Walt Disney: Sleeping Beauty: Fire and Fury

SOLD OUT! The Story

As Prince Phillip approaches King Stefan¹s castle to rescue the Princess Aurora from an spell of eternal sleep, he is confronted by the maniacal Maleficent, who has transformed herself into a fire-breathing dragon.

Can Phillip defeat the terrifying beast and awaken the sleeping beauty?

The Artwork

This hand-inked, hand-painted limited-edition cel portrays the unforgettable Sequence 19, Scene 56 from Walt Disney¹s animated feature Sleeping Beauty (1959). "Of all the stirring legends of the triumph of good over evil, none has ever been so inspirational to me as Sleeping Beauty," said Walt Disney, and no scene is more representative of that epic battle than the fight between the valiant Prince Phillip and the terrifying dragon.

Walt envisioned Sleeping Beauty as his ultimate animated feature. Disney found the "visual perfection" he sought in the stylized work of background artist Eyvind Earle. Under Earle¹s influence, the film took on the look of a rich medieval tapestry, fulfilling Walt Disney¹s decree that Sleeping Beauty be a ³moving illustration.² The design of Maleficent-turned-dragon is based on existing elements of the Evil Fairy¹s design winged collar and reptilian eyes. The dragon is constructed in a graphic style to blend in with the overall look of the film. Even the flames that consume the forest of thorns are not realistic but rather stylized to complement the film¹s strong design statement.

In animating the dragon, Eric Cleworth based the vicious movements of the dragon¹s head on a rattlesnake striking, while Woolie Reitherman directed the scene as if the prince were going to lose the battle, so it is no wonder that the gigantic dragon seems to have the advantage over the relatively tiny figure of the prince. Walt felt that Sleeping Beauty "has been a definite challenge but thanks to our talented staff of artists and technicians, it has been met. They have now developed the process of animation to the point where it can truly be called the art of enlivened, moving paintings."

Produced in the tradition of the Walt Disney Studios Ink and Paint Department, each cel features 10 to 11 hand-inked line colors, 15 to 18 paint colors and 3 special effect colors and is paired with a fine-art giclée background. The hand-inked, hand-painted cels were created from the original animation drawings of this animated cartoon. This cel set-up is part of the Limited-Edition Scene Collection for which Disney artists have taken 16 of the one-of-a-kind production drawings and created each on cel only 7 times, capturing the timeless power and majesty of Sleeping Beauty.

This limited edition cel is among the most elaborately inked and painted limited edition cel Disney has ever produced. Painted by The Disney Studios Ink and Paint Department, each cel has colored, hand inking and paint which are matched exactly to the color used to create the original production cels. The bright green flames are dry brushed on the top of the cel.

Due to the complexity of this piece, Disney is releasing them on a paint-to-order basis. There will be a 4-6 week lead time to paint and frame each piece, 3-5 weeks if you order it unframed. The images are currently available to view via email, and orders for specific pieces are now being accepted on a first come first serve basis. The edition size is 7 per scene with 16 scenes available. Contact Joel at 800-883-6589 for availability.