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An outstanding original hand-painted production cel setup featuring the Weasel gravediggers from Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983). This memorable sequence, set in the snow-covered graveyard of Ebenezer Scrooge, is one of the film's most haunting and visually striking moments.
Mickey's Christmas Carol marked the studio's return to theatrical animation after a long hiatus, spearheaded by animator Burny Mattinson and featuring many of Disney's veteran artists. The film bridged the golden and modern eras of Disney, combining traditional craftsmanship with a renewed sense of character-driven storytelling.
The two weasels, adapted from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), dig Scrooge's grave as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads him to witness his own fate, a chilling reinterpretation of Dickens' classic scene through the lens of Disney's animation legacy.
The setup includes two large character cels placed over the original line art background overlay cel, featuring red line work that defines the surrounding gravestones, trees, and open grave marked "E. Scrooge." This combination of animation and layout artwork offers a rare insight into the studio's production process, showing both the spontaneous energy of the animator's line and the finished paintwork that reached the screen.
The weasels' angular design, expressive poses, and sardonic mannerisms are quintessential examples of Disney's ability to balance comedy with atmosphere. Continuing a design lineage that began in The Wind in the Willows (1949) and later inspired the Toon Patrol in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), their sly humour and wiry menace became a visual hallmark of Disney villainy, embodying both mischief and menace in equal measure.
Bearing the official Walt Disney Productions seal, this is a superb and historically significant piece that encapsulates the artistry and emotional depth of Mickey's Christmas Carol. Rare in both subject and preservation, it represents one of the most evocative sequences in the studio's 1980s revival and an exceptional find for collectors of Disney animation history. Dimensions (mounted): 40.5 cm x 50.5 cm (16" x 19.75")
Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: £500 - 1,000 M
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