"Fantasia 2000" (1999) [Series] - Limited Edition Signed By Joe Grant

This is a great little piece...  This Limited Edition ( number 244 out of 300) of Mickey and Yen Sid (Disney spelled backwards) is signed by Joe Grant (1908-2005), who helped lead the development of Fantasia and also helped in Fantasia 2000.  Mr. Grant left the studio in 1949 to run a ceramics business, but returned to Disney in 1989 to work on Beauty and the Beast.  He worked four days a week and died while working at his animation board 9 days short of his 97th birthday.

Mickey & Yen Sid Limited Edition Signed By Joe Grant

Here is more information on Mr. Grant from Wikipedia:

Joe Grant (May 15, 1908 – May 6, 2005) was a Disney artist and writer.

Born in New York City, New York, he worked for The Walt Disney Company as a character designer and story artist beginning in 1933 on the Mickey Mouse short, "Mickey's Gala Premiere". He was a Disney legend. He created the Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He co-wrote Dumbo. He also led development of Fantasia and Pinocchio.

During World War II, Grant worked on war cartoons including the Academy Award winning Der Fuehrer's Face. He left the Disney studio in 1949 and ran a ceramics business and a greeting card business but returned in 1989 to work on Beauty and the Beast. He also worked on Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Fantasia 2000, Monsters, Inc. and Mulan among others. The last film he worked on before his death Chicken Little, was dedicated to him.

Grant worked four days a week at Disney until he died, 9 days short of his 97th birthday. Grant's final project, "Lorenzo", for which he conceived the idea and helped storyboard, received an Academy Award nomination in 2005.

Joe Grant died of a heart attack while working at his drawing board in his studio. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

A large collection of his caricatures is owned by the Smithsonian Museum.

Lady from Lady and the Tramp was based on a pet Springer Spaniel named Lady owned by Joe Grant, it is said by his daughter on the DVD (Lady and the Tramp) that Walt Disney thought the dog's long fur looked like a dress and suggested creating a story board featuring his dog.

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From “Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000.”  Entitled: "A Lesson Learned" as Mickey hands back the magic hat to Yen Sid (“Disney” spelled backwards).  Limited edition (244/300) cel of Mickey and Yen Sid (Disney backwards). Signed by Joe Grant. From Sequence 7, Scenes 87 & 88. Certificate of Authenticity.  [Image:  13-1/2"W x 17-1/2"H. Frame:  23-1/4"W x 27-1/8"H]  SeqID-0449  8/3/2005