Cowan Collection: Animation and Comic Art

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - Giraffe Pastel

2011-07-10T09:15:00.002-06:00

Well, I realized that I had not finished posting the art from "Dumbo." A couple of items left...

This is a great little storyboard piece showing four giraffes in the circus parade -- one flexing its neck to pass under a wire. A little humor!

Pastel Storyboard of Giraffes In Parade

(click to enlarge)

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From “Dumbo” (1941). Pastel of giraffe ducking under a banner during the circus parade. References on page: “P-212”; “47” [8.25W x 8.75H] SeqID-0267

"Robin Hood" (1973) - More Background

2011-06-29T17:55:00.002-06:00

There were some great comments about the background that I just posted. I thought I'd put up a higher resolution copy of the background (fully image). Enjoy!

"Robin Hood" (1973) - Robin & Marian Key Set-up on Master Background

2011-06-29T17:40:00.001-06:00

Here is a great 35-inch wide piece from Robin Hood. Consists of cels of (1) Robin and Marian, (2) church doors, (3) detail edging of rocks on a watercolor pan master background. A great piece...

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Robin Hood” (1973). The water color master background of the church when Robin Hood and Maid Marian leave after the wedding (no markings on the back of the background). The cels are key setup. Consists of (1) watercolor pan master, (2) cel with detail edging of rocks, (3) cel of church doors, (4) cel of Robin and Marian arm-in-arm. [35-1/8”W x 12.5”H] SeqID 0398 7/15/2005

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - Crow Pencils

2010-05-26T09:06:00.001-06:00

More Dumbo items from the Cowan Collection...

OK. Let me get started again.... Continuing with some nice pencils of the Crows from Dumbo. One of the more interesting items is a sketch of the Crows with their names and mark up directions. My guess is that the names were added at a later time, but it does provide some insight as to the process of getting everyone's name correct...

From Wikipedia:

The crow characters in the film are in fact African-American caricatures; the leader crow voiced by Caucasian Cliff Edwards is officially named "Jim Crow". The other crows are voiced by African-American actors, all members of the Hall Johnson Choir.

The Crows

(Click to Enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From Dumbo (1941). A pencil sketch of crows with red mark up directions, names of crows. "2006.12.212.0" "cel 1 1st set up 24B" 10”H X 12"W Circa 1941 Acquired 2000. SeqID-0500

From Dumbo (1941). A pencil sketch of Dandy (Jim) Crow. "2006.19.18.0" "8 of 19.1" "36" "Reg to BG" 10h X 12"W

From Dumbo (1941). A pencil sketch of the crows sitting on a telephone line. Pencil in red. "2006.19.229.0" "C9" 10h X 12"W. Circa 1941. Unframed Item: 12"W x 10"H SeqID-0498 Acquired 2000.

Off Line For a Bit

2010-05-23T08:31:00.000-06:00

Sorry about not posting material. I had a heart attack and am just getting back in the grove.

No history, Not over weight. I run 5 days a week. Eat well.... Ah, well. And it was a big one - I gather that only about 1% survive more than 4 hours.... I guess there are more blogs I need to write before I can sign-off!

More soon..... !

Bob

;D

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - Stat Model Sheets

2010-04-26T12:11:00.000-06:00

More Dumbo material from the Cowan Collection...

Original model sheets are difficult to find. However, model sheets offer an amazing view into the creative mind of the artist responsible for the character. Stat (early versions of the photocopy process) model sheets offer a great deal of appeal. Here are a few from Dumbo:

Stat Model Sheets

(click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From Dumbo (1941). A stat model sheet of Casey Jones, Jr. "Revised Casey Jones Jr." "-2006-" "1-2-41" Dimensions: 14w X 11h. Acquired 2000. SeqID-0496.

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - "Dumbo -- The Story of the Little Elephant With the Big Ears

2010-04-24T08:54:00.001-06:00

Copyrighted in 1939, here is "Walt Disney's Dumbo -- The Story Of The Little Elephant With Big Ears." The book notes: "Suggested by the story, 'Dumbo, The Flying Elephant," by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl." Sometimes it's nice to have a range of items related to a film to show that part of creating a part of an American Institution is cross-marketing...

Dumbo -- The Story of the Little Elephant with the Big Ears
(Click to Enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

Walt Disney's "Dumbo -- The Story of the Little Elephant With the Big Ears." An old book of Dumbo. Distributed by Winkler & Ramen (NY), printed by Western Printing and Lithographing Company. The book notes: "Suggested by the story, 'Dumbo, The Flying Elephant," by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. Copyright, 1939, Roll-A-Book Publishing." 20 pages. [Item: 10"W x 9"H] SeqID 0037
Found in an old children's bookstore in New Orleans. Some minor discoloration on interior pages.

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - Preview of Collection Items

2010-04-18T16:45:00.000-06:00

Sorry... I forgot to post an overview of items from Dumbo that I'll be posting....

Preview

"Dumbo"

2010-04-16T18:04:00.000-06:00

OK... Next series of postings will be Dumbo items in the collection...

;D

"Elmer Elephant" (1936) [Series] - Pencils

2010-04-14T13:46:00.000-06:00

Here are the last items from our collection of "Elmer Elephant" items...

Finally, a few pencils from the film. I especially like the Elmer and Tillie poses...

Elmer Elephant Pencils

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Elmer Elephant" (1936). Black and red pencil sketch of Elmer Elephant. [12"W x 10"H] SeqID-0487

From "Elmer Elephant" (1936). Black and red pencil sketch of Tillie Tiger. [12"W x 10"H] SeqID-0488

From "Elmer Elephant" (1936). Black and red pencil clean up sketch of the monkey and ostrich. [12"W x 10"H] SeqID-0489

From "Elmer Elephant" (1936). Pencil sketch of tiger, hippo, monkey, fox, bear and lion running to catch Elmer. [12"W x 10"H] SeqID-0486.

"Elmer Elephant" (1936) [Series] - Credits

2010-04-12T14:42:00.000-06:00

More on Elmer Elephant...

Major Pepperidge asked whether or not I knew any information on the people responsible for the character development -- since the film had a different "look" than some of the other films.

Here's some data from DisneyShorts.org:

Characters: Elmer Elephant, Joe Giraffe, Joey Hippo, Tillie Tiger (voice : Bernice Hansen)
Director : Wilfred Jackson
Animation: Ward Kimball, Hamilton Luske, Paul Hopkins, Al Eugster, Gerry Geronomi
Story: Earl Hurd, Bianca Majolie, Roy Williams

And from the entry in Wikipedia:

Elmer Elephant is a Silly Symphonies cartoon short produced by The Walt Disney Company, directed by Wilfred Jackson and released on March 28, 1936.

The short tells the story of a timid elephant named Elmer. In this story, he is invited to Tillie Tiger's birthday party, bringing her a bouquet of flowers. Tillie loves Elmer, but the other animal kids make fun of his nose and cruelly mock him when Tillie isn't around to defend him. Brokenhearted by their teasing, Elmer leaves the party and cries in front of the nearby pond, but is reassured by a nearby giraffe who admits to him that he used to suffer the same teasing about his neck. Just then, a fire breaks out at Tillie's treehouse with her still in it, and the rescue efforts by the other children prove futile. With the help of the giraffe and some pelicans who resemble Jimmy Durante, Elmer successfully puts out the fire and rescues Tillie.

Elmer would later go on to star in a serial in the Silly Symphonies comic strip, even getting his own strip which unfortunately did not last long. And like the Three Little Pigs before him, he would also become a popular character in merchandising. However, with the exceptions of the crowd shots in the later Silly Symphonies short Toby Tortoise Returns and a cameo appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Elmer was never again featured in animation. (He never even appeared in crowd shots on House of Mouse.)

Today, the Elmer Elephant short can be viewed on the Silly Symphonies DVD set in the first wave of the Walt Disney Treasures line. It has also been included as a bonus feature, alongside fellow Silly Symphony short The Flying Mouse, on both DVD releases for Dumbo. From 1983 through 1997, his short was also the featured subject of DTV's music video of "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes.

"Elmer Elephant" (1936) [Series] - 1st and 2nd Generation Stat Model Sheets

2010-04-09T12:38:00.001-06:00

More from Elmer Elephant...

There are some 1st and 2nd generation stat model sheets from "Elmer Elephant." There is nothing "wrong" about picking up any of the early "stat" copies made by the Studio. Still great images and there were certainly a limited number of copies made...

1st Generation Stat Model Sheet

2nd Generation Stat Model Sheets

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Elmer Elephant" (1936). A 1st generation stat model sheet of Elmer Elephant, pelican, Joe Giraffe, Tillie Tiger, hippo, monkey, fox, bear and lion. [14.5"W x 13.5"H] SeqID-0485

From “Elmer Elephant” (1936). A second generation stat model sheet of Elmer (Elephant Character). "S-No 33" In pencil: "256-863" Red "U" before "S-No 33" A Silly Symphony film directed by Wilfred Jackson. [Unframed item: 11w X 14h] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0484

From “Elmer Elephant” (1936). A second generation stat model sheet of Tillie Tiger. "S-No. 33" "661-321" A Silly Symphony film directed by Wilfred Jackson. [Unframed item: 14w X 11h] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0483

"Elmer Elephant" (1936) [Series] - Various Pencils and Models

2010-04-08T13:55:00.002-06:00

Here's a collection of "Elmer Elephant" items...

I seem to recall reading (although I can't remember where or even if my recollection is accurate), that there was a feeling at Disney that Elmer would be "the next big thing" in an effort to broaden the line of recognizable characters. To my thinking, Elmer was the iconic Nerd of his time -- picked on by those at school, some who liked a girl that would never notice him.... You get the picture... in the same genre as "Ugly Better" or "Mean Girls" or one of a dozen coming-of-age films. While interesting, the Elmer Project never really developed any traction. But the characters were cute and I could certainly picture a line of plush toys....

In this first posting, here are items from the Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook...

Elmer Elephant Scrap

The Bully

Another Bully

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Elmer Elephant" (1936). Pencil sketch of Elmer Elephant from the Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook.

"Duck Tales" - Mike Royer Commerical Art

2010-04-06T14:01:00.000-06:00

More from "Duck Tales".....

What appears on the screen may be only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to animation artwork. There is a huge amount of material of original art that is developed for commercial, licensed use. Here are some pieces drawn by the creative Mike Royer....

Citrus World Concept Art

"Launchpad" Art

Here's some background on Mike from his web site (MikeRoyer.com):

Drawn to Southern California, spring 1965, by the lure of a career in Comic Art, Mike spent his first 14 years in comic books, comic strips, and TV animation. Beginning as RUSS Manning's assistant on MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER and TARZAN comic books (at the end of their working relationship Mike lettered and inked the last 6 months of Russ's TARZAN syndicated Sunday strip and the first 4 months of the daily and Sunday syndicated STAR WARS, late 1970s) and then inking and pencilling for Western Publishing (Gold Key). Mike inked such West Coast talents as Sparky Moore, Mike Arens, Paul Norris, and Doug Wildley.

His drawing asignments were on TARZAN, SPACE GHOST, coloring books, puzzles, etc. for Western and doing layout on network animation series like SPIDERMAN. At Gold Key he wrote/adapted and drew SPEED BUGGY, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KIDS, TARZAN, MAGNUS, and designed and executed covers for Hanna-Barbera TV ADVENTURE HEROES, etc. Mike contributed to James Warren's CREEPY, EERIE, and VAMPERELLA magazines and began drawing the comic panel CRUSIN' record album covers (over 2 dozen to date), many of which he's scripted.

For East coast firms, Mike inked artists Don Heck, Steve Ditko, Ramona Fraden and others, but during this period he is best known to comic fans for his decade as letterer/inker for legendary Jack Kirby at National and then Marvel.

From late Spring 1979, Mike spent the next 14 years on staff with the Walt Disney Company in the creative department of their Consumer Product/Licensing division, addressing the areas of book publishing, comic books and strips, and all forms of themepark and licensed merchandise as a character artist/product designer, performing as idea man, concept and final line artist, and sometime inker.

At Disney, Mike designed and art directed the DICK TRACY and 3-D ROCKETEER comic book Music Company read-alongs. He created the "new look" that launched the massive WINNIE THE POOH licensing program in late 1993. Featured in a 43 minute video "How To Draw Pooh" sent to over 40 licensees, Mike takes no small amount of pride in the fact that POOH soon (and still) outsold Mickey Mouse worldwide.

June 1993 Mike left his staff position to spend the next 7 years full time free lancing for The Disney Store's creative group, becoming their "Main POOH Man" and creating 3-D products utilizing Disney characters.

Since Spring 2000 Mike has functioned as an Art service doing pencil work on a wide variety of projects, including creating character Orthographic Turns and environment "floor plans" for computer game animators, DIGIMON products, on screen icons for FOX FAMILY CHANNEL and FOX KIDS NETWORK, READER RABBIT work books, RESCUE HEROES toy packaging, etc.

Spring 2001 found Mike and Laurie, his lovely wife and concept collaborater, returning to his birth state, Oregon, settling in Medford, and in the process returned to his career roots. And in the last few years he's found time to ink such luminaries as Steve Rude and Eric Larsen, to name a couple. Mike continues to create Disney character art for limited edition collector pin sets and does "recreations". He strongly believes that his passion, attention to detail and accuracy, and his commitment to integrity will keep him at the board for a long time to come.

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Duck Tales” (circa 1989). On thin tracing paper. Suggestions for a variety of items that could be sold to kids in the Duck Tales theme. For Citrus World. Gyro, Scrooge, Webby, Launchpad, Doofus. Done by Mike Royer. [Item: 17-3/4"W x 14"H] SeqID 0036

From “Duck Tales” (circa 1989). An excellent watercolor of Launchpad running in his flight suit. Signed by Mike Royer. [Image: 8-9/16"W x 10-3/8"H] SeqID 0035

Winnie The Pooh Cel and Richards' Background

2010-03-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

Rob Richards recently posted some great backgrounds from Winnie the Pooh.Since our first cel was a Winnie the Pooh piece, I took note...

One of the backgrounds had a number of "hunny pots" in the background. I decided to super our first Winnie cel on the background and loved the result!

Richards Background

Our First Winnie Cel

Composite Image

Thanks, Rob!

Hollywood Photo Autographed By Film Greats

2010-03-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

This was one of those things you come across and buy just because it is so very cool! Since the Oscars are coming up, I thought you might enjoy seeing this great "Hollywood" sign autographed by many of the Hollywood greats....

George Burns, Buddy Ebsen, Marlene Dietrich, Myrna Loy, Gene Kelly, Lillian Gish, Billy Wilder, Dean Martin, Jessica Tandy, Hume Crowyn, Lauren Bacall, Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

Autographed “Hollywood” sign photo (circa 1991). An 8x10 black and white image of the famous "Hollywood" sign, featuring over one dozen signatures: George Burns, Buddy Ebsen, Marlene Dietrich, Myrna Loy, Gene Kelly, Lillian Gish, Billy Wilder, Dean Martin, Jessica Tandy, Hume Crowyn, Lauren Bacall, Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis. Condition: Excellent. Note: The “Hollywood” sign was originally part of a promotion for a new subdivision and later became the symbol for the movie industry. SeqID-0817 8/2/2005

"Duck Tales" (1989) [Series] - Cel and Master Background

2010-02-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Since my company was involved in teleconferencing, I've tended to collect some artwork that reflected telecommunications technology. This is a nice piece from one of the Duck Tales shows. Good image of the Bad Boys; Huey, Dewey & Louie; and Scrooge McDuck (my favorite). All on a great Master Background.

Key Character Cel and Master Background

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Duck Tales” (1989). A very interesting image of the Bugle Boys on a large TV with Huey, Dewey & Louie and Scrooge McDuck looking at them. Master background. Key. Initialed "TV Film Cell." [Image: 9-13/16"W x 7 7/16"H] SeqID 0034

"Ching Chow" (1938) - Stanley Link Pen And Ink

2010-02-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

A number of early animators expanded upon the characters and humor from the strips. Stanley Link was one of those great, early cartoonists. This piece is from his Ching Chow strip that probably would not be published today....

Stanley Link's "Ching Chow"

Here's some background from Lambiek.Net:

Stanley J. Link (1894 - 24/12/1957). As a teenager, Stanley J. Link took a correspondence course in cartooning. At age sixteen he found his first cartooning job with a Chicago-based animated cartoon company. After freelancing for some time in the early 1920s, Link was hired as an assistant on 'The Gumps'. In the meantime he introduced the popular panel 'Ching Chow' as a daily feature for the News-Tribune group and started his own strip 'Tiny Tim' in 1933. 'Tiny Tim' began as a Sunday feature and was about a boy shrunk to minuscule size. It became a great favorite, especially with children. Stanley Link got into serious trouble with his syndicate however, when he refused to continue 'The Gumps' after Sidney Smith's death in 1935. 'Tiny Tim' eventually folded and Stan Link started a family strip called 'The Dailys', which he drew until shortly before his death in 1957, at the age of 63.

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

“Ching Chow” (1938) by Stanley Link. Probably printed 12/5/1938. Pen and ink. Copyright 1938 by the Chicago Tribune-N.Y. News Syndicate. Note: "12-5" on strip; “475” [Item: 5"W x 7.5"H] Acquired 1998. SeqID-0357

http://lambiek.net/artists/l/link-stanley.htm

"Dudley Do-Right" (circa 1990's) [Series] - Jay Ward Signed Publicity Cel

2010-02-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's nice to have a piece from a show you watched while growing up in front of the TV. The segment in "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" (Rocky and His Friends [1959-1961 and The Bullwinkle Show [1961-1964]). The reason we all remember the show was that it was rerun from 1964 through 1973 and then went into syndication. Much like original Star Trek, the show had a larger-than-life impact that extended well beyond its production period.

This Jay Ward signed piece was a great reminder of Ward's over-the-top character development. Ward was a character in his own right and introduced a number of off-beat characters. Here's a brief bio from Wikipedia:

J Troplong "Jay" Ward (September 20, 1920 – October 12, 1989) was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick and Super Chicken. His company, Jay Ward Productions, also designed the trademark characters for Cap'n Crunch, Quisp and Quake breakfast cereals and made commercials for those products, among others. Ward produced the non-animated series Fractured Flickers that featured comedy redubbing of silent films.

Jay Ward Signed Publicity Cel

From Wikipedia:

Dudley Do-Right was the eponymous hero of a segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show which parodied early 20th century melodrama and silent film (by using only a piano as a musical background) in the form of the Northern genre. Dudley Do-Right was a dim-witted Canadian Mountie who was always trying to catch his nemesis Snidely Whiplash, more often succeeding by pure luck than anything else. He romantically pursued Nell Fenwick, the daughter of Inspector Fenwick, the head of the Mountie station. However, a running gag throughout the series was Nell's interest in his horse (called Horse), to the point that she scarcely noticed Dudley's interest.

In 1969, Dudley Do-Right was featured in his own show, The Dudley Do-Right Show, which consisted primarily of existing episodes from the series, produced by Jay Ward Productions and Total Television. In latter years, Jay Ward Productions created animation cells intended for sale and not for use in animation.

The Dudley Do-Right Show was an animated television series assembled by P.A.T. Film Services, consisting of cartoons produced by Jay Ward Productions and Total Television, which aired Sunday mornings on ABC-TV from April 27, 1969 to September 6, 1970. Each half-hour show included two segments each of Dudley Do-Right Of The Mounties and The World Of Commander McBragg, along with one segment each of Tooter Turtle and The Hunter. Dudley Do-Right was a Jay Ward production, while the other segments were products of Total Television. Both companies used Gamma Productions, a Mexico-based animation studio.

The U.S. syndicated version of the show, called Dudley Do Right And Friends, differs from The Dudley Do-Right Show, featuring most of the same recurring cartoon segments, but a different episode selection. The syndicated package features Dudley Do-Right Of The Mounties, The World Of Commander McBragg, The King And Odie, and The Hunter. The latter two originally appeared as part of King Leonardo And His Short Subjects, a series that aired between October 15, 1960 and September 28, 1963 on NBC-TV. Twenty-six new segments of both series were produced for CBS-TV's Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales in 1963, and these later segments are included in the syndicated Dudley Do Right And Friends.

Actors (voice overs) included:

    * Bill Scott - Dudley Do-Right
    * June Foray - Nell Fenwick
    * Hans Conried - Snidely Whiplash
    * Paul Frees - Inspector Fenwick/Narrator
    * William Conrad did several (but not all) of the narrations.

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Dudley Do-Right: publicity cel” (circa 1990's). Dudley Do-Right, Nell and Horse. Signed by creator Jay Ward. [Image: 11-7/8"W x 9-3/16"H; Frame: 17-3/16"W x 14-3/4"H] SeqID-0175 8/14/2005

"Dr. Snuggles" (circa 1980) [Series] - Rocket & Flying Sheep Cel on Production Background

2010-02-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

In the last post, I mentioned that I tended to also look for aeronautical related animation work. This fun piece from the UK "Dr. Snuggles" is an example. The cel consists of a Rocket (the Dreamy Boom Boom) and Flying Sheep on the Production Background. In addition, the piece is signed by J. O'Kelly who was the writer, producer and creator of the series. Two of series were written by Douglas Adams (of "Hitchhiker's Guide" fame).

Here's the entry from Wikipedia:

Doctor Snuggles is an animated series about a friendly and optimistic inventor named Doctor Snuggles who has unusual adventures with his friends in a slightly psychedelic world. The show featured fantastical scenarios which usually involved Doctor Snuggles inventing something outlandish such as a robot helper or diamond-making machine, and had a variety of supporting characters who were mostly anthropomorphic animals. The show was a co-production between British, German and Dutch producers and was originally released as two separate English and German language versions. In the English language version the title character was narrated by veteran actor Peter Ustinov. The show debuted in 1980, and consisted of thirteen half-hour episodes. The show featured original artwork by Nick Price, original scripts and ideas by Jeffrey O'Kelly, and television scripts by Richard Carpenter. Two episodes (#7 and #12) were written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, both dealing with ecological issues. In the UK the show featured as part of the Watch It! strand for children on the ITV network. In the United States, the series aired on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block and in Ontario, Canada, on TVO.

----- DATABASE NOTES ------

From “Dr. Snuggles” (circa 1980). 10x11" Sotheby’s: "Description (guaranteed) Rocket and flying sheep, gouache on celluloid, with original production background, signed in black felt tip pen by "J. O'Kelly" the writer, producer and creator of the series." The wood spacecraft was called the Dreamy Boom Boom. From the UK. 1980c [Item: 10-3/4"W x 10-1/8"H] Acquired 1999. SeqID-0420

"Donald's Dream Voice" (1948) [Series] - Pencil of Donald Singing

2010-02-09T08:14:00.002-07:00

The types of images that people elect to purchase is highly variable. As I've mentioned previously, we tend to buy images that reflect key moments in a film or images that define a character. However, some collect for other reasons. One person I know collects only images of Snow White. Another person collects golf-related images. In my case, I also tend to collect aeronautical images and images of characters singing (since my wife and daughter are big into vocal music). When we came across this image of Donald, it was another "must have."

For those that don't recall the film, this is from IMDB:

Donald is trying to sell brushes door-to-door, but since nobody can understand him, nobody will buy anything. He happens across a street vendor selling voice pills. They work great, but he's only got a limited number so of course, the last pill ends up in various inconvenient places.

Donald Pencil

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Donald’s Dream Voice” (1948). A pencil sketch of Donald singing. On the sheet: "98" hands outstretched. [Unframed Item: 12"W x 10"H] SeqID-0688 10/14/2005

"Donald In Mathmagic Land" (1959) [Series] - Donald Cel on Master Background

2010-02-03T08:42:00.002-07:00

For the "Geek" in me, I was immediately attracted to this Master Background. AND Donald's great expression was a bonus. Hummm, reminds me of those awkward times when I had to stand in front of the class and repeatedly show that I didn't know what I was doing.

Here's Wikipedia's note on the film:

Donald in Mathmagic Land is a 27 minute Donald Duck featurette released on June 26, 1959. It was directed by Hamilton Luske. Contributors included Disney artists John Hench and Art Riley, voice talent Paul Frees, and scientific expert Heinz Haber, who had worked on the Disney space shows. It was released on a bill with Darby O'Gill and the Little People. In 1959, it was nominated for an Academy Award (Best Documentary - Short Subjects). In 1961, two years after its release, it had the honor of being introduced by Ludwig Von Drake and shown on the first program of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. The film was made available to schools and became one of the most popular educational films ever made by Disney. As Walt Disney explained, "The cartoon is a good medium to stimulate interest. We have recently explained mathematics in a film and in that way excited public interest in this very important subject."

Donald Cel and Master Background

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Donald in Mathmagic Land” (1959). Donald at black board working a math problem. Key setup applied to master background. 3 items in setup. (1) Background is of books and empty blackboard; (2) Cel with formula and eraser; (3) Donald holding chalk. Background: "Science: "BG-H.1" Cel math: "H.4" Cel Donald: D253. Nothing on back. [Unframed Item: 12.5"W x 10.5"H] SeqID 0347 8/3/2005

Vintage Disney Signed Photo Up At Auction Feb. 25-27

2010-02-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

From February 25-27, Heritage Galleries will be auctioning my signed Disney picture that was part of the Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook. Since there are a number of "fake" Walt Disney signed items out there, Heritage had the piece authenticated. Late last year, Heritage auctioned off a number of my non-animation and space artifact items.

Follow this link to the Heritage Gallery site

Here's the item that up for auction....

"Donald Gets Drafted" (1942) [Series] - Donald Pencil w/ Timing Marks

2010-02-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice World War II era sketch of Donald marching. Good example of timing marks. The seller thought that Fred Koepitz may have been the animator on this piece directed by Jack King, but there is no specific information on the sketch to support his opinion.

For a great plot summary, Wikipedia has a great entry....

World War II Donald

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Donald Gets Drafted” (1942).; Director's drawing of Donald marching.; Notes: "61"; timing marks "61 ... 64"; Fin 2 3; Unframed Item: 12"W x 10"H; SeqID-0729; 8/17/2005; From Sotheby's: This drawing features Donald Duck whistling and marching with gun over his shoulder on paper.; Marked on upper right corner and "61" on lower right hand corner.; Excellent condition.; Notes: Donald's movie have (sic) have appeared in 76 countries; his daily comics appeared and have been published in 47 countries and has appeared on television in 29 countries -- "Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters" Grant; p.61; 69-70.; 10x12; Circa 1943.; Seller: Directed by Jack King; which means that Fred Koepitz may have been the animator.; Lead animator’s sketch.

"Building A Building" (1933) [Series] - Mickey and Minnie Pencil

2010-02-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is a fantastic pencil of Mickey and Minnie! Minnie's expression is fantastic and Mickey has a great surprised look that I love....

Mickey and Minnie Pencil

Here is an image from Pierre Lambert's fantastic book, "Mickey Mouse" published in 1998. It's a great image, but I think I like the personality in the pencil we have.... :-)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Building A Building” (1933). An exceptional large pencil sketch image of Mickey and Minnie sitting on top of football goal posts. [11.5”W x 9”H] SeqID 0158.

Reference: Similar image in Lambert, Pierre. Mickey Mouse. NY: Hyperion, 1998. ISBN: 0-7868-6453.2. $150. Limited edition: 000421. Signed by Pierre Lambert. 13"W x 13"H. Page 76. (Lambert SeqID 1469, 1470 & 1471)

"Dog Napper" (1934) [Series] - Mickey and Donald Pencil

2010-01-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Great example of an early Donald with the elongated beak. Don first appeared in "Wise Little Hen" a little earlier in 1934 and his beak was shortened in 1936 re-design....

In this cartoon, Minnie's Fifi has been stolen and Patrolmen Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck track the dognapper, Peg Leg Pete, who has taken Fifi to his hideout in an old, derelict sawmill.

Mickey and Donald Pencil

----- DATABASE NOTES ------

From “Dog Napper” (1934). A very early Donald riding in a side car with Mickey. Chasing off the image on the left with the side car stretched from the motorcycle. [Image: 11.25"W x 6-3/16"H. Frame: 18.5"W x 13.25"H] Acquired 1990. SeqID-0033 Updated: 8/3/2005

Over A Quarter-Million Hits!!!

2010-01-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Over 237,000 hits to the blog! Amazing! When I decided to start posting images from our collection of animation art I thought there would be a small group of individuals interested in some of the items we had collected over the past twenty-plus years. I never expected to meet fantastic people from all over the globe. In addition, contacts via the blog have led to artwork from our collection appearing in a number of new animation related books.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by the check out the blog. I appreciate it...!

Bob ;D

"Don Donald" (1937) [Series] - Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook Items

2010-01-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

"Don Donald" introduced Daisy Duck to the public for the first time. Here is the final group of images from Ingeborg Willy's 1937 scrapbook (Willy had just started to work for Disney in the Pen and Ink Department.

Don Donald Scraps

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Don Donald" (1937). From the Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook.
Wikipedia: Don Donald (first released on January 9, 1937).was Donald Duck's first headliner cartoon. It introduces Donna Duck for the first time as Donald's girlfriend. Clarence Nash voices both since Donna's voice is the same as Donald's an octave higher. The cartoon takes place in Mexico and tells the story of Don Donald going to greet his girlfriend Donna. Donald rides a burro and lets Donna also ride it, but unfortunately Donna hates the animal. Angered at blowing his chances with Donna, Donald trades in his burro for a flashy new red car. Donna loves the new car until it breaks down in the middle of nowhere. She leaves Donald, who is left with nothing but a shrunken sombrero.

"Don Donald" (1937) [Series] - Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook Items

2009-12-14T11:27:00.003-07:00

First of several postings... "Don Donald" (1937) was Donald's first time as a headliner and introduced Donna Duck. Donna was a little more "assertive" in this film -- her character was lightened in subsequent films. Because of its significance, it is a good film for collectibles...

Here are some scraps from the Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook (who worked in the Pen and Ink Department in the late 1930's).

What I liked about the Cactus was the fact that you can see the erasure marks as the character was refined. It really gives you insight into the artist's process.

I was just looking at these and thought that the Disney donkey sure looked a lot like Sparky from the Fleischer "Sparky and Hunky" series....

Ingeborg Willy Scraps

"Do You Have Any Castles" (1938) [Series] - Watercolor Concept

2009-12-12T10:17:00.001-07:00

Here's a nice concept watercolor from Schlesinger/Warner. The films, however, were well crafted. To me, it seemed that many of the cartoons of this period had similar character design -- regardless of studio. This is a watercolor concept of several characters. The color in vivid, character depiction is good, the sight gag of the musicians of different heights using the same bow was clever. Just a great piece of colorful whimsy for the walls...

Watercolor Concept

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

“Do You Have Any Castles” (1938). A Leon Schlesinger Studios production. Also known as “Have You Got Any Castles” as a re-issue. Watercolor concept of characters. [12”W x 12”W] SeqID-1219 11/2/2005

IMDB: Another entry in the "books come alive" subgenre, with possibly more books coming alive than any other. We begin with some musical numbers, notably the various pages of Green Pastures all joining in on a song, The Thin Man entering The White House Cookbook and exiting much fatter, and The House of Seven (Clark) Gables singing backup to Old King Cole. The Three Musketeers break loose, become Three Men on a Horse, grab the Seven Keys to Baldpate, and set the Prisoner of Zenda free. They are soon chased by horsemen from The Charge of the Light Brigade and Under Two Flags and beset by the cannons of All Quiet on the Western Front. All this disturbs the sleep of Rip Van Winkle, who opens Hurricane so that everyone is (all together now) Gone with the Wind. Written by Jon Reeves {jreeves@imdb.com}

The globe on the cover of Pearl Buck's book "The Good Earth" requests blessings for people in his family, including "Papa Leon and Uncle Ray." This is in reference to Leon Schlesinger, who was the executive producer of the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons up until 1944, and Raymond Katz, Schlesinger's brother-in-law, who also worked in the cartoon studio.

"Baggage Buster" (1941) [Series] - Pan Master Background

2009-12-09T09:24:00.001-07:00

Now, a return to the 1940's! I only have one item from The Baggage Buster (1941) and it is great! This is a fantastic watercolor pan Master Background! I like it because of its simplicity and focus on the center Depot Building... It makes a great wall hanging because of its large size (the unframed image is almost 58-inches wide)! The marks on the lower right are start/stop timing marks and cel position marks -- there are position marks on the bottom center as well.

FYI: I was going to modify the light/dark elements in Photoshop until I looked at the color chart that I included in the larger original shot. The light tone of the background is correct and to add some contrast would not have given the correct impression about the pieces role as a "background" element...

Pan Master Background (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Baggage Buster” (1941). Pan master background of depot in this Goofy cartoon. [Image: 57.5"W x 12"H] SeqID-0317

"Fantasia 2000" (1999) [Series] - Five cel Set-up of Noah's Ark Sequence

2009-12-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

More Fantasia 2000 items in the Cowan Collection...

A fantastic 5-cel set-up of the animals getting ready to get on the Art. I'm afraid I couldn't get an image that really matched the wonderful quality of this large (25"x19"). In this segment, Donald is Noah's First Mate that has to deal with the detail of getting everyone on board...

5-Cel Set-up of Noah's Ark Sequence

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia 2000” (1999). Noah's ark and the animals getting ready to get on. This is a five cel setup, one of which is an underlay and two of which are overlays/underlays. [19-3/8x24.75] SeqID-0711

From Sotheby's: The grand ark sits in the distance with heavenly rays shining down upon it as the animals approach it from all directions. (Note: ) Sotheby's auction 7491, Lot 202. BACK: "#1215081 SEQ 4 SCN 21"

wikipedia: Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance - Marches 1, 2, 3 and 4 – is a pastiche of the story of Noah's Ark, with Donald Duck as first mate to Noah. Donald musters the animals to the Ark, and misses, loses, and is reunited with Daisy Duck in the process; music arranged by Peter Schickele, including a wordless soprano solo by Kathleen Battle as part of the No. 1 March ('Land of Hope and Glory').

"Fantasia 2000" (1999) [Series] - Flamingo and Snotty 6 Cels

2009-11-29T11:35:00.001-07:00

More "Fantasia 2000" items in the Cowan Collection....

This is one of my all-time favorites. There is something about about the nonconformist Flamingo that I liked (maybe all of us believe we are nonconformists). This particular image seemed to be a great summary of the Flamingo and the Snotty 6 characters -- an aspect of the art I try to collect... The piece consists of two cels: one of the Flamingos and another cel of the water effects. The music is performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine. Camille Saint-Saëns - The Carnival of the Animals: Finale. Introduced by James Earl Jones. Hope you enjoy it...

Flamingo and Snotty 6

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia 2000” (1999). The Flamingo looking the other way with the Snotty 6. A very contrary visual image of a nonconformist in the middle of the pack. [ From Sotheby's: While the Snotty 6 are walking in unison, the Flamingo plays with his yo-yo. (Note: This is a two cel setup.) 12.5x16-7/8 ] Sotheby's sale 7491, Lot 193. BACK: "#1215083 SEQ 6 SCN 4/7" [Image: 15-1/8"W x 10-9/16"H] SeqID-0710

The music is performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine. Camille Saint-Saëns - The Carnival of the Animals: Finale. Introduced by James Earl Jones

"Fantasia 2000" (1999) [Series] - Baby Whale and Parents Setup and Master Background

2009-11-24T13:21:00.002-07:00

More "Fantasia 2000" items in the Cowan Collection...

An interesting segment in which the whales end up flying through the air. This setup includes two cels (one of the whales and one of the bubble effects) on the Master Background. This had a nice feel to it -- a flowing quality, curiosity and hope...

Two Cel Setup On Master Background

The entry in Wikipedia notes:

Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome – this segment features a family of frolicking humpback whales that are able to fly due to a supernova. At one point, the whale calf is separated from his parents when he's trapped in an iceberg, later finding his way out with his mother's help. The final section, the Via Appia gives the impression of the larger pod of adults in migration.

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia 2000” (1999). Baby whale and parents near iceberg. Note: This is a two cel setup on master background. Notes: BACK: "#123408 SEQ 10 SCN 49" [Image: 15-7/8"W x 10-15/16"H; Frame: 25-1/2"W x 20-1/2"H x 2" deep] SeqID-0709 8/4/2005

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

2009-11-20T14:07:00.001-07:00

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.

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

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

"Fantasia 2000" (1999) [Series] - Preview of Holdings

2009-11-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia 2000"...

It seems like "Fantasia 2000" is often overlooked and is overshadowed by the focus on the innovative "Fantasia" piece. We don't have many items from "Fantasia 2000," but they are nice, original pieces on the Master Backgrounds.

Items To Be Featured

Here is some great information on "Fantasia 2000" from Wiki:

Fantasia 2000, also known as Fantasia Continued in pre-production and concept, is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. A sequel to 1940's Fantasia, the film is the thirty-eighth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. It premiered in the United States on December 17, 1999. As with its predecessor, the film visualizes classical music compositions with various forms of animation and live-action introductions. Set pieces are introduced by a variety of celebrities including Steve Martin, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, Itzhak Perlman, Quincy Jones and Angela Lansbury.

Most music is performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with James Levine conducting all numbers except The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Levine also arranged most scores, except two pieces arranged by Peter Schickele.

The plan for the original Fantasia movie was for it to be a kind of permanently running show, periodically adding new episodes while others would be rotated out. However, the film's failure to achieve success at the box office, combined with the loss of the European market due to World War II, meant that the plan went unused. Accordingly, Fantasia 2000 implemented this idea by retaining the sequence with Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer's apprentice, arguably the most popular segment from the original film.

Composer André Previn reports in his book No Minor Chords that he was approached by Disney to work on as a sequel to Fantasia. He declined the project when he learned that the soundtrack was, at that point, conceived of as an orchestration of Beatles songs.

Development for Fantasia 2000 began in 1990, and production began the following year. The music selections were made as a collective decision by Roy E. Disney, James Levine, and members of the production staff. Most were decisions driven by the musical preferences of the team; Roy personally chose the Pines of Rome. Other pieces were discovered long after the story ideas were set, such as the Steadfast Tin Soldier, where the visuals were based on artwork done for the original Fantasia, but the Shostakovich piece was presented to the team by an animator relatively late into the production schedule.

Fantasia 2000 was originally scheduled for a release in the mid 1990s with the name Fantasia Continued; it was later renamed Fantasia 1999 until the release date was moved into 2000. In order to tie Fantasia 2000 to the original idea of a rotating program, three sections from the original Fantasia were intended to remain in Fantasia 2000. However, only The Sorcerer's Apprentice made it into the final release. The late addition of Rhapsody in Blue replaced Dance of the Hours a year before release, and the Nutcracker Suite was a part of Fantasia 2000 until a few months before it reached theaters. After several test screenings and after much of the publicity material had already been produced, the Nutcracker Suite was removed to shorten the running time of the movie.

Rhapsody in Blue was a work already in progress by director Eric Goldberg (lead animator for the Genie in Aladdin, also inspired by Al Hirschfeld's art), when Disney approached him to complete the piece for the movie. This decision was ideal given the head start on the work and so that the film could include a work from an American composer. Taking on Rhapsody in Blue also allowed Disney to keep the animators assigned to their feature Kingdom of the Sun (later released as The Emperor's New Groove) busy while Kingdom went through an extensive rewrite. Some press articles written after the completion of Groove reversed the roles, saying that Goldberg first approached Disney for Rhapsody for Fantasia 2000 and was initially rejected, and later the producers came back to him as a result of the need find something to do with the animation staff while the Kingdom rewrite was going on.

One significant difference in the musical styles between the films is that in Fantasia 2000 the piano features prominently in more than half of the selections, while the original Fantasia did not have a piano in any segment.

Fantasia 2000 features many technical innovations that would later be utilized in the Disney studio's other animation works, particularly in the use of computers. Both Pines of Rome and The Steadfast Tin Soldier were primarily CGI pieces, completed before Pixar's landmark film Toy Story was released. The horns on the elk in The Firebird were CGI-rendered on top of hand-drawn animation (giving them a higher consistency, when compared to Bambi which was all drawn by hand), a technique that would be used in Treasure Planet for the character Silver.

The producers felt that some break between the musical segments was necessary to "cleanse the palate", so a series of "interstitials" were directed by Disney animation producer Don Hahn. Instead of using a single narrator as in Fantasia, the individual pieces are introduced by people from different areas of the art world. After the film opens with Beethoven's Fifth, Steve Martin discusses the history of Fantasia being a continuing concept and is immediately followed by Itzhak Perlman, who introduces Pines of Rome. Quincy Jones leads into the Gershwin number, and Bette Midler gives an introduction to the Shostakovich concerto, both featuring on screen the piano players for the respective pieces. James Earl Jones introduces Carnival of the Animals with director Eric Goldberg, and, appropriately enough, magicians Penn and Teller make an appearance before The Sorcerer's Apprentice. When this piece concludes with Mickey Mouse's conversation with conductor Leopold Stokowski from the original Fantasia, Mickey then moves on to chat with Levine before the latter introduces Pomp and Circumstance. The final sequence of The Firebird is introduced by Angela Lansbury.

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Recap

2009-11-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well, that's the end of the material in the collection from "Fantasia" (1940). Here's a recap of the items posted...

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Disney Autograph, Mickey Cel & Artifacts

2009-11-11T09:31:00.005-07:00

More items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"...

UPDATE: 6/3/2010...Through the wonder of communications, I just received an email from Irene Kanelstein with a few corrections. She noted that she did not receive a prize of $300, which way my mistake. The newspaper article stated that she received the cel which was valued at $300. In addition she notes that she sold the item because of the effects of Florida weather on the cel and not, as I had been told, to help raise funds for cancer treatment. It was a thrill to hear from her and the exchange further supports the great power of the internet!

This is my favorite group of items. In 1941, Disney and the New York Federation of Music Clubs conducted a contest for the best essay entitled "What I Like Best In Fantasia." The winner, 13 year-old Irene Kanelstein, was given a cel of Mickey as the Sorcerer's Apprentice and a dedication by Walt Disney. The two items were put together by Courvoisier Galleries. When I received the artwork, I was surprised to discover on the back of the frame the original essay that Ms. Kanelstein submitted and a newspaper clipping from the June 13, 1941 "New York Times." We felt that the additional material should be displayed and since the original frame was in poor condition, we had the whole group re-framed and placed side-by-side. Of note, Ms. Kanelstein was also given a $300 prize -- which, using the Consumer Price Index, was worth a little over $4,000 in 2008 dollars. The cel is great, Walt's note to Ms. Kanelstein is nice and the additional material provides a fantastic back-story to the whole grouping... The material was the property of Ms. Kenelstein until a few years ago when she sold it at auction to pay for cancer treatments.

Disney Autograph, Mickey Cel and Historical Papers (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940). A gouache on celluloid depicts Mickey Mouse instructing a broom to fill up the buckets from THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE section of the film, applied to a production watercolor background, inscribed lower right “My Best Wishes to Irene Kenelstein - Winner Fantasia Essay Contest Walt Disney.” On the back is a . The consignor won this as a prize for the best essay on "What I Like Best in Fantasia," a competition put on by the New York Federation of Music Clubs. Another frame includes the Courvoisier Galleries label stating "This original 'background' and 'cel' painting from the Walt Disney Studios was used in the filming of Fantasia, "the essay that she submitted when she was thirteen years old and a newspaper article from The New York Times, June 13, 1941 entitled "Wins Music Clubs' Prize, Irene Kanelstein, Recipient of the Fantasia Award". SeqID 1146 8/1/2005

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Sorcerer's Apprentice Multi-Cel Setup On Production Watercolor Background

2009-11-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

More items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"...

This is one of the more amazing cel groups we have in the collection. In all, I think there are more than 4 cels in the grouping (mostly bubble effects) over the watercolor production background. Since I like to leave a little air space between the cels, I end up getting some uneven surfaces. This isn't a problem when looking at the artwork, but really becomes a problem when trying to shoot the artwork with a flash!

Mickey Mult-Cel Setup on Production Background (click to enlarge)

A few years ago, I was flipping through Lambert's "Mickey Mouse" that we purchased in 1998 and saw an image very similar to the one we bought in 2000. Here's a scan of the image from page 222 in his book. Frankly, it sure looks like the same exact piece....

Mickey Setup on Lambert's Book

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Fantasia" (1940), the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence. Mickey, in Sorcerer's hat, trying to bail out water with bucket. [ From Sotheby's: Walt Disney celluloid of Mickey Mouse from "Fantasia," 1940. The multi-cel setup depicts Mickey Mouse desperately trying to bail out the water from The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence, applied to an original key watercolor production background, matted and framed. 8.5x10.5 ] Sotheby's auction 7491, Lot 248. [Image: 11”W x 9"H; Frame: 21"W x 18.75"H] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0715 Updated: 7/28/2005

Reference: Very close match page 222. Lambert, Pierre. Mickey Mouse. NY: Hyperion, 1998. ISBN: 0-7868-6453.2. $150. Limited edition: 000421. [13"W x 13"H] Limited Edition: 000421. Signed: Pierre Lambert. SeqID 1471

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Leica Reel of Mickey Chopping A Broom

2009-11-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

More items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"...

This is really a fantastic little piece... A small (8"W x 7"H") watercolor storyboard of Mickey chopping a broom in half with an axe. The color, while subdued, is rich. The action is well depicted. And it represents Mickey's reaction to Magic that he can not figure out how to control. It also represents the start of the entire multiplication sequence that overwhelms Mickey...

Leica Watercolor Storyboard (click to enlarge)

For a fantastic explanation of the Leica Reel, I would refer you to a great posting by Hans Perk and his A Film L.A. blog on the topic. Here is one page from Hans' posting... Please follow the link to read the rest of Hans' interesting post.

Page 1 of Hans Perk's Posting on Leica Reel

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940). A watercolor story board for a Leica Reel of Mickey chopping a broom in half with a hatchet. Back: Nothing. [Image: 5-1/4"W x 4-1/8"H. Frame: 8-3/8"W x 7-1/4"H] SeqID-0716 7/29/2005

NOTE: Image used in Mindy Aloff’s book “Hippo In A Tutu” (SeqID-1953), pg. 98.

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Mickey Pencil

2009-11-05T06:27:00.001-07:00

More items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"...

This is one of my favorite Mickey pencils. Great character, large image, good expression and representative of one of the key moments as Mickey starts to exert his "power."

Mickey Pencil (click to enlarge)

Here is a similar image from the Disney web site. Frankly, I like the pencil that we have -- a little more facial expression and I like the hand/finger positioning...

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From Fantasia (1940), the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence. Excellent pose of Mickey in full apprentice costume. Hands outstretched. Looking over his right shoulder with a grin. Hat slightly bent. Stu thinks this is one of the best images of Mickey he's seen. [9.5”W x 7”H] SeqID 0039
Reference: In the WD Fantasia book, there is a cel almost identical featured on page 89. Also very similar image on the Disney web site.

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Mickey Pencil

2009-11-04T08:37:00.002-07:00

More items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"...

This is one of several Mickey pencils that we have. A nice piece that is low key, but is really a pretty good example of communicating a character's personality without seeing the eyes.

Notice the erasure marks around the hat... I'm not sure who's initials are on the lower right...

Mickey as Sorcerer's Apprentice (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940). A pencil sketch from the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence. Mickey as Sorcerer, seated with hat over his eyes. Notes: "D53 BC" Stamp: 2004 7.055.0 Good, large image. Looks like Mickey just fell and is getting himself together. Nothing on back. [Unframed Image 12"W X 10"H] SeqID-0349 8/3/2005

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Ava Maria Sequence Cel

2009-11-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

More "Fantasia" items from the Cowan Collection...

This is one of the more peaceful and reflective cels in the collection -- the Nuns traveling in the Ava Maria sequence.

There are two cels: one of the Nuns and another of the ground and foreground trees. The background is airbrushed.

Ava Maria Cel (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940), the Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. [ From Sotheby's: Walt Disney celluloid from "Fantasia," 1940. The gouache on celluloid depicting nuns bearing candles from the Night on Bald Mountain/Ava Maria sequence, applied to an airbrushed background, matted and framed. 8.5x13. Sotheby's auction 7491, Lot 289. BACK: The Bonfoey Co., Cleveland, OH 216-621-0178. FRONT: WD (ink) stamp in lower left. [Image: 13"W x 8-11/16"H] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0722 Updated: 7/16/2005

NOTE: Image used in Mindy Aloff’s book “Hippo In A Tutu” (SeqID-1953), pg. 155. “A production cel on a non-production background of the Pilgrims’ Procession in Fantasia’s ‘Ave Maria.’” Aloff, Mindy. "Hippo In A Tutu: Dance in Disney Animation." Los Angeles, CA: Disney Editions, 2008.

Question About Disney Artist Richard Case

2009-11-02T09:59:00.002-07:00

I received the following email and wondered if anyone could supply some additional information...

Hello Robert:

My father in law Richard Case recently passed away at 94. We have been trying to find any information on Richard Case's early years with Disney Studios back in 1939-1940. He worked on the backgrounds for cartoon title illustrations, the Ugly Duckling and Fantasia among others. Is there any data base of early Disney employee's where we could search for information on Richard Case that you may know about? So far after extensive web searching I am still coming up short.

We have found an Ugly Duckling Book he had and a group of slides from his cartoon title illustrations among his things. The bulk of his Disney work was stolen or misplaced in a house move. We did recently get an email from someone in Colorado who purchased a porky pig drawing signed by Richard Case from an antique shop.

Any help you can give us would be appreciated.

Thanks Robert.
John King

If anyone has additional information, please post a comment here and I'll pass it along to Mr. King.

If you have an interest in seeing some of Richard Case's later abstract work, here is the link.

Bob ;-D

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Concept Oil Painting

2009-10-29T09:32:00.001-06:00

More "Fantasia" items in the Cowan Collection...

This is a fantastic piece. What attracted me to the piece was its dark and sinister mood -- very different from the water color pieces that are in our collection. In fact, this piece has to be displayed in a very bright location so the viewer can see the tremendous shadow detail. I'm afraid photographs don't do a very good job of capturing the extraordinary artistic work...

One individual mentioned that it may have been done by Tom Codrick (I'm not sure about the spelling), but I don't have any verification of that fact...

Fantasia Oil Painting (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940). The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence. An oil painting of the stairs leading to the Sorcerer's lair. Dark, mysterious. Note: Perhaps drawn by Tom Codrick. [ From Sotheby's: Walt Disney color study from "Fantasia," 1940. The oil on paper is a conceptual study of the Sorcerer's lair from The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence, inscribed "Prod 2004 Seq. 004", matted. 9.5x11.5 ] Sotheby's auction 7491. [Item: 17-3/4"W x 16"H] SeqID-0714

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Autumn Fairy Cel

2009-10-26T14:00:00.001-06:00

More items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"

A very nice Courvoisier featuring cels of the Autumn Fairy and flowers...

Autumn Fairy Cel (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940), the Nutcracker Suite sequence. The Autumn Fairy dancing above a blue flower on the pond -- surrounded by orange flowers. [ From Sotheby's: Walt Disney Celluloid from "Fantasia," 1940. The gouache on celluloid depicts an Autumn Fairy from Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker Suite sequence, applied to a Courvoisier airbrushed background, stamped WDP lower right, Courvoisier Galleries ® label on the reverse, matted and framed. 8.75x14 ] Sotheby's auction 7491, Lot 237. BACK: Courvoisier sticker; The Bonfoey Co., Cleveland, OH 216-621-0178. FRONT: WD ink stamp lower right. [Image: 14"W x 8-3/4"H. Frame: 19-1/2"W x 15-13/16"H] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0713

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Pegasus Family Cel

2009-10-25T07:16:00.000-06:00

More "Fantasia" items in the Cowan Collection

I've always thought that this was a great set-up... Great feeling for the characters and a nice pose for all. The reds are still vivid in this piece (it seems the reds tend to lose brilliance over time).

Pegasus Home (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940), the Pastoral Symphony sequence. From “Fantasia” (1940), the Pastoral Symphony sequence. The gouache on celluloid depicts the mother Pegasus in her nest with three of her babies from The Pastoral Symphony sequence, applied to a Courvoisier airbrushed background, with the Courvoisier Galleries ® label on the reverse, matted and framed. [Image: 9-3/8"W x 8"H; Frame: 16-5/8"W x 15-1/4"H] SeqID-0719 7/16/2005

Computer Is Back !!!

2009-10-23T13:19:00.000-06:00

Finally! After "losing" my computer somewhere in the repair facility, my laptop finally found its way home...

More posts as soon as I check out the computer....

Bob ;D

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Pencil Concept of Pegasus

2009-10-06T10:19:00.001-06:00

More postings from the Cowan Collection's "Fantasia" holdings...

I've always thought this was a great concept for one of the younger Pegasus characters. Good character development. And a somewhat unexpected movement -- although I've seen horses scratch behind their ears in exactly the same way. Nice inclusion of the stream and willows...

My notes indicated that he was called "Peter," but I wasn't sure. I did a quick search and found this interesting link:

Peter was retroactively named after his popularity grew from the release of "Fantasia." As such, several Peter Pegasus shorts were planned and went into pre-production in the early 1940s, including one titled "Peter Pegasus" as a segment to "Invitation to Dance" which would have also brought back the dancing mushrooms from the "Nutcracker" segment of "Fantasia." The basic plot involved a series of misadventures after sneaking out of his nest, including following a family of ducks a la "The Ugly Duckling," and accidentally disturbing an angry bee. It never progressed beyond the storyboard. As they say, "If wishes were horses..." (sigh). Recently, another "Baby Pegasus" was introduced in the film "Hercules" (June 27, 1997) as the Hero's childhood playmate who grows up to become his faithful companion. This one was formed from the clouds by Zeus, and is not known for his intelligence, but loyalty certainly counts. The only occasions I can think of where Disney used a winged horse was in "Donald Duck" #27 (Jan. 1953) in a tale called "The Flying Horse," where Donald, $crooge and the Nephews encounter a mechanical one. An inventor trades Donald the metal horse for Uncle $crooge's helicopter and later reneges. Another time was in the time travel tale in "Uncle Scrooge" #75 (June 1968), where Gyro, Uncle $crooge, and Huey, Dewey & Louie tavel to ancient Greece during "The Battle of Marathon" (hence the title of the story) and an ancient inventor has likewise created a mechanical winged horse which carries them all from the battlefied to safety, before they return to the present. And finally the "real" Pegasus appeared in "Super Goof #34 (June 1975) in "The Golden Apple-Picker" when the evil Emil Eagle tests his Fantasy-Fact Fixer gizmo which transports him, Clarabelle, Super Goof and Pegasus (who had followed him from a previous attempt), through a portal to the Garden of Hesperides of ancient Greek myth.

Pencil Concept (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

Graphite concept sketch of Peter Pegasus during the Pastoral Symphony sequence from “Fantasia” (1940). [12Wx9.5H]

New Business Blog

2009-10-03T11:37:00.000-06:00

For those of you interested in business development or starting a new business, you might want to check out the new blog "Rich Niche Group" started by Ken Balog.

When Ken started to work for my company, I was impressed with his creativity and knowledge of the "consultative sale" process. While Ken and I have not worked together for over 10 years, I was honored that he would kick off his new blog by interviewing me.

"Good luck, Ken"....!

"Fantasia" (1940; 1987) - Disney's First Limited Edition Set

2009-09-29T12:28:00.000-06:00

Items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia".....

After seeing the animation market heat up and offering a few original pieces in auction, Disney decided to create Limited Editions to capitalize on the demand for artwork.

Disney started with six hand-inked reproduction cels from "Fantasia." The cels were of different characters and, generally, were thought by the Studio to be the best rendition of each character. Since this was Disney's first major entry into the market, the cels came in a very nice folder and offered plenty of descriptive material. Because the market was unknown, there were only 250 copies of each cel.

One of the more unusual aspects was that the cel was laminated on the normally exposed painted side to avoid the traditional problems of the paint lifting off the cel material. I don't believe this technique was used in subsequent Limited Editions. I thought this was an advantage here in our low humidity climate in Colorado. For the first time, I could place cels in a non-humidified area of the house and not be overly concerned about paint problems.

Don't forget to click on the picture to see an enlargement...

Limited Edition Satin Covered Folder

Opening Introduction to the Limited Edition Series

Adhesive Backing for each cel

Sorcerer's Apprentice Sequence

Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence. Limited edition #87/275. Mickey as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. [15”W x 11”H] SeqID-0042

Pastoral Symphony Sequence: Brudus and Melinda

Pastoral Symphony sequence. Limited edition #87/275. Brudus walks with Melinda (Centaur & Centaurette) while the cupids watch from above. [15"W x 13"H] SeqID 0045

Pastoral Symphony Sequence: Faun, Bacchus and Jacchus

Pastoral Symphony sequence. From Fantasia Limited Edition #87/275. Faun and Bacchus riding Jacchus. [Image: 14-15/16"W x 11-3/16"H. Frame: 23-5/8"W x 19-7/8"H] SeqID-0153 8/3/2005

Dance of the Hours Sequence: Ben Ali Gator and Hyacinth Hippo

Dance of the Hours sequence. Limited edition #87/275. Ben Ali Gator is dancing with Hyacinth Hippo. [Image: 14-15/16"W x 11-3/16"H; Frame: 23-5/8"W x 19-7/8"H] SeqID-0154 8/3/2005

Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria Sequence: Chernabog

Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. Limited edition #87/275. Chernabog with evil pose. [Image: 14-15/16"W x 11-3/16"H. Frame: 23-5/8"W x 19-7/8"H] SeqID-0155 8/3/2005

Pastoral Symphony Sequence: Pegasus (white and black)

Pastoral Symphony sequence. Limited edition #87/275. Pegasus (black) and his wife (white) flying. [Image: 14-15/16"W x 11-3/16"H; Frame: 23-5/8"W x 19-7/8"H] SeqID-0156 8/3/2005

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Fantasia" (1940; 1987). A blue book cover that held the cels from Fantasia that made up the first Disney Limited Edition release. The book contained 6 cels: #0042, 0045, 0153, 0154, 0155, 0156. [Item: 16-3/8"W x 12-3/4"H] SeqID 0041

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Nubian Centaurette Pencil & Pin

2009-09-27T08:25:00.002-06:00

More postings of "Fantasia" items in the Cowan Collection...

Note: Stephen made a comment that this version of the Centaurette is in the film. And it's in my DVD as well. Frankly, I don't know what I was thinking about when I typed of the info in my database that this character was deleted from the film. You can see the strike-through corrections below. Now, I'm assuming that there is no difference between the DVD version of Fantasia and what appeared on the screen -- I'm just don't have that expertise.... Thanks, again, Stephen!

In the last posting, I put up a Centaurette pencil that didn't make it into the film. ~~According to my notes, this more elegant version was also deleted from the final film -- although the sequence & scene stamp would indicate that it had made it pretty far in the process.~~ Here is another Centaurette that did make it into the film -- a rather elegant version.

There are some initials in the lower right -- if anyone has an idea as to the meaning, please let me know...

~~Then it seems that the character was brought back in "Aida" (at least that was my reaction when I saw the musical on Broadway).~~ A few years ago, I was at Disney World and stopped by a shop to pick up a few trading pins. I was surprised to see the Nubian pin AND I was surprised to see that the pin was so similar to the pencil in the collection. ~~I thought it was odd that there would be a trading pin of a character that was deleted and was so similar to the pencil~~.

Nubian Centaurette Pencil (click to enlarge)

Nubian Centaurette Trading Pin

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940), the Pastoral Symphony sequence. The graphite and colored pencil on paper drawing depicts a Nubian Centaurette holding a fan from The Pastoral Symphony sequence, a scene that was later deleted from the final version of the film, annotated "A15" "PROD 2004 SEQ 4.3 SCENE 25" "?THE?" Green in shadows. [Unframed 16-field] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0717 8/6/2005

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Black Centaurette Pencil

2009-09-26T07:51:00.001-06:00

More postings of items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"...

This character was pulled from the film, which was an interesting statement about the times. It also represents a shift from similar characters in previous Disney films.

There are the initials "WK" on the piece and the seller thought the image might have been drawn by Ward Kimball or Walt Kelly (of "Pogo" fame), but there is no specific indication of that fact. I don't have any additional information that would provide any clues. If you have any thoughts, please leave a comment....

Black Centaurette Pencil (click to enlarge)

------ DATABASE NOTES ------

From Fantasia (1940), the Pastoral Symphony sequence. A pencil sketch of a black Centaurette (#45) with flower in her mouth. Notes: "#45"; the image has "WK" written on it. [Image: 11-1/4"W x 9"H] SeqID 0040
Seller thinks this stands for Ward Kimball or Walt Kelly. He thinks the nature of the image would lead him to think it's Walt Kelly -- who did Pogo.

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - 1940 Disney Studio Christmas Card

2009-09-24T06:32:00.003-06:00

Additional postings of "Fantasia" items from the Cowan Collection...

I had posted this some time ago, but I'm regrouping it with the current focus on Fantasia items. I didn't have much information about the card at the time of the first posting, but there were a number of great comments that helped add some additional detail to my files.

The person on the left is Leopold Stokowski and on the far right is Robert Benchly. One comment (DisneyDave) suggested that the card may have been created by Hank Porter (an animator that was moved to the Publicity and Merchandise Art Department). [Note: I received a comment from David saying that the card was definitely done by Porter.]

Disney Studio Christmas Card (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

1940 Disney Studio Christmas Card, which celebrated “Fantasia.” The card folds out four times it’s length. Near Mint condition. The figure on the left is Leopold Stokowski and on the far right is Robert Benchly. The card may have been created by Hank Porter. Porter was an animator that was transferred to the Publicity and Merchandise Art Department. [27.5W x 6H] Acquired 2004. SeqID-1149 5/12/2008

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Dance of the Hours Cel

2009-09-21T09:24:00.001-06:00

More "Fantasia" items from the Cowan Collection...

This cel is a little different because of the large number of characters on the cel -- 13 in all. While you might think that the alligator in the front is on another cel, it isn't ...The cel is on an airbrushed background.

Alligators Cel (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940) -- Dance of the Hours sequence. ‘Dance of the Hours’ Sequence celluloid on airbrushed background -- 13 alligators in all. Unusual to have such a large number is a single cel. [ From Sotheby's: Walt Disney Dance of the Hours sequence celluloid from "Fantasia," 1940. The gouache on celluloid depicts the alligators dancing from the Dance of the Hours sequence, applied to a non-production purple airbrushed background. 11x15. ] Sotheby's auction 7491, Lot 273. FRONT: "13" Watercolor background. BACK: nothing. [Item: 15"W X 11"H] SeqID-0721

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Lee Blair Ben Ali Gator and Hyacinth Hippo Pencil Concept

2009-09-17T06:12:00.002-06:00

More postings of items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"...

This is a great piece! Super expressions! As I've mentioned before, I try to collect images that represent key moments in the film and/or images that capture the essence of a character. This is a good example.

Note: Thanks for the corrections. I first wrote "Les" Blair and have corrected it to "Lee" Blair. I appreciate it...

This image was featured in Mindy Aloff's book "Hippo In A Tutu" (pg. 113) and had this to say about the image: “A Lee Blair story sketch of Hyacinth Hippo being partnered enthusiastically in arabesque on pointe by Ben Ali Gator in 'Dance of the Hours.' Lee Blair was married to Disney inspirational artist Mary Blair.” The Blair Connection was a result of Aloff's research and wasn't based on any information I had about the piece.

Lee Blair Pencil Concept

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940), the Dance of the Hours sequence. Pencil concept sketch of Ben Ali Gator is dancing with Hyacinth Hippo. Notes: "WDP" stamp on lower right. [Image: 10-5/8"W x 8"H; Frame: 16-7/8"W x 14-3/8"H] SeqID-0168 8/3/2005

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Maquettes

2009-09-10T09:49:00.002-06:00

More posts of "Fantasia" items in the Cowan Collection...

I have always been impressed with the Maquettes. While they were used to help the animators visualize the character from different angles, I have been amazed with how well the small figures also captured the essence of the character.

It took me 15 years to find a set and I feel lucky to have found these from "Fantasia." Recently, photos of them appeared in Mandy Aloff's book "Hippo In A Tutu: Dance in Disney Animation. I've put in several different types of images so you can get a better feel for the figures...

Maquettes (click to enlarge)

Ben Ali Gator

Elephancine Elephant

Hyacinth Hippo

Mille. Upanova

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940). A complete set of Maquettes (French for "scale model") from the film and painted by Mary Blair. Included are: (1) Ben Ali Gator, (2) Elephancine elephant, (3) Hyacinth Hippo and (4) Mlle. Upanova. Mint condition. Acquired 2004. SeqID-1156 1 thru 4 Updated: 7/30/2005

6/2/2008: Image selected for use by Ms. Mandy Aloff for her book - Aloff, Mindy. Hippo In A Tutu: Dance in Disney Animation. Los Angeles, CA: Disney Editions, 2008.

New French Collector and His Blog

2009-09-08T09:14:00.000-06:00

I just received a nice email from Mathias in France concerning his new blog of animation artwork he has been collecting.

http://collectiondessindanimation.blogspot.com/

I was amazed to see that a number of his pieces are very similar to my own!

While the blog is in French, it is well worth checking out....

Thanks, Mathias!

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Orchid Girl Pastel

2009-09-08T08:47:00.001-06:00

Items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"...

This is one of the nicest pieces. A large pastel on black paper image of the "Orchid Girl" from the Nictcracker Suite sequence. I love the color -- which seems to really "pop" on the black paper. And the white around the edges could not be displayed on any other background...

One of my notes says that this may have been drawn by Jules Engle (source: Mindy Aloff in ther book "Hippo In A Tutu").

Pastel of the Orchid Girl (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940), the Nutcracker Suite sequence. A pastel on black paper of the “Orchid Girl” dancing flower from The Nutcracker Suite sequence. Possibly drawn by Jules Engle (source: Mindy Aloff). BACK: The Bonfoey Co., Cleveland, OH 216-621-0178. [Image: 11-11/16"W x 9-5/8"H; Frame: 16-1/2"W x 17"H] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0712 Updated: 8/3/2005

NOTE: Image used in Mindy Aloff’s book “Hippo In A Tutu” (SeqID-1953), pg. 176. “A pastel sketch (possibly by Jules Engel) of the little Orchid Dancer for Fantasia’s ‘Nutcracker Suite’.”

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Unicorn Model Sheet

2009-09-07T07:42:00.000-06:00

More images of Fantasia items in the Cowan Collection...

This was an interesting piece. A very large image of a Unicorn. The image was trimmed and glued to one half of a file folder. In addition, the approval stamp from the Character Model Department was glued to the file folder as well. Probably the "JG" is Joe Grant. I'm not sure about the "M.D." or "M.P." on the stamp.

Unicorn Model Sheet (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Fantasia" (1940), the Pastoral Symphony sequence. Original Conte' unicorn model sheet. Model cut out and glued to a file folder with notice from the Character Model Dept. Notes: Original ink "OK by JG 11-1-39"; "M258-D" "JG" stands for Joe Grant. [Unframed Item: 11-3/4"W x 9"H] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0453 8/14/2005

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Rite of Spring Watercolor Concept

2009-09-04T07:58:00.006-06:00

More postings of Fantasia items in the Cowan Collection...

This is a GREAT concept piece! My son's favorite piece...!

Good action. Good depth. Stunning color -- much different than some of the typical subtle coloring seen in concept pieces.

"Rite of Spring" Watercolor Concept (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940). Spectacular watercolor concept painting from the "Rite of Spring" sequence showing a T-Rex and other Dinosaurs in a prehistoric jungle swamp. SeqID-1231 8/1/2005

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Charcoal Concepts (not used)

2009-09-03T07:37:00.003-06:00

More postings of Fantasia related items in the Cowan Collection...

I have always enjoyed collecting pieces that never made it to the final movie. Here are two examples.

This was from an "underworld" sequence in the Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Marie portion of the film. Strong images and, I think, very dynamic! The use of shadow underscores the darkness of spirit. Some aspects reminded me of the statues on Easter Island.

Charcoal Concepts (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940). From the Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. A set of two framed images. (1) Excellent charcoal concept piece of skeleton's dancing below the earth. Shadow of Chernabog on the wall. Dark feeling. Small, but superior in its detail and design. (2) The images resemble those found on Easter Island. The subterranean sequence was not used in the final film. [2 framed images @ Image: 5-1/4"W x 3-3/4"H. Frame: 12-1/8"W x 11-5/8"H] SeqID-0043 for both. 7/15/2005

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Watercolor Concept

2009-09-01T06:56:00.003-06:00

More postings of items in the Cowan Collection from "Fantasia"...

This is a great graphite and watercolor concept of what was called the "Bug Orchestra."

When I last posted this, I mentioned that the story (as it was told to me) was that there was a point when it was not clear that Stikowski would continue with the project and that some rough ideas were generated for an "alternative" to the orchestra. Several readers wrote that the story I heard may have been incorrect. Regardless, this is a nice piece and gives the viewer some additional insight into the creative process.

Watercolor Concept (click to enlarge)

Stamp on the back (significantly enlarged)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

Graphite and watercolor concept drawing of “Bug Orchestra,” which was deleted when arrangements with Liopold Stikowski were finalized, from “Fantasia” (1940). [12Wx10H]

"Fantasia" (1940;1991) [Series] - Video Tape Litho

2009-08-31T10:18:00.004-06:00

More postings of Fantasia items in the Cowan Collection...

This litho came with the release of the Fantasia video tape set. A nice piece. An unknown number of lithos in the series...

Mickey Fantasia Litho

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Fantasia" (1940/1991), the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence. A Litho that came with the release of the Fantasia video tape set. Dark image of Mickey stalking the sorcerer in the hall. He's getting ready to get the hat. Stamped "1991" on the certificate of authenticity. [14”W x 11”H] Acquired 1991. SeqID-0162
Reference: Featured in the Fantasia book on page 85. and in “Mickey Mouse” pg. 187.

"Fantasia" (1940;1990) [Series] - 50th Anniv. Limited Edition

2009-08-27T15:36:00.005-06:00

A series of postings of Fantasia items in the Cowan Collection...

There are always some nice pieces that you run across that are just fun to have. Case in point, this graphite and colored pencil Limited Edition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Fantasia.

While the bulk of the items we pick up are pencils and cels, we tend to pick up other pieces as well. The nice thing about some of these items is that they hold up well to placement anywhere in our low-humidity house in Colorado. Good color. Good action. Just a great little piece. There are a few comments in the "NOTES" below that you might find interesting...

Pegasus and Unicorn Limited Edition (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Fantasia" (1940; 1990), the Pastoral Symphony sequence. Came as a gift from Animation USA. A graphite and colored pencil "308/500" "Pegasus and Unicorn from Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral), Ludwig van Beethoven" Appears to be a pastel concept of the figures. The characters were initially to dance/move to a different piece of music -- Cydalise. The unicorn stayed much the same in the final rendition. However, Pegasus was changed to be more stately and graceful. Print embossed with "Fantasia 50 Years Limited Edition" in lower right (1990 release). Similar images can be seen in the Fantasia book, pg. 144. [Item: 20"W x 16"H] Acquired 1998. SeqID-0397

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Bacchus Model Sheet

2009-08-25T11:04:00.003-06:00

The on-going posts of Fantasia items in the Cowan Collection

Here is a nice stat model sheet of Bacchus. The "OK by JG" is probably Joe Grant...

Bacchus Model Sheet (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From "Fantasia" (1940), the Pastoral Symphony sequence. A stat cleanup model sheet of Bacchus. Notes: "OK by JG"; "Date 3-29-40"; "Number M339A" "2004"; "SEQ 04.0 - 04.4 -04.5" "JG" is Joe Grant. Exact copy is in the Fantasia book, page 146. Animated by Ward Kimball and Walt Kelly (who did Pogo). [Item: 14"W X 11"H] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0503

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Recording

2009-08-19T09:42:00.003-06:00

Still sounds great!

These are Bozo The Clown recordings of Fantasia. A nice example of cross-marketing...

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

A Capitol Records' phonograph set 78-rpm "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" (circa 1940). Two records in the set. Part of the Bozo The Clown series. Cover is in good condition. Antiques Downtown Mall, 515 E. Houston St., 78205 512-224-8845. [Item: 10-1/8"W x 10-1/8"H] Acquired 1998. Update: 3/29/1998

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - "A Nazi Abuse": A 1940 New York Tribune Movie Review

2009-08-12T08:00:00.006-06:00

As series of postings of "Fantasia" items in the Cowan Collection...

On November 25, 1940 Dorothy Thompson wrote a movie review for the New York Tribune after watching "Fantasia." The article posted here was a reprint of that review, probably in a West Coast paper.

"A 'Nazi' Abuse"
Click to Enlarge

I'm certainly no film critic, but I thought "Fantasia" broke new ground on a number of fronts: introduction of multi-channel audio, a segmented film concept that could be re-released with new and updated segments, and a significant effort to use classical themes rather than relying on typical cartoon "slapstick." What was interesting was that the film received recognition with two Special Awards -- innovation with Fantasound and the unique visualization of music in the film.

From a financial perspective, the film was not very successful. The full stereo version was only shown in 12 theaters and only 16 complete copies of the film were ever made. People that were expecting a traditional cartoon literally walked out of the 125-minute film and RKO's editing to 81-minutes didn't seem to help much. I was surprised to learn that the film didn't achieve profitability until 1969. However, today the film is viewed very differently. In 1998, it ranked 58 on the AFI's list of the Top 100 films.

Wikipedia has a good summary on "Fantasia":

Fantasia is a 1940 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Fantasia features animation set to classical music and no dialogue—only spoken introductions by host Deems Taylor before segments. The music was recorded under the direction of Leopold Stokowski and seven of the eight pieces were performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Animated artwork of varying degrees of abstraction or literalism was used to illustrate or accompany the concert in various ways. The film also includes live-action segments featuring Leopold Stokowski, the orchestra and American composer and music critic Deems Taylor. Fantasia was notable for what were then considered its avant-garde qualities and for being the first major film released in stereophonic sound—using a process dubbed "Fantasound".

Fantasia was originally released by Walt Disney Productions itself rather than RKO Pictures, which normally distributed the Disney films, and exhibited as a two-hour and twenty minute roadshow film (counting the intermission) with reserved-seat engagements. The film opened to mixed critical reaction and failed to generate a large commercial audience, which left Disney in financial straits.

Fantasia was eventually picked up by RKO for release in 1941 and edited drastically to a running time of 81 minutes in 1942. Five subsequent re-releases of Fantasia between 1946 and 1977 restored various amounts of the deleted footage, with the most common version being the 1946 rerelease edit, which ran nine minutes shorter than the original 124 minute roadshow version. A 1982 reissue featured a newly recorded digital soundtrack conducted by composer Irwin Kostal, but was taken out of circulation in 1990 after a restored version of the original Stokowski-conducted soundtrack was prepared. The original version of Fantasia was never released again after 1941, and although some of the original audio elements no longer exist, a 2000 DVD release version attempted to restore as much of the original version of the film as possible.

Disney had wanted Fantasia to be an ongoing project, ideally with a new release each year. The plan was to repeat some of the scenes while replacing others with different music and animation, so that each version of the film would include both familiar material and new segments. However, the film's disappointing box-office performance prevented such plans from being realized.

After the successful release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney decided to produce more features. The film was produced on a budget of $2,280,000 [roughly $33.7 million in 2007 dollars], to which $400,000, nearly a fifth of the budget, went to the musical recording techniques.

By the late 1930s, Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse was losing his popularity with movie audiences. The Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts series had spawned the spin-off Donald Duck series, which was proving to be more popular and profitable than the former, but Walt Disney wasn't ready to give up on his favorite character and devised a special short that would be produced as a "comeback" film for Mickey Mouse. The Sorcerer's Apprentice, based on Goethe's balladic poem Der Zauberlehrling (1797), was planned as a special Mickey Mouse short and would be completely silent save for the program music by Paul Dukas, L'apprenti sorcier (1897). The story artists who developed The Sorcerer's Apprentice originally suggested Dopey from Snow White for the title role, but Disney insisted upon using Mickey.

As work began on The Sorcerer's Apprentice in 1938, Disney happened to meet famed conductor Leopold Stokowski at Chasen's, a noted Hollywood restaurant. Stokowski offered to serve as conductor for The Sorcerer's Apprentice at no charge, and assembled over one-hundred professional musicians in Los Angeles to record the score for the nine-minute cartoon.

The animation department worked to make The Sorcerer's Apprentice one of their most ambitious works. Animator Fred Moore redesigned Mickey to give his figure more weight and volume in keeping with the modern efforts at the studio, and to give him eyes with pupils for greater expression. The film's color styling, pacing and layout, character animation, and effects animation were done with an increased attention to detail. The unnamed sorcerer in The Sorcerer's Apprentice was nicknamed "Yen Sid" in the department ("Disney" spelled backwards).

All of this excess came at a high price: $125,000, a price Walt Disney, and especially his brother and business partner Roy, knew they could never make back from the release of one short film. In comparison, most Disney shorts at the time averaged a cost of $40,000, which was $10,000 above the average budget for an animated cartoon made outside the Disney Studio. Disney's most successful short cartoon, The Three Little Pigs (1933), had made $60,000 in revenue. Following a suggestion by Stokowski, Walt Disney decided to expand The Sorcerer's Apprentice, originally intended as simply a regular Silly Symphonies cartoon, into a concert feature with several animated sequences set to music of which The Sorcerer's Apprentice would be one. To provide continuity and explanation, the composer and music critic Deems Taylor was recruited to provide live-action narrative introductions at the beginning of each segment. Stokowski suggested the title Fantasia, which literally means "A medley of familiar themes, with variations and interludes", which became the film's final title. A working title for the film was The Concert Feature.

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

A review of “Fantasia” by Dorothy Thompson, copyright New York Tribune, November 25, 1940. Based on the copyright notice, this was probably an article that was reprinted in a California publication. “A ‘Nazi’ Abuse” The negative review notes that “Altogether Mr. Disney’s later films, and above all the films in Fantasia, are a caricature of the Decline of the West. They are cruel, and in the latest work brutal and brutalizing.”

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - 50th Anniversary Program

2009-08-11T07:28:00.011-06:00

As series of postings of "Fantasia" items in the Cowan Collection...

In 1990, Disney released a 50th Anniversary VHS tape set. With the boxed set came a Fantasia program that was similar to the original 1940 program posted earlier.

Here is the 50th program for your enjoyment.... Please Click to enlarge...

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940) -- 50th Commemorative Program. Came with Disney 50th release of Fantasia video tape. (2 copies: 0805 & 0806) [Item: 13-1/2"W x 11-1/4"H] SeqID 0805

-------------------------------

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - 1940 Program

2009-08-09T07:47:00.014-06:00

As series of postings of "Fantasia" items in the Cowan Collection...

Here is the original program that was distributed for those watching "Fantasia."

Remember to Click each page to view an enlargement so you can more easily read the text...

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Fantasia” (1940). A special program guide to Fantasia printed by Disney. Many pictures and descriptions of the film events and development. Purchased from little book store in New Orleans. . [Item: 9-5/8"W x 12-11/16"H] SeqID-0044
--------------------------------

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Preview Contact Sheet

2009-08-07T08:05:00.005-06:00

Postings of "Fantasia" (1940) related items from the Cowan Collection.

OK....

Here's a contact sheet of the Fantasia items in the collection that I will start posting...

"Fantasia" -- Upcoming Posts

2009-08-03T07:39:00.002-06:00

OK...

The next group of postings will be from Fantasia and Fantasia 2000.

We have a number of items and it will take me a couple of days to convert the images for web use.

"Keep watching this space..."

Bob ;D

Back to Work....

2009-08-02T05:51:00.002-06:00

Well, we're back from Disney World....

A great time, as usual...

Spent most of the time in Animal Kingdom taking photos of all the animals and taking the Backlot Tours...

I'll bet back to posting more art shortly...

And thanks for your notes!

Bob

Gone Again...

2009-07-20T16:27:00.000-06:00

Well, back from a great National Geographic photo workshop in Santa Fe...

Now, we're off for a week down at Disney World... Should be a great time (as always).

If you are down there, look us up at the Grand Floridian...

Later

Bob ;D

* A "PAUSE" IN BLOGGING *

2009-07-11T07:35:00.006-06:00

Starting this Sunday (July 12th), I will be off-line for a week...

I'm taking our daughter down to Santa Fe for a week-long photography workshop hosted by National Geographic. Should be fun to learn more about National Geographic's philosophy toward photo-journalistic shooting...

See you when we get back!

Bob... ;D

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Contact Sheet

2009-07-09T21:12:00.002-06:00

Here are some contact sheets of Cinderella items in the collection that are posted below...

Hope you enjoy them...!

Cinderella Contact Sheet

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Cinderella "Glass Slipper" Cel

2009-07-09T15:55:00.004-06:00

A series of "Cinderella" items in the Cowan Collection.

I think this in a nice piece -- Cinderella holding the glass slipper. The background is a pre-production watercolor of the house interior. They work very nicely together.

Sorry about the reflections! Don't forget to Click to Enlarge...

Cinderella Cel on Pre-Production Watercolor Background

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Cinderella” (1950). Production cel of Cinderella on a preliminary background. A full 16-field production cel of Cinderella, dressed in rags, holding the remaining glass slipper. The cel has all original paint. The background is a full 16-field watercolor pre-production background of the interior of the house. [20”W x 18”H] Acquired 2004. SeqID-1162 Updated: 7/16/2005

Seller: “Cinderella with the Glass Slipper -- A full 16-field production cel of Cinderella, dressed in rags, holding the remaining glass slipper. The cel has all original paint. The background is a full 16-field watercolor pre-production background of the interior of the house.”

"Cinderella" was the first Disney animated feature to be completely shot and then edited in a live-action reference version before being committed to cel and ink.
Ilene Woods was the voice of Cinderella. Actress Helene Stanley performed the live-action reference not only for Cinderella, but also for Princess Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty" and Anita Radcliff in "101 Dalmatians."
Cinderella was created by Marc Davis (1913-2000) was one of the most talented artists at and a main animator for Disney Studios. Some of the animated characters he designed were Thumper from “Bambi” (1942), Cinderella from “Cinderella” (1951), Tinker Bell in “Peter Pan” (1953), Maleficent and Briar Rose in “Sleeping Beauty” (1959) and Cruella De Vil in “101 Dalmatians” (1961).

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Cinderella and Birds Cel

2009-07-07T11:13:00.004-06:00

A series of "Cinderella" items in the Cowan Collection.

We collected this one pretty early -- before we were able to buy art with production backgrounds.

This is a very nice cel grouping: a great Cinderella cel of her in bed just waking up and a cel with two birds on it. The background is a from a Cinderella book... Well, you do with what 'ya got...

Cinderella and Birds Cels

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Cinderella” (1950). Cels of Cinderella and two birds mounted on a page from a Cinderella book. [Image: 10.75"W x 7.5"H] SeqID-0031 8/1/2005

"Cinderella" was the first Disney animated feature to be completely shot and then edited in a live-action reference version before being committed to cel and ink.

Cinderella was created by Marc Davis (1913-2000) was one of the most talented artists at and a main animator for Disney Studios. Some of the animated characters he designed were Thumper from “Bambi” (1942), Cinderella from “Cinderella” (1951), Tinker Bell in “Peter Pan” (1953), Maleficent and Briar Rose in “Sleeping Beauty” (1959) and Cruella De Vil in “101 Dalmatians” (1961).

Ilene Woods was the voice of Cinderella. Actress Helene Stanley performed the live-action reference not only for Cinderella, but also for Princess Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty" and Anita Radcliff in "101 Dalmatians."

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Prince and Cinderella Cel

2009-07-04T11:29:00.004-06:00

A series of "Cinderella" items in the Cowan Collection.

This was a nice little piece. The cels of the Prince and Cinderella are quite nice. The background is a litho (instead of a production background), but it works with the piece and made it worthwhile to pick up.

Prince and Cinderella Cel on Litho Background

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Cinderella” (1950). Cinderella and Prince cel on a pumpkin litho background of “Cinderella in Ball Gown.” Acquired 2004. SeqID-1450 7/16/2005

Seller: The Cinderella and Prince with the Pumpkin Litho background. "Cinderella" was the first Disney animated feature to be completely shot and then edited in a live-action reference version before being committed to cel and ink. Ilene Woods was the voice of Cinderella. Actress Helene Stanley performed the live-action reference not only for Cinderella, but also for Princess Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty" and Anita Radcliff in "101 Dalmatians." William Phipps was the voice of the Prince Charming and Mike Douglas is the uncredited singing voice.

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Color Model Sheet and Cels

2009-07-04T09:53:00.000-06:00

A series of "Cinderella" items in the Cowan Collection.

Here is a nice combination item: a cel of Gus, a cel of two other mice and a Gus color model sheet. Notice that the two mice are identical.

The framing is a little different. So that you can better see the pencil sheet, the cels were mounted about 1-inch in front of the paper. Gives a great sense of depth...

Gus Color Model and Cels

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Cinderella” (1950). Two Cels and a pencil background. 1 Cel of Gus. 1 Cel of two other mice. Mounted over pencil sketch of Gus waiving in front of a candle. "Gus Standard" on pencil sketch, sequence 5 scene 32. In the movie, the two mice are holding a candle. [Image: 14-3/8"W x 10-13/16"H. Frame: 23.5"W x 20-3/16"H] Acquired 1989. SeqID-0029 8/3/2005

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Grand Duke Model Sheet

2009-07-03T09:48:00.004-06:00

A series of "Cinderella" items in the Cowan Collection.

I have not seen much on the Grand Duke. For that reason, I picked up this blue pencil model sheet. Good poses and nice characterizations...

Grand Duke Model Sheet

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Cinderella” (1950). A very good blue pencil model sheet of the Grand Duke. [Image: 15 7/16"W x 12 7/16"H. Framed: 21-7/8"W x 18-7/8"H] SeqID-0030 8/3/2005

"Cinderella" (1950; 1995) [Series] - Scene Signed by William Phipps and Ilene Woods

2009-07-02T06:31:00.003-06:00

A series of "Cinderella" items in the Cowan Collection.

This is a nice item to have -- a scene from Cinderella signed by William Phipps (Prince) and Ilene Woods (Cinderella).

"Cinderella" was the first Disney animated feature to be completely shot and then edited in a live-action reference version before being committed to cel and ink. Cinderella was created by Marc Davis (1913-2000) was one of the most talented artists at and a main animator for Disney Studios. Some of the animated characters he designed were Thumper from “Bambi” (1942), Cinderella from “Cinderella” (1951), Tinker Bell in “Peter Pan” (1953), Maleficent and Briar Rose in “Sleeping Beauty” (1959) and Cruella De Vil in “101 Dalmatians” (1961). Ilene Woods was the voice of Cinderella. Actress Helene Stanley performed the live-action reference not only for Cinderella, but also for Princess Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty" and Anita Radcliff in "101 Dalmatians." William Phipps was the voice of the Prince Charming and Mike Douglas is the uncredited singing voice.

Scene Signed By William Phipps and Ilene Woods

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Cinderella” (1950; 1995). A reproduction of a scene from Cinderella, signed by William Phipps (Prince) and Ilene Woods (Cinderella). WD certificate #129817. Acquired 1995. SeqID-0762 8/18/2005

"Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder" - I think I have it!

2009-07-01T16:33:00.003-06:00

My sister sent me this quote. I'm not sure who authored it, but it certainly has the "ring of truth." Frankly, after reading it I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry....

--------------------

A.A.A.D.D.
KNOW THE SYMPTOMS – PLEASE READ!

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D.: Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests itself:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye - they need water. I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do…

At the end of the day:
the car isn't washed,
the bills aren't paid,
there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter,
the flowers don't have enough water,
there is still only one check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses, and
I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really, really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it…

But first I'll check my e-mail....

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Promotional Stills

2009-07-01T11:37:00.005-06:00

A series of "Cinderella" items in the Cowan Collection.

The following publicity stills were from another scrapbook we acquired in 2003. Generally speaking, I've thought these stills were odd choices. I'm not sure they represented some of the best moments or best examples of the characters. Some were quite good, but others.... But, hey, I've never said that I was a PR guy.

Sorry about the hue on these. I posted them "as is" rather than convert them to gray scale. In these images there is a pink hue to them that is not present in the originals, but there are other yellowish hues due to fading (I would guess too little time in the "fix" and not enough washing of the prints).

"Cinderella" was the first Disney animated feature to be completely shot and then edited in a live-action reference version before being committed to cel and ink. Ilene Woods was the voice of Cinderella. Actress Helene Stanley performed the live-action reference not only for Cinderella, but also for Princess Aurora in "Sleeping Beauty" and Anita Radcliff in "101 Dalmatians."

Publicity Stills (click to enlarge)
[Item number details can be found at the end of the post]

Item 1384

Item 1385

Item 1387

Item 1388

Item 1386

Item 1398

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Cinderella” (1950). Promotional photo of Cinderella & Prince Charming (reverse “569-71”). Scrapbook photo. (Image: 10”W x 8”H) Acquired 2003. SeqID-1384

From “Cinderella” (1950) - Promotional photo of Cinderella & Prince Charming - (reverse “649-72”). Scrapbook photo. (Image: 10”W x 8”H) Acquired 2003. SeqID-1385

From “Cinderella” (1950). Promotional photo of Cinderella - (reverse “649-73”) Scrapbook photo. (Image: 10”W x 8”H) Acquired 2003. SeqID-1387

From “Cinderella” (1950). Promotional photo of Drizella (L) and Anastasia (R) - (reverse “649-74”) Scrapbook photo. (Image: 10”W x 8”H) Acquired 2003. SeqID-1388

From “Cinderella” (1950). Promotional photo of Lucifer & Gus - (reverse “649-75”) Scrapbook photo. (Image: 10”W x 8”H) Acquired 2003. SeqID-1386

From “Cinderella” (1950). Promotional photo of the Royal Lackey - (reverse 649-76) Scrapbook photo. (Image: 10”W x 8”H) Acquired 2003. SeqID-1389

"Little Lulu" - Information Needed

2009-06-30T07:49:00.001-06:00

I received the following today and thought someone out there might have some ideas as to the film or other information...

Hello,

I was looking for some info on this piece of animation art. I believe it's from a title sequence. Any ideas??

Thanks,

Elliott

"Cinderella" (1950;1973) [Series] - Cinderella 'Slipper' Sunday

2009-06-30T07:10:00.003-06:00

Part of a series of postings of "Cinderella" items in the Cowan Collection.

A very nice 1973 Sunday pen and ink of Cinderella where she tries on the shoe and lives "happily ever after."

I've often talked about collecting pivotal moments in film and comic art. This is a good example of one of the significant moments in the Cindy story...

Cinderella "Slipper" Sequence

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Cinderella” strip (1973). A large pen and ink from the Sunday paper. The last in the series, where she tries on the shoe and lives happily ever after. Includes Cinderella, the Duke and the Prince. Notes: “6-24”; “copyright 1973” [Image: 25-3/8"W x 17-5/8"H; Frame: 31-13/16"W x 24"H] Acquired 1990. SeqID-0032 Updated: 5/18/2008

5/18/2008: This looks like the 1973 version of Cinderella. It ran between April 1 and June 24 1973. Script by Frank Reilly and art by Mike Arens. /Joakim Gunnarsson. http://sekvenskonst.blogspot.com

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Contact Sheet

2009-06-25T12:15:00.003-06:00

OK. I'm going to post up the items in the Cowan Collection from Cinderella.

Here's a contact sheet of items that will be posted.... (click to enlarge)

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Contact Sheet

2009-06-19T16:05:00.003-06:00

Below are a number of posts of items from the 1937 classic "Snow White."

Here are a few contact sheets showing the items that have been posted in this series...

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Cel of Queen and the Heart Box

2009-06-19T15:46:00.006-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

This is the last item in the "Snow White" series. I hope you have enjoyed looking at them! -- Bob

Probably one of the more horrific scenes is when the Queen thrusts a box toward the Huntsman and tells him to cut out Snow White's heart, place it in this ornate box and return it to her as proof of Snow White's death. Perhaps this form of "proof" was commonplace, but I found it a little shocking when I first saw the film (being a somewhat sheltered boy growing up in Iowa).

I remember seeing a similar image about twenty years ago and it took another fifteen years to find one for sale. After all, how could anyone say "No" to that face! Great character moment!

Originally in a Courvosier frame, the piece was repaired by S/R Labs. We removed the plain S/R Labs matte and re-matted the piece in gold leaf with red velvet.

Cel of Queen and Heart Box (click to enlarge)

----------

In 2002, I received a letter from my father saying that he saw an article on animation in "Popular Science" on animation and thought I might be interested. As I pulled out the enclosed article, a small image caught my attention. There was my Queen on the wall! I thought you might like to see it as well...

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Pastel Concept of Queen

2009-06-19T15:38:00.003-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

An absolutely wonderful pastel concept of the Queen descending the stairs.

You can sense the urgency as her gaze is down the stairs and her robe flutters with her decent. It's a dark piece (which goes with the story line), but the colors are strong. Very dynamic!

Pastel of Queen Decending Stairs (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Snow White” (1937). Pastel concept of the Wicked Queen descending the stairs. Double matted in raw silk with a gold leaf frame and matching filet. [9”W x 10”H] Acquired 2004. SeqID-1451 8/1/2005

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Queen and Mirror Pencil

2009-06-19T07:57:00.003-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

The Queen (as with all the Villains) is very collectible. This pencil is unique in that the Queen is facing away from the viewer and her face can be seen reflecting in the mirror. I don't think I've seen many images where a few from behind strengthens the characterization.

The detail in his pencil is amazing. Great attention to detail. As with the image of the Witch (next posting), we used a cut-out to focus attention on the character and draw the viewer into the image. We thought the use of a curved cut-out picked up the line of the held-out cape.

Queen and Mirror Pencil (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Snow White” (1937) This is an excellent pencil sketch of the Queen in front of the mirror, with her reflection apparent. [Image: 7 7/16"W x 8.5"H. Frame: 15-3/8"W x 16-7/8"H] Acquired 1989. SeqID-0129 8/3/2005

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Witch Pencil

2009-06-19T07:47:00.005-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

This was one of the early pencils we picked up. It's a great image of the Witch holding out the apple for Snow White.

The Witch was placed in the right third of the sheet and the power of her character seemed to get lost in the field. Rather than cut the image out and re-frame it, we decided to keep the page whole and do a cut-out to focus on the Witch. We also put in a small section of red around the cut-out to highlight the red of the apple. The black is felt and the frame itself is high-gloss.

Frankly, I think a good frame can highlight the art. In this case, most viewers stop to look at the image and actually move in closer to look at the detail.

Witch Pencil (click to enlarge)

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Snow White” (1937) Pencil sketch of the Queen (as the witch) as she holds out an apple. [Image: 5-5/16"W x 5-7/8"H. Frame: 20-11/16"W x 17-3/16"H] Acquired 1989. SeqID-0128 8/6/2005

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Snow White Pencil

2009-06-19T07:40:00.003-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

Our daughter enjoyed singing as she grew up and we tended to pick up items that showed characters singing.

This is one of several nice pieces that show a character singing -- where the process of singing further reinforces the character.

Snow White Pencil

----- DATABASE NOTES ------

From “Snow White” (1937) Pencil drawing with some red of Snow White singing. Note: "Prod 2001, Seq. 134, Scene 14"' "D" Shows some brown tape over registration holes. Acquired 1992. SeqID-0130 8/5/2005

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Promotional Model Sheet Photo

2009-06-19T07:31:00.004-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

A few years ago, I picked up another scrapbook that had cels and promotional photographs in it. Here is one photo that was sent out to help publicize the movie and the animation process. This photograph was used in one of the publications posted earlier.

All of the pencil notations were actually part of the photograph -- not added later.

Comparative Size Promotional Photograph

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Snow White” (1937). Promotional photo of the comparative sizes of: Doc, Snow White, Grumpy & Dopey. Dated: 9/28/36. Scrapbook photo. [10"W x 8"H] Acquired 2003. SeqID-1415

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Courvoisier Items

2009-06-19T07:00:00.007-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

OK. We have a number of Courvoisier items from Snow White and instead of putting them up one-by-one, I'll just post the rest here.

As I recall, Guthrie Courvoisier was an art dealer in San Francisco who was looking for a different art form to promote. He thought animation art represented a new class of artwork and became interested in it. While there was some market in the sale and trade of cels, Courvoisier thought the cels needed to be placed on some "context" and designed backgrounds and frames to create an overall piece of artwork. So, having some pieces from Courvoisier's first effort add to the historical significance.

"Snow White" Courvoisiers

Click to Enlarge
----------

Snow White

----------

Happy

----------

Grumpy

----------

Sleepy

----------

Bashful

----- DATABASE NOTES ------

From “Snow White” (1937) Cel of Snow White with bird on hand on Courvoisier production background. Fine condition Courvoisier cel. [Image: 5-3/4"W x 5-3/4"H] Acquired 1998. SeqID-0331 8/1/2005

From “Snow White” (1937) Courvoisier cel of Happy in gold frame looking to left with right hand up a little. Seller: “Cels of Happy are very rare.” [Image: 5-3/4"W x 7-3/4"H. Frame: 13.25"W x 15.5"H] Acquired 1998. SeqID-0333 8/5/2005

From “Snow White” (1937). Courvoisier cel of Grumpy at organ on painted background. Seller: Grumpy is one of the more collectible Dwarfs. [Image: 7"W x 8"H. Frame: 15.5"W x 17-3/4"H] Acquired 1998. SeqID-0335 8/5/2005

From “Snow White” (1937) Courvoisier cel of Sleepy in gold frame with eyes half closed and holding fish clarinet and cymbal. [Image: 6-1/8"W x 5-1/8"H. Frame: 12"W x 11.5"H] Acquired 1998. SeqID-0334 8/5/2005

From “Snow White” (1937). Courvoisier cel of Bashful playing accordion on painted background. [Image: 7-13/16"W x 5-11/16"H. Frame: 18"W x 16"H] Acquired 1998. SeqID-0336 8/5/2005

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Grumpy Courvoisier

2009-06-18T13:22:00.003-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

A great Courvoisier of Grumpy. Good characterization.

Grumpy

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Snow White” (1937) Courvoisier cel of Grumpy in gold frame looking left and yelling. [Image: 3-3/8"W x 5-1/8"H. Frame: 8-3/4"W x 11"H] Acquired 2000. SeqID-0332

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Dwarf Pencil

2009-06-18T06:12:00.005-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

A great pencil of the Dwarfs. This may not be a production model sheet, but a nice piece none the less.

Pencil of Dwarfs

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Snow White” (1937) Excellent pencil model sheet of all Dwarfs (Doc; Happy; Sneezy; Sleepy; Bashful; Grumpy; Dopey). Very large image. [15.5”W x 12.5”H] Acquired 1998. SeqID-0359

"Snow White" (1937) [Series] - Courvoisier of Vultures

2009-06-16T08:00:00.005-06:00

More of the "Snow White" material in the Cowan Collection....

This is one of the more interesting (in my opinion) Courvoisier framings. I especially liked the wood grain background, the circle surrounding the Vultures and the embossed "The Vultures" element. Somebody decided to get pretty creative with this piece!

It's a good image of the Vultures -- good character portrayal. In fact, I found a similar image of the Vultures on the Disney web site (in the image used on the Disney site, one of the Vultures has a slightly more open mouth).

The Vultures - Courvoisier

The Vultures - Disney Web Site

----- DATABASE NOTES -----

From “Snow White” (1937) Cel of the two Vultures from Snow White sitting on a tree limb. Courvoisier mounting. [Image: 5-5/16"W x 5.5"H; Frame: 12.5"W x 14.5"H] Acquired 1995. SeqID-0226 8/3/2005

Cowan Collection: Animation and Comic Art

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - Giraffe Pastel

"Robin Hood" (1973) - More Background

"Robin Hood" (1973) - Robin & Marian Key Set-up on Master Background

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - Crow Pencils

Off Line For a Bit

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - Stat Model Sheets

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - "Dumbo -- The Story of the Little Elephant With the Big Ears

"Dumbo" (1941) [Series] - Preview of Collection Items

"Dumbo"

"Elmer Elephant" (1936) [Series] - Pencils

"Elmer Elephant" (1936) [Series] - Credits

"Elmer Elephant" (1936) [Series] - 1st and 2nd Generation Stat Model Sheets

"Elmer Elephant" (1936) [Series] - Various Pencils and Models

"Duck Tales" - Mike Royer Commerical Art

Winnie The Pooh Cel and Richards' Background

Hollywood Photo Autographed By Film Greats

"Duck Tales" (1989) [Series] - Cel and Master Background

"Ching Chow" (1938) - Stanley Link Pen And Ink

"Dudley Do-Right" (circa 1990's) [Series] - Jay Ward Signed Publicity Cel

"Dr. Snuggles" (circa 1980) [Series] - Rocket & Flying Sheep Cel on Production Background

"Donald's Dream Voice" (1948) [Series] - Pencil of Donald Singing

"Donald In Mathmagic Land" (1959) [Series] - Donald Cel on Master Background

Vintage Disney Signed Photo Up At Auction Feb. 25-27

"Donald Gets Drafted" (1942) [Series] - Donald Pencil w/ Timing Marks

"Building A Building" (1933) [Series] - Mickey and Minnie Pencil

"Dog Napper" (1934) [Series] - Mickey and Donald Pencil

Over A Quarter-Million Hits!!!

"Don Donald" (1937) [Series] - Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook Items

"Don Donald" (1937) [Series] - Ingeborg Willy Scrapbook Items

"Do You Have Any Castles" (1938) [Series] - Watercolor Concept

"Baggage Buster" (1941) [Series] - Pan Master Background

"Fantasia 2000" (1999) [Series] - Five cel Set-up of Noah's Ark Sequence

"Fantasia 2000" (1999) [Series] - Flamingo and Snotty 6 Cels

"Fantasia 2000" (1999) [Series] - Baby Whale and Parents Setup and Master Background

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

"Fantasia 2000" (1999) [Series] - Preview of Holdings

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Recap

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Disney Autograph, Mickey Cel & Artifacts

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Sorcerer's Apprentice Multi-Cel Setup On Production Watercolor Background

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Leica Reel of Mickey Chopping A Broom

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Mickey Pencil

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Mickey Pencil

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Ava Maria Sequence Cel

Question About Disney Artist Richard Case

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Concept Oil Painting

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Autumn Fairy Cel

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Pegasus Family Cel

Computer Is Back !!!

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Pencil Concept of Pegasus

New Business Blog

"Fantasia" (1940; 1987) - Disney's First Limited Edition Set

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Nubian Centaurette Pencil & Pin

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Black Centaurette Pencil

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - 1940 Disney Studio Christmas Card

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Dance of the Hours Cel

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Lee Blair Ben Ali Gator and Hyacinth Hippo Pencil Concept

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Maquettes

New French Collector and His Blog

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Orchid Girl Pastel

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Unicorn Model Sheet

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Rite of Spring Watercolor Concept

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Charcoal Concepts (not used)

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Watercolor Concept

"Fantasia" (1940;1991) [Series] - Video Tape Litho

"Fantasia" (1940;1990) [Series] - 50th Anniv. Limited Edition

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Bacchus Model Sheet

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Recording

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - "A Nazi Abuse": A 1940 New York Tribune Movie Review

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - 50th Anniversary Program

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - 1940 Program

"Fantasia" (1940) [Series] - Preview Contact Sheet

"Fantasia" -- Upcoming Posts

Back to Work....

Gone Again...

*** A "PAUSE" IN BLOGGING ***

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Contact Sheet

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Cinderella "Glass Slipper" Cel

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Cinderella and Birds Cel

"Cinderella" (1950) [Series] - Prince and Cinderella Cel

* A "PAUSE" IN BLOGGING *