Animation Brings Fantasy to Life
What is it about animation that captures the fancy of young and old alike? Why have Mickey Mouse, Woody Woodpecker, Garfield and Shrek penetrated the collective conscious to the point of iconic status? Animation suggests that anything is possible in a world that often emphasizes the limits of our reality. If elephants can fly and ogres can rule, if roadrunners can vie with wily coyotes in a game of ‘chicken’, if skunks can talk and fish can walk; then anything and everything is possible.
In the world of animation, the Disney brand reigns supreme. Despite the success of Walter Lantz, Hanna-Barbera and a legion of renowned comic book artists, no brand epitomizes the soul of animation more than Walt Disney Productions. On May 21st at the Golden Fantasy, Silver Dreams Americana Auction in Allentown, PA, animation aficionados will gather to purchase items from the Disney pantheon of cartoon characters.
An Artist Proof Lithograph “Dangerous Discovery” by famed Disney animator Carl Barks is sure to draw interest from the fans of Scrooge McDuck. Artist Proof porcelain figurines, endorsed by Barks and created by Connoisseur of Malvern, will also appeal to those who inhabit “Duckburg” in their minds. Noted sculptor Ron Lee’s depiction of Uncle Scrooge will ignite the bidding when it crosses the auction block as well.
Elizabeth Griffin was a Disney animator from the late 1920s until the 1950s. Her original Disney production painting, given to her nephew Robert Griffin on the occasion of his fourth birthday, is another highlight of the auction event. The oil on art paper painting, depicting Bambi, Thumper and his brothers, was created for Disney producers as a visualization aid during the developmental stages of “Bambi”. The piece was purchased from Robert Griffin by the consignor who assembled the collection offered in the Golden Fantasy, Silver Dreams Americana Auction event.
Two original works by Disney artists were the templates for prints utilized in a Walt Disney Productions calendar released in 1979. The watercolors depict Mickey Mouse and Goofy engaged in basketball and soccer contests respectively. As an interesting aside, Disney artists did not sign their works resulting in the entirety of the Disney portfolio being assigned to the company as opposed to the individual creators.
An original animation celluloid from “The Great Mouse Detective”, several company authorized prints and two framed sheets of Disney Dollars round out the Disney art component of the auction; but the fun doesn’t stop there. A vintage Mint In the Box (MIB) Ingersoll Mickey Mouse watch from the 1940s, A limited edition contemporary watch numbered 1 / 1000 offered as part of a complete collection of memorabilia from the 1st Disneyana Convention in 1992, vintage tin toys, banks, dolls and two Mickey Mouse Figural Phones are sure to excite the imagination and the bidding among animation enthusiasts.
So why does animation continue to fascinate and enthrall? We collect our dreams and our memories. The world of animated fantasy is inextricably entwined with our lives. We don’t want to accept that tigers can’t talk, that cats don’t wear top hats, that pigs and spiders can’t conspire to foil the best laid plans of mice and men. Golden fantasies and silver dreams create a reality that defies our everyday experience leading us to believe that it’s a wonderful world after all.
Contact: Bill Howze
Contact Phone: 610-370-2879
Related Link: http://www.auctionhowze.com/showauction.asp?ID=164
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