Monday, February 13, 2012

Celebrating 20 Years: It All Started With a Field Mouse

Click Image for More Detail
In honor of its 20th anniversary, the Walt Disney Classics Collection presents this specially designed sculpture featuring Mickey Mouse cheerfully contemplating a replica of the famed Field Mouse sculpture. 

The first Walt Disney Classics Collection release in 1992, this award-winning piece reflected the breathtaking artistry of Walt Disney’s Bambi

A highly sought-after collectors item, the Field Mouse has come to symbolize the exacting animation principles and beautiful artistry of the Walt Disney Classics Collection. 

'It All Started With a Field Mouse' sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons is plussed with pewter leaves and a delicately detailed bronze miniature Field Mouse is Limited to Production Year 2012.

Now you can add this sculpted tale of two mice to your own collection! As the Walt Disney Classics Collection celebrates 20 years of fine art animation sculptures, they’re happy to have Mickey on hand to remind us it was all started by a field mouse.

14 comments:

Babette said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PIECE!! It is adorable and such amazing detail on the field mouse!! Patrick did a fantastic job on the sculpt. Can't wait to get this one. Will look great along side the Mickey Sculpting Mickey piece. A great homage to the first days of the line!

Timon said...

I am thrilled about this piece! I was the first one to have it on order from my dealer. I can't wait to display this piece! I hope we'll see more 20th Anniversary pieces, but this one will have a place of honor in my main curio when it arrives!

Matthew said...

I know some will snicker at this, but when I saw this piece it actually brought tears to my eyes.

Mickey is so well done by Patrick and the Field Mouse is beyond wonderful. I can't believe the amount of detail that Patrick was able to get into the piece.

What a wonderful tribute to the line, to the folks that make it happen and to the collectors.

Love the base color too! :-)

I wish I could get this one NOW!

dopey926 said...

AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL PIECE!!!! Traci and her team have paid tribute to the 20th Anniversary with a phenomenal piece that makes a significant, poignant statement of "how it all started....."

Patrick has sculpted another prized piece with his amazing talent!

Justin Lopez said...

Not what I was expecting haha. I thought for sure since the original Charter pieces were 1928 b&w Minnie/Mickey films that we would see pieces from Gallopin' Gaucho. Gallopin' Gaucho is the only original Mickey short not represented from 1928 :(

I do love the message of this piece and its brilliant look! I am a newer collector so the Field Mouse has no significance to me... I have never even seen a piece in person :) However, this being a milestone year, I will most likely want to hold on to this memory :)

Which brings me to another question. Haha I always go to you as if you are the know all when it comes to the inner workings of WDCC :) But when will we hear if the line has been granted an additional contract beyond 2012. I would be devastated to learn that this was the end of the road as it has become a tradition between my partner and I as well as a true connection to the films I grew up with as a kid :)

And one last thing :), I am interested to see if we will see any other 20th Anniversary sculptures as the way "the 20th Anniversary Back stamp" is being used seems to indicate a general back stamp for multiple releases. Thanks for everything you do. Your blog is what began this craze for me!

Mary said...

I loved this piece the moment I saw it! There was no hesitation or need to even think about it…I just loved it on first impression. I’ve always been a fan of miniatures and the tiny field mouse is just exquisite. I think that this piece touches the collector in all of us. We know exactly how Mickey is feeling when he holds that longed-for piece in his hands for the first time. We know the joy of taking it out of the box and touching it for the first time. And we know the joy it will bring us every time we look at it. This is the feeling that makes us appreciate and love our collections. What a fitting tribute to the 20th anniversary of the Walt Disney Classics Collection!

Koen said...

This is a winner! I love it... and I usualy don't buy Mickey pieces.

Herc said...

Wow, this is wonderful. Now I finally can have the field mouse in my collection. LOL.

This truly is a beautiful piece and Patrick has donea fantastic job.

Here's hoping for another 20 years for WDCC because with the sculptures that have been coming out recently, there has not been a bad one in the bunch. And selling out!!

Bob said...

What a wonderful piece!!!! Very fitting for WDCC 20th Anniversary.
Can't wait to get this in our cabinet, in fact this may get its own display. Thanks so Much Patrick and WDCC team you guys never cease to amaze!!!!!!
I'm so darn excited about all the new pieces!!!!! Can't wait to get them in my hands.....LOL

DC Pop Fanatic said...

What can I say that hasn't already been said ... Love this sculpt and given I'm not a Mickey fan, it has to be something pretty special for me to really want to add to my collection!

Patrick & Traci, you truly kept us in the dark on this one and what a fitting and significant piece for the 20th Anniversary! Patrick, you truly knocked this one out of the park!

I've heard this piece has been knocked by some and honestly don't understand why? Its the 20th Anniversary! What would be more fitting? This piece is for the true collector of the line...a nice homage to how it all started with a Mouse both Disney and the WDCC.

Justin - I haven't heard anything yet regarding the renewal of the contract. I know the current contract ends at the end of this year and like you (and so many others) hope it will be renewed because there is SO more they have yet to do that would keep this line going for many, many more years!

I know in 2009, we didn't hear until late in December it was renewed, hopefully we won't have to wait as long this year.

In the meantime, I'm so looking forward to the arrival of these pieces and looking forward to what is in store for the rest of this year!

Happy 20th Anniversary WDCC!!!

Gregory said...

What can I say. I LOVE THE MOUSE. I'm a kid at heart and I grew up on Mickey. So I am happy to add another Mickey to my collection. And I love that classic Disney line "Remember it all started with a mouse" So I think the WDCC team was very clever to play up the "field mouse" piece in the title of this sculpture. I also love how we go full circle with the 10th anniversary sculpture showcasing Mickey as a sculptor and for the 20th anniversary we see him as a collector. This showcases both aspects of the WDCC line. The great sculptors bringing great pieces to the fans and collectors. I was too young to to collect when the line started so I am happy to finally add the field mouse, even if in mini form, to my collection.



As for the sculpture itself, this piece also showcases the talents (again) of the WDCC sculptors. The field mouse in full scale is a delicate and artistic piece. For it to be done in miniature - down to the dew drop - is simply awesome. I really hope all the collectors out there who love the WDCC really appreciate the story this piece is telling. It really brings the WDCC full circle.

Patrick Romandy-Simmons said...

What can I say to all you wonderful people for your humbling accolades? I am overwhelmed with gratitude, so please indulge me for a bit and allow me to get a little "schmaltzy". When I first learned of this piece and that I was chosen to be the one to sculpt it, I was absolutely thrilled and honored. I knew that I was taking on a great responsibility, but I also knew I was up to the challenge. Mickey is my favorite character and I could not wait to bring this wonderfully whimsical and sentimentally profound moment to life.

As I have said before, the pieces that are created for the WDCC are a team effort, and so I want to assert that the creative efforts that went into producing this 20th anniversary piece did not end when I finally laid down my modeling tools and handed over a finished sculpture to the Enesco crew. Far from it. So much more goes into each of our sculptures and I want to acknowledge the wonderful friends I work with at Enesco and Disney Consumer Products who play just as important a creative part in producing all the stunning sculptures that have made the Walt Disney Classics Collection the pinnacle of Disney collectible art throughout the world.

And most importantly, without all our wonderful collectors, there would not be a WDCC. Every time I create a piece I always keep in mind who it is I am making this for. I know how much these pieces mean to many of you and I know they are more then just porcelain figurines. They evoke emotion and sentimental memories. A piece that may just look like Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo nuzzling in a nest of hay to one person, can have a richer, deeper meaning to another. I learned this at one of our conventions from a young lady who approached me and told me that the "Baby Mine" piece I sculpted was the last gift she gave to her mother before she passed away and that it sits on the mantle in their home next to her picture. As an artist, it is such a moving and inspiring feeling just to know that something you helped to create was able to comfort and console another human being. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you at conventions and gallery events, and I just want to tell you that I appreciate and cherish your kindness and friendship more then you will ever know. So when you celebrate 20 years of WDCC magic, know that I celebrate you and thank you for being just as much a part of the Walt Disney Classics Collection as my fellow artists and the WDCC Enesco group are. Peace.

DC Pop Fanatic said...

Hi Patrick,

Thank you for the heartwarming post and some of the backstory on the Mickey Mouse and Field Mouse sculpture. It's these little things that make something even more special and have meaning. You realize its more than just porcelain, you feel a connection.

It's ironic you mention the Dumbo & Mrs. Jumbo piece, as that is one of my favorite sculpts from Dumbo and how I wanted to see this piece happen and couldn't have been more happier with the finished result.

I feel fortunate knowing you both as a sculptor and a friend and looking forward to seeing what more you have in store for us!

Gurgi said...

Sorry to chime in so late. I am in love with all of the upcoming releases! Another FANTASTIC job by the WDCC Enesco Team! I will be getting all of these pieces to add to my collection. Just a few comments about each piece.

My favorite of this group! Classic modern Mickey and a spot on miniature of the Field Mouse! You can see all of the love and care the team put into making this commemorative! And it gets me choked up that the team honored the collectors with this piece! And Patrick blogged such kind praises, too!

Kudos once again go to the Enesco team for another grand slam announcement! Can't wait to hear about future releases for 2012!