by Brooke Kennedy
Original production artwork from Disney’s 1940 anthology film is heading under the hammer in December. The auction, held by Boston-based RR Auction, features several pieces from the iconic film depicting company mascot Mickey Mouse from the film’s landmark sequence – ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.’
Concept paintings depict the young inexperienced wizard in his various stages throughout the segment. Starting as just a grunt working pupil, Mickey is being ushered by his master Yen Sid to mop the floors of the inner sanctum. Subsequent pieces show Mickey donning the iconic blue hat, attempting to command a sentient broom to do his bidding. With his attempts at magic getting out of hand, he is pictured in another painting struggling to stay afloat on Yen Sid’s spell book while the tower floods with water. And, in a scene that has been immortalized in countless forms, the mouse stands tall on a rocky cliff as he commands the waves.
‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ quickly cemented itself in Disney’s iconography. You can find countless references to the short in their films and parks, including the now-defunct Hollywood Studios hat and Great Movie Ride, and Disney’s Fantasmic. Furthermore, the segment inspired the full-length fantasy feature The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which was released in 2010 starring Nicolas Cage as the mighty sorcerer.
In addition to these stunning pieces of concept art, offerings from the film will include production drawings of characters including Bacchus, Jacchus, and Chernabog, and an epic set of 45 storyboard paintings from ‘The Rite of Spring’ sequence, showing the dinosaur battle between a Tyrannosaurus and a Stegosaurus.
Concept paintings from Disney legends Mary Blair (Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Cinderella) and Eyvind Earle (Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp), dozens of production cels and drawings, and Walt Disney autographs fill out the rest of the animation section. Fine Autographs and Artifacts featuring Science, Technology, and Animation closes December 11, 2024.
