70 new items come up for bid today in the “Help the Hodges” auction

Jim Hill

15 years ago

Have you been by that “Help the Hodges” eBay page yet? If not, it’s quite likely that you’re going to miss out on your chance to own some truly one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Take – for example — this drawing of Ursula the Sea Witch that “The Little Mermaid” supervising animator Ruben Aquino did specifically for this online auction.

Bidding on this particular item closes in three days time. Whereas this original production drawing by Glen Keane of Marahutè, the giant golden eagle from 1990’s “The Rescuers Down Under” …

… should be coming up for bid shortly.

Indeed, as the “Help the Hodges” auction enters its second week later today, you can expect to see 70 new items go live on this online fundraiser’s eBay page. With some of these pieces being the sorts of things …

… that cartoon art & animation fans would just kill to own. Like Broose Johnson’s original drawing of what a thumb war between the Genie from “Aladdin” and the Beast from “Beauty and the Beast” might be like.

Or better yet, how about this original Chris Sanders? Which shows his Kiskaloo character getting ready to annihilate a pile of leaves.

Mind you, if you’re a fan of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ most recent release, “The Princess and the Frog,” you might want to consider bidding on this beautiful drawing of Prince-Naveen-as-a-frog that that character’s supervising animator, Randy Haycock, did exclusively for the “Help the Hodges” auction.

Or if you’d prefer an assortment of animated characters, check out this drawing by Tony Bancroft. Which shows all of the characters that Bancroft has drawn [to date] in feature-length projects for the Mouse House.

Speaking of Mr. Bancroft, he’s really been out there thumping the tub for the “Help the Hodges” online auction this week. You can read a Los Angeles Times interview with Tony that talks up this online fundraiser here and listen to a Southern California Public Radio piece that features Mr. Bancroft hyping “Help the Hodges” by clicking on this link.

(L to R) Tom Bancroft, Chad Frye, Tony Bancroft and Chuck Vollmer. Photo by Jim Hill

FYI: While I was out in LA this past week, I got to meet with the guys behind this online fundraising effort. And you could not ask for a nicer, more motivated group of people. And as these guys showed me all of the artwork that has come in so far, Chad Frye couldn’t help but praise the kindness & generosity of the animation & cartooning community.

“There are some very talented people out there who want to do whatever they can to try & help the Hodge family,” Frye explained. “I’m getting one or two new pieces every day now. I wouldn’t be surprised if – by the end of this three-week-long fund-raising effort – that we put 180 pieces of artwork up for bid.”

If you too would like to “Help the Hodges,” please head on over to this online auction’s eBay page and place a bid on one of the items listed there. Or – if you’d prefer – you can make a fully tax-deductible donation through Paypal on www.HelpTheHodges.com or by sending a check with “Help the Hodges” written on the subject line to:

The NCS Foundation 341 N. Maitland Ave., #130 Maitland, FL 32751

Thanks in advance for giving this online fund-raising effort your attention, folks. I know that the Hodges — as well as their extended circle of friends & family — will really appreciate any and all efforts on their behalf.