1st Quarter 2008 Update!

The 2008 1st Quarter presentation is now complete!

Just as I was finishing the presentation page, received all the plussing information for each of the new sculptures just announced plus the members-only releases!

Each presentation page has been updated where plussing information is applicable. Within the next week or so, be watching for another update that will include some additional angles plus the addition of the 2008 Calendar!

Merry Christmas!!

Clarabelle Joins the Mickey Mouse Club!

Clarabelle Cow is the newest member of the Mickey Mouse Club!

Clarabelle, sculpted by Bruce Lau is Limited to Production Year 2008.

Mickey Mouse Club was hosted by Jimmie Dodd, a songwriter and the "Head Mouseketeer", who provided leadership both on and off screen. Roy Williams, a staff artist at Disney, also appeared in the show as the "Big Mooseketeer". Roy suggested the Mickey Mouse ears ("Mouseke-ears") worn by the cast members, which he helped create, along with Chuck Keehne, Hal Adelquist, and Bill Walsh.

The main cast members were called "Mouseketeers," and they performed in a variety of musical and dance numbers, as well as some informational segments.

The opening theme, "The Mickey Mouse March", was written by the show's primary adult host, Jimmie Dodd. It was also reprised at the end of each episode, with the slower "Now it's time to say goodbye" verse. A shorter version of the opening title was used later in the series, in syndication and on Disney Channel reruns. Dodd also wrote many other songs used in individual segments over the course of the series.

Although the show was filmed and broadcast in black and white, all of the animated segments - the opening theme, Mickey's introductions and farewells, the Jiminy Cricket shorts, etc. - were filmed in color. Below is the opening sequence (in color) courtesy of YouTube.com:

The Mickey Mouse Club ©Disney

Judge Claude Frollo Joins the Festival of Fools!

A much requested scene by collectors was the Festival of Fools Scene and this past year collectors were treated to the release of Esmerelda (4th release in the Leading Ladies Series) and Clopin & Quasimodo (both Open Edition releases). Every scene needs a villain and in 2008, Judge Claude Frollo makes his WDCC debut as a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 750 sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons. Additional angles to follow.

Judge Claude Frollo is a fictional character, the main villain from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as adapted from Claude Frollo in Victor Hugo's novel of the same name. His voice was provided by the late Tony Jay, who had been chosen for the role based on his brief appearance as Monsieur D'Arque in Beauty and the Beast.

Frollo is the minister of justice of Paris, France. He holds an intense hatred of the gypsy population, expressing a desire to terminate their entire race. In the film, Frollo murders Quasimodo's mother and reluctantly becomes his adoptive father, attempting to raise him to despise the gypsies. Frollo's life becomes complicated when he falls in love with Esmerelda, a gypsy dancer whom Frollo believes to be an evil witch.

This version of Frollo is considerably different from the character featured in Hugo's novel; in the film, Frollo is a violent, hateful man with little to no regard for humanity, while Hugo presented the character as a far more sympathetic, complicated man, although he still remained the novel's antagonist. Despite the character's simplification, his villainious qualities, which include racism, lust and religious bigotry, remained quite mature for a children's film.

Collectors have commented less scenes, more stand alones so am glad they went the route they did with Frollo and made him part of the Festival of Fools Scene vs. a stand alone/event style sculpture. "Malevolent Magistrate" captures Frollo perfectly as he appears in this sequence of the film as Quasimodo is crowned King of Fools during the Feast of Fools.

For your viewing pleasure, below is a clip (courtesy of YouTube.com) of the Festival of Fools sequence during the Topsy Turvy! song and dance number:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ©Disney

Elliott: A Boy's Best Friend!

Today we received images of three (3) more non-member releases for 2008. Due to work and school obligations, will get each release uploaded to the blog once completed to discuss and then do our normal presentation to showcase the 1st Quarter in it's entirety.

Up first, from Pete's Dragon is Elliott! Pete's Dragon (first released on November 3, 1977) is a live-action/animated musical feature film from Walt Disney Productions. It is about a young orphan named Pete in a small fishing community in Maine in the early 20th century. His only friend is a dragon, Elliott, who also acts as his sentinel. Elliott can make himself invisible and is generally visible only to Pete, which occasionally lands Pete in trouble with the locals.

Elliott ("A Boy's Best Friend"), sculpted by Ruben Procopio is a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 750 with a SRP of $275.00 US. Take the Elliott Poll.

Trivia:

• Originally, Elliott the dragon was not to be seen at all in the film and remain invisible throughout. However, members of the studio animation department gradually lobbied studio heads to increase the amount of visible screen time. At first it was decided he would be only seen at the end of the film, but ultimately the character's screen time was increased to 22 minutes.
• Animators opted to make Elliott more of an oriental (rather than occidental) dragon because oriental dragons are usually associated with good.
• There were plans to move the lighthouse, specially constructed for the film, to the Disneyland theme park. Unfortunately, the building had deteriorated beyond repair before this could be done.
• Elliot the dragon and Pete appear in the Main Street Electrical Parade in the Disney theme parks and the version of Elliott from the parade was an open edition release in 1999.
• Pete's Dragon was the first Disney feature film to be released on VHS home video, in October 1980.

For those unfamiliar with Elliott and/or Pete's Dragon, I've included a short clip from the live-action/animated film (courtesy of YouTube.com) below:

Pete's Dragon ©Disney

WDCS Automatic Renewals Marching Your Way!

Those who do the automatic renewal with the Walt Disney Collectors Society, Donald Duck, the 2008 Membership Gift is marching your way!

Donald Duck ("Happy Camper") sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons is available from January 01 thru December 31, 2007. Membership Benefits for 2008 include the Membership Gift Sculpture (pictured at right), two lithographs, membership pin, personalized membership card, quarterly supplements, subscriptions to Sketches Magazine and Newsflash plus opportunity to purchase other member-only sculptures (see below).

More specific details and images on this year's Society Membership Gift & Benefits can be found either on the website or recent blog entry.

Question: Will there be a WDCC Calendar for 2008?
Answer: No. The calendar was a 15th Anniversary WDCS special addition to the year for 2007.

Thanks William for the heads up!

Annual WDCC Ball Ornament

The annual Walt Disney Classics Collection ball ornament (pictured above) was introduced in 1999 and made available as part of a special "Holiday Promotion" for a suggested retail price of only $20.00 US with the purchase of any Walt Disney Classics Collection sculpture or Society Membership (excluding opening titles and miniatures).

The ornament featured the WDCC logo and was limited to year of production. The series was made up of the following three (3) releases:

1999 - First release in series from On Ice (1935)

2000- Second release in series from Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952)
2001 - Third (and final release) in series from Lady and The Tramp (1955)

Walt Disney Studios Holiday Card Series

These Merry Messengers rang in a new Holiday Series, a Gold Circle Exclusive in 2003, inspired by Walt Disney Studios Holiday Christmas Cards.

The first release a 3-piece Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) set of 2,000 sculpted by Bruce Lau. The holidays bring warm greetings from old friends, so here are Mickey and his pals (Minnie, Donald and Pluto) just as they appeared on the official Walt Disney Studios Holiday Card for 1936.

Mickey and his pals (Donald & Pluto) just as they appeared on the official Walt Disney Studios Holiday Card for 1948 with Danny the Lamb from So Dear to My Heart was the second release in the series (2004).

This 3-piece Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) set of 2,000 was sculpted by Dusty Horner. In a conversation with Dusty last fall at a signing event, he said "A Hearfelt Surprise" is one of his favorites!


Here are Donald & his Nephews (Huey, Dewey and Louie) just as they appeared on the official Walt Disney Studios Holiday Card for 1956 in the third and final release (2005) in the Walt Disney Studios Holiday Card Series.

This 3-piece Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 1,000 was sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons.

Each release in the Walt Disney Studios Holiday Card Series included a litho of the Holiday Card that inspired the sculpture. You can click on each image above for more detail on each sculpture plus an image of the litho included.

This is one series I wish would have continued. I recall the initial article in Sketches Magazine that introduced the series, showed potential future releases and one I really wish that would have been done featured the Matterhorn and various Disney characters (Pinocchio and Jose Carioca stand out) on toboggans.

If interested in seeing more Walt Disney Studios Holiday Cards done over the years, check out the following blogs -- 2719 Hyperion and ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. My personal favorite is the 1952 Studio Card featuring The Little House.

All The Snow & Ice This Weekend: A Delicate Dance of Winter?? :)

This past weekend it truly felt like winter with the heavy snow and wintery mix of freezing rain and had me thinking of the Frost Fairies as I shoveled away the snow and ice and seeing remnants here and there of fall leaves.

The Frost Fairies ("Delicate Dance of Winter") sculpted by Kent Melton was a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 500 released in September 2005.

The Frost Fairies are from the Nutcracker Suite portion of Fantasia. The Nutcracker Suite a personified depiction of the changing of the seasons; first from summer to autumn, and then from autumn to winter. It features a variety of dances, just as in the original, but danced by animated fairies, fishes, flowers, mushrooms and leaves; no actual nutcracker is ever seen in this version. Many elements are rendered carefully and painstakingly using techniques such as drybrush and airbrush.

The Nutcracker Suite musical score was done by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Animation Supervisors were Fred Moore and Vladimir Tytla and Animation by Art Babbitt, Les Clark, Don Lusk, Sy Young, and Robert Stokes.

As an added treat, below is a portion of the Frost Fairy Sequence (courtesy of YouTube.com):

Nutcracker Suite portion from Disney's Fantasia is ©Disney

Pluto's Christmas Tree Including Lamppost Base Adapter Information!

In 1995, Walt Disney Art Classics released its first Holiday Series from the animated short, Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952). This short features the Fab Five and Chip 'n Dale.

In Pluto's Christmas Tree, Pluto comes bounding outside to help Mickey get a Christmas tree. Chip 'n Dale see him and make fun of him, but the tree they take refuge in is the one Mickey chops down. They like the decorations, especially the candy canes and Mickey's bowl of mixed nuts. But Pluto spots them and goes after them long before Mickey spots them. Pluto tries to show Mickey but winds up crashing the tree for his effort. Minnie, Donald, and Goofy drop by to sing carols.

It's first release was Mickey Mouse and production was limited to that year and Mickey came in both ornament and figurine size. The following year (1996), Pluto became the second release in this series.

In 1997, Chip n Dale became the third release, and marked they're debut as part of the Walt Disney Classics Collection.

Included with the figurine size Little Mischief Makers was a Santa Candle (pictured at right). The candle was also sold separately. It was not done in ornament size.

In 2000, Donald Duck was the sixth and final release joining fellow carolers Minnie Mouse (1998) and Goofy (1999). Also released in 2000 was the Opening Title (pictured above).

To round out the Holiday Series, Walt Disney Art Classics created a new Lamppost Base directly inspired by the film. The base lights up and features spots for all three carolers -- Minnie, Goofy and Donald.

Adapter Information: The Lamppost Base can be lit by either batteries or an adapter (not included). The downside of the batteries, they don't seem to last for very long and for many years now, wasn't sure what type of an adapter to use.

Finally solved that problem thanks to fellow collectors and friends, Bob & Toni and Jimi. Stop by Radio Shack and pick up the following:

A Universal 1.5-12V/300mA AC to DC Power Adapter that retails for $19.98. Wide voltage range and six (6) Adaptaplugs make it ideal for use with numerous electronic devices. For the Lamppost Base, you use Adaptaplug F. Well worth it! Am able to light my Lamppost Base nightly and enjoy throughout the holidays. Thanks Again Guys!

Special Note: The base is available for the figurine size pieces only.

Walt Disney Art Classics made available two disc ornaments available through Parkwest/NALED Dealers. Designed to compliment the figurine and ornament releases, the "Pluto Helps Decorate" disc ornament (pictured at left) was released in 1996 and the "Little Mischief Makers" disc ornament (pictured at right) was released in 1997.


In 1997, Walt Disney Art Classics released a Holiday Base to display your Pluto's Christmas ornaments and/or figurines. The base has the wording "Holiday Series-Walt Disney Classics Collection."

An Annual Ball Ornament was released in 2000 from the ending sequence, featuring Carolers Minnie, Goofy and Donald that will be part of another blog entry later this week.

For complete information and pricing of all the releases from this animated short, please check out the Pluto's Christmas Tree section of the Image Gallery & Secondary Guide.

As a Christmas Treat, I've included a clip of the animated short (courtesy of YouTube.com) below:

Pluto's Christmas Tree is a Walt Disney Mickey Mouse Cartoon ©Disney

Snow White Celebrates 70 Years With Historic Video Available On-Line!

Premiering 70 Years Ago on December 21, 1937, Disney’s First Full-Length Animated Feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Complimentary Viewing of Exclusive, Historic Video Available Online! Great American Ink has produced a video, “Behind the Scenes of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” which highlights the making and release of Disney’s first full-length feature film. This memorable event is featured in this exclusive, historic video available for viewing online for free at www.GreatAmericanInk.com or call 1-800-552-2847 to receive a complimentary DVD.

It was December 21, 1937 at Carthay Circle Theatre, attracting Hollywood’s biggest celebrities including Charlie Chaplin, Judy Garland, Shirley Temple, John Barrymore, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. Mingling with the stars were the anonymous makers of the film whom Walt Disney had given tickets. There was great anticipation to see how the audience would react. Animator Ward Kimball remembers the evening, “We weren’t prepared for the crying and sniffling in the audience.”

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was an immediate hit becoming the most successful movie released that year. It remains one of the greatest animated features of all time. This film was a significant screen innovation charming millions and pioneering a new field in entertainment.

For this extraordinary accomplishment, Disney won an honorary Academy Award presented to him by Shirley Temple at the 1938 Academy Awards ceremony. The Award was not just a single Oscar statue, but eight – one full-size and seven little ones – all on the same stand.

Great American Ink, a Los Angeles-based vintage and contemporary animation art gallery, is also hosting a complimentary online exhibition of original production art from this groundbreaking film. Visitors can see this exhibit at www.GreatAmericanInk.com or call 1-800-552-2847 for more information.

About the Gallery: Great American Ink, the world’s premier gallery for vintage animation art, offers pre-production concept drawings, storyboards, production drawings, and cels, featuring characters from Disney, Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, Simpsons, DC Comics, Peanuts, Betty Boop and more.

Featured sculpture in this blog entry is the 1998 Disneyana featured sculpture of Snow White and Prince Charming (""A Kiss Brings Love Anew") a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 1,650 sculpted by Kent Melton. A complete listing of sculptures from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs can be found in the Snow White Section of the website's Secondary Guide & Image Gallery.

Below is “Behind the Scenes of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” video courtesy of Great American Ink and YouTube.com:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ©Disney

Your WDCC 'Wish List'

As the year is coming to a close, many readers have been emailing wondering when the remainder of 1st Quarter 2008 will be unveiled? As of this entry, I haven't received and/or heard anything yet :(

As we're waiting for the announcement and keeping with the theme of this month's entries, what are you wishing to be unveiled as part of this announcement and/or future unveilings for 2008??

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Revisiting Holiday Themed Releases: Holiday Princess Series

Two weeks from today is Christmas Day! Where has the time gone since Thanksgiving? These past few weeks has been a combination of decorating, shopping, preparing for the season and getting ready for year-end at work.

In these next two weeks, we'll revisit past Christmas-themed releases from the Walt Disney Classics Collection, starting with the Holiday Princess Series.

The Holiday Princess Series made it's debut in July, 2003 with the release of Belle ("The Gift of Love"), an Open Edition release, sculpted by Dusty Horner. This magical holiday sculpture was inspired by "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" and the first in the Princess Series emphasizing on our favorite Princesses at Holiday. Releases primarily would be 'interpretative' as opposed to 'true to the moment.'

The second release in 2004 (July) was Aurora ("The Gift of Beauty") an Open Edition release, sculpted by Kent Melton. The colors for Aurora's gown were inspired by a 1957 Golden Book of Sleeping Beauty. During a signing event in 2004, Kent said this was one of his favorite sculptures that he sculpted.

In 2005 (July), Snow White ("The Gift of Friendship") was the third release in the series, an Open Edition release sculpted by Dusty Horner. The coloration for the Holiday Princess Snow White is inspired by one of the color variations from the first Snow White film poster. The border treatment on Snow White's cloak is inspired by the pattern on clothing worn by Snow White's mother in an early Little Golden Book.

The fourth (and final) release in the series was Cinderella ("The Gift of Kindness"), an Open Edition release sculpted by Margi Wray, released in 2006 (July).

The Holiday Princess Series was retired in December, 2006. Not a favorite of the hardcore Walt Disney Classics Collection collectors, it did very well in the theme parks and many were surprised the series ended in 2006 before the series included Ariel and Jasmine.

Animation Art: THIS WEEKEND Decmember 8th, Trevor Carlton Returns!

Trevor Carlton returns for 2 Live Performances on Saturday December the 8th at 1:30PM and 5:30PM!

An exciting event to see Trevor Painting LIVE in the gallery.. A ROCK 'n' ROLL performance not to be missed! Trevor will be doing two (2) 60" x 60" Paintings of Winnie-the-Pooh and Tinker Bell along with a SPECIAL PRESENTATION to be seen!

Many Originals and Giclee's by Trevor will be available as well as an autograph signing and dedication of ALL art purchased.

*Please note NO Video Filming will be allowed.

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Winter Premiere Event Continues! Animation Art has only two (2) sculptures left in stock! These figurines by Sculptor Tim Bruckner are absolutely breathtaking, and sure to sell very quickly!

Saturday - December 8, 2007
Animation Art
Woodfield Shopping Center
Schaumburg Il, 60173
1:30pm & 5:30pm

DVD Special Announcement Update!

Update on Special Announcement from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment: "There is no great way to direct consumers towards the inclusive product."

There are a couple different versions of the booklet packed inside the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End DVD release. These versions are MIXED in product packages going across the country for the single disc release, the 2-Disc special edition, and the Blu-Ray release and MIXED to specific major retailers (e.g. Best Buy, Target, Costco, WalMart, Amazon, etc.). We can't predict specifically if a particular DVD package will include the WDCC announcement or not. For example, a 2-Disc version purchased from Best Buy, the WDCC announcement was not in the booklet. but a single disc version purchased elsewhere did include it.

The announcement concerns the Captain Barbossa and Capain Jack Sparrow pieces, introducing many new Disney enthusiasts to the Walt Disney Classics Collection and these sculptures.

2007 Facts & Firsts!

Many emails I receive have asked, "will there be an updated Facts & Firsts available for 2007?"

The 2007 edition of Facts & Firsts has just been finalized and available for download (click on image at right). This update includes all releases through Fourth Quarter 2007. Additional changes will be rolled into the next update in 2008 which will include a few errors caught that didn't make this update.

Should you catch any errors, please email me at wdccduckman@aol.com so we can be sure to get those corrected in the next update.