Disney might-have-beens will be up for bid in Profiles in History’s “Icons of Animation” auction

Jim Hill

13 years ago

With the arrival of Black Friday, the 2011 holiday shopping
season is now officially underway.

And if you’re struggling to come up with the perfect gift
for the Disneyana collector and/or the animation enthusiasts on your Christmas
list … Well, you might want to consider checking out the catalog that Profiles
in History just put online for its December 17^th “Icons of
Animation” auction.

Because – as you look through these lots (which – FYI – will
be on display at Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, CA. from December 9 – 16^th)
– you’re going to find all sort of pieces that Disney theme park fans would just
kill to own. Unique one-of-a-kind items like Roland Hill‘s initial
architectural drawings for Sleeping Beauty Castle …

… as Walt and his initial group of Imagineers struggled to get
a handle on what the interior & exterior of this Disneyland icon might look
like.

Better yet, you can take a look at some of the attractions
that Walt considered adding to the Happiest Place on Earth in late 1956 …

… as Disneyland looked for ways to increase its hourly ride
capacity for the Summer of 1957.

Mind you, one of the ideas depicted above did eventually
make it off of WED’s drawing boards. But not with the colorful name that Bruce
Bushman had dreamed up for this proposed Fantasyland addition, Mouseketopia.
But – rather – the far more mundane sounding “Midget Autopia.”

You’ll lots of pieces of art like this in Profiles in
History’s “Icons of Animation” auction catalog. Things that look kind of
familiar but aren’t quite as you remember them. Take – for example – these winsome
wenches …

… who were once considered as possible additions to “Pirates
of the Caribbean” ‘s auction scene. Or the version of Disneyland’s Mad Tea
Party attraction depicted below …

… which was eventually dropped in favor of a less-ornate,
easier-to-build version of this Fantasyland favorite.

That was sort of the same thing that happened with WED’s original
vision of what the exterior of Disneyland’s Peter Pan Fly Through would look
like …

As time ran out (more importantly, as Disneyland’s
construction budget began to tighten), the elaborate tournament-tent-like exteriors
that the Imagineers had dreamed up for all of Fantasyland’s dark rides were
dropped in favor of simpler-to-build / far-more-affordable versions of these
same structures.

And speaking of “Peter Pan,” among the lots which will be
coming up for bid next month in the Profiles in History’s “Icons of Animation” auction
are pieces of concept art that the Studio created back in the late 1930s /
early 1940s. Which was when Walt Disney Productions first tried to turn J.M.
Barrie’s much beloved book & play into a full-length animated feature.

That’s David Hall’s take on the crocodile who so doggedly
pursued Captain Hook above. And just below here … Well, this is a quick sketch of
Alice & the Cheshire Cat that Disney Legend Joe Grant must have done of
these two “Alice in Wonderland” characters before he left the Studios in
1948.

But me personally, the artwork in this Profiles in History
catalog that fascinates me the most is from films which never quite made it off
the drawing board. Like that Roald Dahl story, “The Gremlins
,” which Disney had
wanted to put into production during World War II …

… or that Insect Ballet sequence which was supposed to be
folded into “Fantasia” when Walt’s concert feature was re-released to theaters
with some all-new music numbers in 1942. (Sadly, it wouldn’t be ’til some 60
years after “Fantasia” was originally released to theaters in November of 1940
that Walt Disney Feature Animation would then produce a revised version of this
ambitious animated feature with seven new musical numbers).

But the real highlight of this animation art catalog has to
be the Boobyland concept art. Which was from Walt Disney’s first attempt to
turn Carlo Collodi’s allegorical fairy tale into a full-length animated film.

Looking over these Boobyland drawings … You can understand
why Walt eventually shut down “Pinocchio” for six months to be retooled.

Not only was the Studio’s initial design for this film’s
title character unappealing, but “Pinocchio” ‘s attempts to stay true to the
original spirit of Collodi’s tale …

… and fold in bits of social satire came across as way too
heavy-handed.

Which then made it harder for audiences to empathize with
Pinocchio’s plight when this wayward wooden boy wound up being turned into a
donkey.

Anyway … There’s lots of great bits of Disney history to be
found in the Profiles in History’s “Icons of Animation” auction catalog. So if
you’re looking for something fun to do today while you’re digesting all of that
turkey and pumpkin pie, why not head on over to the PIH website and go check
that artwork out.

And if you find something that you just can’t live without,
please remember that the “Icons of Animation” auction will be held at the Paley
Center for Media in Beverly Hills, CA. on December 17^th starting at
11 a.m. PT.

Your thoughts?