Dallas-based Heritage Auctions’ July 1 animation sale will offer up one of the largest selections of artwork from Disney’s groundbreaking 1940 anthology feature Fantasia. The shining star of these pieces is an energetic, epic concept painting for the “Night on Bald Mountain” segment, created by Ken Nielsen — the rare work is expected to fetch $50,000.
“We’re highlighting this sale featuring ‘The Art of Fantasia,’” said Jim Lentz, Director of Animation at Heritage Auctions. “This is one of the largest collections of production artwork – cels, animation drawings, concept art, storyboards – from this film ever in one auction. Over 60 pieces of original production art for this film are in this sale!”
Further highlights from Fantasia include an original production cel of Mickey Mouse as “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (est. $15,000), a Nielsen “Night on Bald Mountain” background in pastels on black paper ($10,000), “Nutcracker Suite” production cel featuring Hop Low, hand-inked and painted Ben Ali Gator & Hyacinth Hippo production cel ($5,000), and “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” storyboard painting ($1,000).
The animation art auction’s Disney feature offerings will also include pieces from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the controversial Song of the South, Robin Hood, Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp and Pinocchio. Plus, early Disneyland Haunted Mansion studies by artist Ken Anderson ($5,000) — an important set collected with notes and plans in a soft binder put together by Walt Disney and Anderson in 1957, 12 years before the ride opened.
Pieces from the hands of a young Tim Burton coming to the block will feature Stalk of the Celery Monster ($10,000) from his student days at CalArts in 1979, and Disney’s 1985 misstep The Black Cauldron among several concept art pieces he created as a Disney apprentice ($5,000). There will also be lots of rare work from other major animation studios, and one of the earliest known Mighty Mouse production cels on its Key Master set-ups from the cartoon Pandora’s Box — with a rare blue Super Mouse ($5,000).
The auction will also feature the largest collection of hand-silkscreened Disneyland park entrance posters, according to Lentz, with the attractions Haunted Mansion ($5k), Peter Pan ($2.5k), Matterhorn ($3.5k), Monorail ($3k), Alice in Wonderland ($3k) and Autopia ($2.5k) represented.
