Bidding for this lot will end on Sunday, December 7th. The auction will begin at 3:00PM GMT (7:00AM PST) 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 Friday, December 5th or Saturday, December 6th.
This expressive original production cel of Daffy Duck is from the 1956 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short The High and the Flighty, directed by Robert McKimson and produced by the iconic Chuck Jones-Friz Freleng-McKimson studio unit during the Golden Age of American animation. The film is celebrated for its razor-sharp comedic timing, and pitch-perfect performances of Warner Bros.' most beloved characters: Foghorn Leghorn, Daffy Duck, and The Barnyard Dawg.
In this sequence, Daffy appears in disguise as a traveling salesman, his sly grin and exaggerated bonnet perfectly capturing his mercurial personality: opportunistic, theatrical, and perpetually on the verge of chaos. The pose embodies the animators' ability to fuse comedy with clarity of form, a masterclass in the Warner Bros. animation style.
The High and the Flighty was written by the legendary Tedd Pierce, whose scripts often blended physical comedy with psychological wit, allowing animators to explore nuanced performance within exaggerated character motion. The film's animation was executed by McKimson's key team, artists like Ted Bonnicksen, George Grandpre, and Keith Darling, each known for translating expressive acting into pure visual rhythm. Daffy's fluid movement in this short, alternating between confidence and exasperation, is quintessential mid-1950s Warner animation: full of snap, stretch, and personality.
The short represents the closing years of Warner Bros.' theatrical dominance before television began to reshape the industry. It was one of the last where Daffy retained his "fast-talking con artist" persona before evolving into the more self-defeated foil of later decades.
This cel exemplifies that transitional brilliance, Daffy Duck at his confident, scheming best. For collectors, Daffy's composition, large central pose, and unmistakable personality make it an essential piece from one of Warner Bros.' most stylistically rich periods. Dimensions: 38 cm x 35.5 cm x 0.75 cm (15" x 14" x 0.25")
Sold without copyright; see copyright notice in the Terms and Conditions.
Estimate: £600 - 1,200 US
View all lots from HIGH AND FLIGHTY, THE (1956)