Heritage’s inaugural Animation Art Auction Original Disney, Looney Tunes, Peanuts, Sponge Bob, Jackson Five, Simpsons and more from 1930s to present. Presented for auction Feb. 21, in New York City
creation, leads a 30+ piece grouping – with more than 20 pieces that come directly from the hand of Chuck Jones himself – marking the first time since the 1990s that the family has released any “new” work, with none of the pieces in the trove ever having been offered at public auction.
More Looney Tunes greatness is represented in the earliest known artwork to come from the hand of legendary director Robert McKimson, including a beautiful pen and ink drawing for the cover of “Mousetales,” a proposed children’s book written by his mother. The artwork is illustrated on page 21 of the new coffee table book by Robert McKimson Jr. “I say I say…Son!,” a tribute to animators Robert, Chuck and Tom McKimson.
Gen-Xers are sure to be keen to get a look at an original hand-painted production cel from the 1983 Saturday morning Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show on CBS depicting Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace, hiding behind enemy lines to avoid a tank, just one of several Peanuts cels in the auction.
Fans of The Jackson Five will thrill to the inclusion of a significant grouping of original production cels from the short-lived ABC cartoon “The Jackson Five,” including one spectacular cel from the opening credits depicting all Jackson Five members – Jackie, Marlon, Tito, Jermaine and Michael.
Few cartoons in the history of animation are as influential as The Simpsons and original hand-painted production cels from the early run of the show are highly coveted by fans and collectors alike. The auction boasts several important first season cels, including a spectacular cel of Homer and Bart on a cel key master background from the first episode of the show, “Bart the Genius,” which ran on Jan, 21, 1990.
The Jetson’s is one of the most popular “prime time” cartoons in history and the show is represented in the auction by a fantastic cel, depicting all the characters and signed by the actors who gave them voice when the final episode was recorded, capturing a distinct moment in animation history: George O’Hanlon (George) Penny Singleton (Jane), Daws Butler (Elroy), Janet Waldo (Judy), Don Messick (Astro) Jean Vander Pyl (Rosie the Robot), Mel Blanc (Mr. Spacely) and Frank Welker (Orbity).
The art of Nickelodeon is quite popular when it comes available and this auction boasts several prime examples from the groundbreaking, and still wildly popular, SpongeBob Squarepants, all with the original background art. It is important to note that SpongeBob was only drawn by hand in the first season of the show; after that point all the shows were done digitally, making these cels even more desirable to modern collectors.
While Pixar, and its signature “Toy Story” films are important specifically because they were done in full digital animation, a first edition copy of the book “The Art of Toy Story” signed by many of the artists who worked on the film – as well as Don Rickles and singer Randy Newman – is sure
