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This pair of original storyboard drawings from The Rescuers captures one of the early establishing moments at the Rescue Aid Society headquarters, the international mouse organisation based beneath the United Nations.
Executed in pen, coloured marker, and pastel wash, these boards depict a uniformed society member perched atop a leather briefcase, surveying the busy scene before returning to the small mousehole entrance of the secret meeting chamber.
Created by veteran Disney story artist Ted Berman (1919-2001), the drawings reflect the clarity and confidence of Disney's story department at a time when hand-drawn boards were still the foundation of the studio's filmmaking process. Berman's use of broad marker tone and rapid hatching defines depth and light while maintaining energy and rhythm. His work bridges formal layout precision with the immediacy of gesture drawing, allowing animators to visualise not only composition but emotional tempo.
The Rescue Aid Society scenes were central to establishing the tone of The Rescuers, a blend of international intrigue, compassion, and gentle humour that mirrored the human United Nations above. The Society's network of small, brave mice symbolised cooperation across borders, and their headquarters beneath the UN was one of the most inspired settings of the Disney seventies. These particular boards capture the moment of transition between the human and mouse worlds, an idea that became one of the film's most enduring visual motifs.
As with much of Berman's story work, these drawings are characterised by their expressive looseness and carefully structured perspective. The textured marker application and colour blocking are consistent with mid-production boards used to communicate lighting, staging, and tone to the background and animation departments. Their survival is rare, as such working materials were often destroyed after sequences were finalised.
This set represents not only a key visual moment in The Rescuers but also the artistry of Disney's pre-digital storytelling process. Each line carries the immediacy of collaboration and the clarity of purpose that made this period of the studio's work so distinctive. Dimensions: 10 cm x 17 cm (4" x 6.75")
Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: £600 - 1,200 Ω
View all lots from RESCUERS, THE (1977)