again.

This cel is from the scene when Wart has pulled the Sword Excalibur from the anvil and fulfills the prophecy that "whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king, born of England." He rushes back to give the sword to Kay. Later when Wart removes the sword again in front of others, he is crowned King Arthur of England and Merlin tells Arthur that he will go on to lead the Knights of the Round Table and become very famous. This is an extremely rare original production animation cel from the high point of the film. An absolutely phenomenal piece of original animation artwork perfect for any collection!

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 18 in pencil lower right; Size - The Prince and Shadow: 8 1/2 x 7 1/2", Sheet 12 1/2 x 15 1/2"; 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!

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.


Close up of the original production animation drawing of The Prince.

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."


Close up of the production number.

This is a very large and highly detailed image of The Prince. He is full figure, eyes and mouth open, and rendered in red, green, and graphite pencils. He is holding his feathered hat in is left hand and his short sword in it's scabbard, is hanging from his waist. Original animation artwork of The Prince is very rare, and this would be a great addition to any animation art collection!

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

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


Original production animation drawing of Ursula in graphite and blue pencils from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 123 upper and lower right; Size - Ursula: 6 1/2 x 9 1/4", Sheet 10 1/2 x 12 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"You got it, sweetcakes. No talking, singing, zip." - 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.

"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 voice 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." 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!


Close up of the Ursula original production animation drawing.


Production number.

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 an outstanding drawing from Ursula's famous song "Poor Unfortunate Souls," one of the true highlights of the entire film! This drawing is from the most famous part of the sequence; when Ursula tells Ariel that in return for making her human, Ursula wants Ariel's voice as payment. The dialog for the scene is below:

Ursula: "Oh, and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know."
Ariel: "But I don't have any..."
Ursula: "I'm not asking much. Just a token really, a trifle. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is... Your voice."
Ariel: "My voice?"
Ursula: "You got it, sweetcakes. No talking, singing, zip."

Original Production Animation Drawing By Shamus Culhane of Gideon from "Pinocchio," 1940


Original production animation drawing by Shamus Culhane in graphite pencil of Gideon from "Pinocchio," 1940, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 8 in pencil lower right; Size - Gideon: 7 1/2 x 7 1/2", Sheet 10 x 12"; Unframed.


"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."

The inspiration for Gideon was the silent Marx Brother, Harpo. An earlier Walt Disney film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," had already proven that characters with no dialog (ie. Dopy) could become one of the the most memorable characters of the film. Gideon was going to be voiced by the legendary Mel Blanc, but Disney decided to delete all of his lines; preferring a mute Foulfellow sidekick who has only 3 hiccups in the entire film. Mel Blanc did provide the voice for the hiccups and he did receive payment; stating afterwards "that is it was the most expensive hiccup I ever recorded."


Close up of the original production animation drawing of Gideon.

James "Shamus" Culhane (1908-1996) was an American animator, film director, and film producer. He worked at various animation studios, but while at Disney he worked on several shorts and films, including being the lead animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He is responsible for animating one of the most well-known sequences in the film, the seven Dwarfs marching home while singing "Heigh-Ho." The scene took Culhane and his assistants six months to complete. He then went on to work on "Pinocchio" where he animated both Honest John (Foulfellow) and Gideon; however he never received on-screen credit.

This is a very nice drawing of Gideon by Shamus Culhane from the famous scene in "Pinocchio," which occurs at the The Red Lobster Inn, where he and Honest John meet with the Coachman. All three are seen smoking, Honest John and Gideon both have cigars and The Coachman has a pipe. The scene opens with Honest John singing the classic "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life For Me)." This drawing features Gideon holding a cigar in his right hand, while his left is covering his mouth; apparently from coughing up smoke that is now billowing around his head. As a result of coughing, his hat is in mid air above his head. His beer stein is sitting on the table in front of him. A great action oriented drawing and a wonderful addition to any Walt Disney vintage animation art collection!

Original Production Animation Cel of Cinderella's Coach from "Cinderella," 1950


Original hand inked and hand painted production animation cel of Cinderella's Coach, Gus, Jaq, and two other mice as Horses, Major the Horse as the Coachman, and Bruno the Dog as the Footman set on a lithographic background from "Cinderella," 1950, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Coach & Horses: 5 x 1 1/2", Image 5 x 6 3/4"; Unframed. 

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

The 1950 Walt Disney feature film "Cinderella" was based on the French version of the tale by Charles Perrault, entitled "Cinderella" and written in 1698. The film was the second in the series of great Princess films developed by Disney, the first being Snow White in 1937. The character of Cinderella is usually front and center in the pantheon of Disney Princess merchandise, perhaps because she is the only Princess not to be of a noble blood line who ended up marrying a Prince and becoming royalty.

One night, Major along with the dog Bruno who are sleeping in the Tremaine Barn, are awakened and watch Cinderella run out into the garden wearing the pink dress that was destroyed by Anastasia and Drizella. Cinderella's Fairy Godmother appears and changes a pumpkin into a coach. Major expects to be the horse that pulls the coach, but instead the Fairy Godmother transforms him into the Coachman. Bruno is changed into the Footman, and Gus, Jaq, and two other mice are transformed into horses. After Cinderella is magically transformed into a beautiful white ballgown, she boards the coach and off she goes to the King's Ball.


Close up of the original production animation cel of Cinderella's Coach without the background.


Original production animation cel of Cinderella's Coach without the background.

This is a wonderful cel of Cinderella's Pumpkin Coach, Gus, Jaq and two other mice as horses, Major as the Coachman, and Bruno as the Footman. Cels of Cinderella's Coach are extremely rare, and hardly ever appear on the open market, and this is spectacular image of the horse drawn carriage with amazing hand painting and delicate hand inking. A great opportunity to have a piece of animation art history from the Walt Disney masterpiece, "Cinderella!"

Original Production Animation Cel of Two Penguin Waiters, Vase of Flowers, Sugar Bowl, Plates, and Silverware from "Mary Poppins," 1964


Original hand painted production animation cel of Two Penguin Waiters, Vase of Flowers, Sugar Bowl, Plates, and Silverware set on a orange paper background from "Mary Poppins," 1964, Walt Disney Studios; With original Art Corner mat and Certificate sticker; Size - Penguins and Tableware: 2 1/2 x 6 3/4", Image 6 1/4 x 8 1/4", Mat 10 x 12"; Matted.


"Anything for you, Mary Poppins. You're our favorite person." - Penguin Waiters

"Mary Poppins," 1964 was a musical fantasy feature film produced by Walt Disney Productions and was loosely based on P.L. Travers' book series of the same name. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson, with screenplay by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi. "Mary Poppins" combined live-action with animation and stared Julie Andrews in the role of Mary Poppins; a practically perfect nanny who visited a dysfunctional family in London and employed a variety of techniques to improve the family's dynamic. Dick Van Dyke was brilliant in the supporting role of Bert.

"Mary Poppins" was released on August 27, 1964 to universal acclaim; receiving a total of 13 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The film won five: Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for "Chim Chim Cher-ee." The popular success of the film in undoubtedly due to wonderful songs, that were written by the brilliant team of the Sherman Brothers.


Cel still in the original Art Corner mat.


Close up of the Art Corner Certificate sticker.

This is a wonderful original hand painted production cel of Two Penguin Waiters, Vase of Flowers, Sugar Bowl, Plates, and Silverware from "Mary Poppins," 1964. The cel is from the scene when The Penguin Waiters, animated by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, come over and set a table for Mary Poppins and Bert. The Penguins also dance with Bert and perform the famous song "Jolly Holiday." A very detailed and beautiful work of art from one of the greatest Walt Disney films, and a wonderful addition to any animation art collection!

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

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


Original production animation drawing of Ursula in graphite and blue pencils from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 101 upper and lower right; Size - Ursula: 7 1/4 x 5", Sheet 10 1/2 x 12 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"You got it, sweetcakes. No talking, singing, zip." - 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.

"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 voice 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." 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!


Close up of the Ursula original production animation drawing.


Production number.

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 an outstanding drawing from Ursula's famous song "Poor Unfortunate Souls," one of the true highlights of the entire film! This drawing is from the most famous part of the sequence; when Ursula tells Ariel that in return for making her human, Ursula wants Ariel's voice as payment. The dialog for the scene is below:

Ursula: "Oh, and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know."
Ariel: "But I don't have any..."
Ursula: "I'm not asking much. Just a token really, a trifle. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is... Your voice."
Ariel: "My voice?"
Ursula: "You got it, sweetcakes. No talking, singing, zip."

Original Production Cel of José Carioca from "The Three Caballeros," 1944


Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of José Carioca from "The Three Caballeros," 1944; Walt Disney Studios; Set on a lithographic background; Numbered 61 in ink lower right; Size - José Carioca: 3 1/2 x 4 1/4", Image 9 1/2 x 12 3/4"; Unframed.

"The Three Caballeros," 1944 is an animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions which premiered in Mexico City on December 21, 1944, in the United States on February 3, 1945, and in the United Kingdom in March. The film focuses on a fantastic adventure which occurs through  Latin America and is combination of both live-action and animation.

The film stars Donald Duck, who is joined by his old friend José Carioca, the cigar-smoking parrot from "Saludos Amigos," 1942 (representing Brazil); and later becomes friends with the pistol-packing rooster, Panchito Pistoles (representing Mexico). The film is laid out as a series of individual segments that are connected by Donald Duck opening birthday gifts from his Latin American friends. Several Latin American stars appear in the film including; singers Aurora Miranda (sister of Carmen Miranda) and Dora Luz, and the singer and dancer Carmen Molina.


Original production animation cel of José Carioca without the background.


Close up of the original production animation cel of José Carioca without the background.


Close up of the production number.

José Carioca is a green Brazilian tropical parrot from Rio de Janeiro. His design is based on a parrot that Walt Disney spotted during his trip to Brazil. José is suave, cool, fun, and a ladies man. He was animated by Vladimir Tytla, Ward Kimball, Ollie Johnston, and Fred Moore. He was voiced by the Brazilian actor José Oliveira.

This is a wonderful original production animation cel of José Carioca. He is full figure, wearing a sombrero, and using his umbrella like a musical instrument. A fun and fancy free image of the famous parrot, and a great addition to any animation art collection!

Monday, May 21, 2018

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


Original production animation drawing of Ursula in graphite and blue pencils from "The Little Mermaid," 1989, Walt Disney Studios; Numbered 127 upper and lower right; Size - Ursula: 7 x 10", Sheet 10 1/2 x 12 1/2"; Unframed.

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

"You got it, sweetcakes. No talking, singing, zip." - 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.

"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 voice 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." 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!


Close up of the Ursula original production animation drawing.


Production number.

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 an outstanding drawing from Ursula's famous song "Poor Unfortunate Souls," one of the true highlights of the entire film! This drawing is from the most famous part of the sequence; when Ursula tells Ariel that in return for making her human, Ursula wants Ariel's voice as payment. The dialog for the scene is below:

Ursula: "Oh, and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know."
Ariel: "But I don't have any..."
Ursula: "I'm not asking much. Just a token really, a trifle. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is... Your voice."
Ariel: "My voice?"
Ursula: "You got it, sweetcakes. No talking, singing, zip."

Original Animation Production Cel of Sleepy Set On A Courvoisier Background from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937


Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cel of Sleepy with a cymbal and fish flute set over an airbrushed Courvoisier background from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Sleepy: 4 1/2 x 5 1/2", Image 5 1/4 x 6", Frame 11 1/2 x 12"; Framed with a gold wood frame, two acid free mats, and plexiglass.


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!

Although the initial concept designing of the dwarfs was relatively easy for the Walt Disney animation department, the actual animating of them proved to be difficult. The animators, already finding human figures difficult to animate, now had to animate dwarfed human figures. The great Disney animator Vladimir Tytla noted that the dwarfs should walk with a swing to their hips, and Fred Moore commented that they had to move a little more quickly in order to keep up with the other human characters. In order to establish Sleepy's character during the march home in "Heigh Ho", the animation director Vernon Stallings noted that traits specific to Sleepy should be taken into account. An early drawing by Albert Hurter of Sleepy with his mouth wide open in a yawn inspired the lead animator for the character, Fred Moore to be more extreme in Sleepy's animation. Moore made sure that, on every animation drawing of Sleepy, one eye was larger than the other; or one eye was more squashed than the other; in order to suggest the dwarf's perpetual sleepiness. Sleepy was voiced by the great Walt Disney voice actor, Pinto Colvig.


Framed original production animation cel of Sleepy.

This is an absolutely wonderful original hand painted and hand inked production cel of Sleepy set on an airbrushed Courvoisier background. Courvoisier Galleries was the first gallery to recognize the artistic value to the newly emerging animation art form, and in the 1930s and 40s created production cel setups to sell to the public. This cel is from the scene in the film, when all the Dwarfs perform "The Silly Song." The Dwarfs yodel and are also featured in a instrument septet. Here Sleepy is holding a cymbal in his right hand and his fish flute in his left. This is a perfect image of Sleepy; his mouth and drooping eyes are barely open, and he is full figure. A beautiful piece of vintage Walt Disney animation artwork, perfect for any collection!