Hollywood Photo Autographed By Film Greats

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

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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

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

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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

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  This piece is from his Ching Chow strip that probably would not be published today....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.

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“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

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.

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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

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.

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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

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

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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

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

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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

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

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

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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

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....  :-)

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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

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

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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!!!

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

"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

 

 

 

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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

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

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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.

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

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

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“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

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)

 

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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

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

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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

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

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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

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.

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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

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

Mickey & Yen Sid Limited Edition Signed By Joe Grant

Here is more information on Mr. Grant from Wikipedia:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

 

 

 

 

 

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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