Bidding for this lot will end on Friday, March 27th. The auction will begin at 2:00 PM (PDT) / 5:00 PM (EDT) / 9:00 PM (GMT) and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Wednesday, March 25th or Thursday, March 26th.
These dynamic original storyboard drawings of Bernard were created during production of The Rescuers (1977), one of the defining works of Disney's 1970s renaissance.
One executed in graphite and the other executed in pen and ink on lightweight storyboard paper, it captures Bernard moments before being trapped under a glass jar.
The storyboard is attributed to Ted Berman (1919-2001), one of the key figures in Disney's story department across four decades. A master draftsman and storyteller, Berman brought both emotional clarity and physical energy to his story panels. His intuitive sense of movement and pacing shaped the tone of The Rescuers, as well as later projects including The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron, which he co-directed. His story meetings with veteran animators like Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston helped refine Bernard's personality as a cautious but quietly brave everyman, a mouse whose smallness becomes his strength.
Released in 1977, The Rescuers was the studio's 23rd animated feature and the last to involve several of Disney's "Nine Old Men" alongside the new generation of artists who would lead the 1980s animation revival. Based on Margery Sharp's novels The Rescuers (1959) and Miss Bianca (1962), the film follows Bernard and Bianca's mission to rescue the orphan Penny from the villainous Madame Medusa. The mix of adventure, melancholy, and heart made it a creative and commercial triumph, widely regarded as a bridge between Walt-era storytelling and the animation renaissance that followed.
These storyboards demonstrate the immediacy of Disney's hand-drawn storytelling process, where story, layout, and animation were still intertwined on paper before the digital era.
Storyboards of this quality and completeness rarely surface, as most were retained by the studio or destroyed once sequences were finalised.
An evocative piece of visual storytelling and exceptional artifacts from one of Disney's most quietly influential productions, embodying the courage, warmth, and humanity at the heart of The Rescuers. Dimensions: 17 cm x 10 cm (6.75" x 4")
Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: $600 - 1,200