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This dynamic original hand-painted production cel features Creeper, the Horned King's grovelling henchman, from Walt Disney's The Black Cauldron (1985). Both cels were used in the production of the feature and comes paired with a reproduction background, accompanied by the official Walt Disney Company Certificate of Authenticity.
In this scene, Creeper flinches in terror before a group of soldiers in the Horned King's castle, a moment that captures the film's unsettling tone and the intensity of its hand-crafted animation. The layered cel setup shows the animators' attention to movement and perspective, with Creeper on one cel positioned amid the towering legs of his tormentors on another.
The Black Cauldron represented a bold stylistic experiment for the studio, drawing from Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain and incorporating gothic design motifs unprecedented in Disney animation. The production's visual direction, led by art director Michael Peraza Jr. and production designer Mel Shaw, leaned heavily into mood and atmosphere, creating a painterly medieval world lit by firelight and shadow. Creeper's grotesque design, animated under the supervision of Phil Nibbelink, stands out as a triumph of character acting, full of nervous energy and comic menace.
Released in 1985, The Black Cauldron was the first Disney feature to use computer-generated imagery for effects such as the cauldron mist and the Horned King's castle, marking a technical turning point for the studio. Although controversial upon release for its dark themes, the film has since earned a devoted following for its ambition and artistry, bridging the gap between Disney's traditional craft and its digital future.
Today, production artwork from The Black Cauldron is increasingly sought after, representing a pivotal moment in Disney history, the end of one era and the tentative beginning of another. This cel setup, capturing one of the film's most memorable secondary characters, embodies that creative tension: both unsettling and beautifully rendered, a relic of Disney's darkest and most daring experiment. Dimensions (mounted): 47 x 39 cm (18.5" x 15.5")
Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: £300 - 600 US
View all lots from BLACK CAULDRON, THE (1985)