Celebrities Gallery - Animation Art FS
James Hall
>> DreamWorks has been particularly aggressive--some say too
>> aggressive--raiding Disney's easels. "Prince of Egypt's" music is from
>> "Pocahontas" alumni Stephen Schwartz and "The Lion King's" Hans Zimmer.
>YES!!! Another score by Zimmer! I'm in heaven! Besides.. think about
>it... Prince of Egypt.. that's Moses. They are doing a Biblical theme?
>woah. I can't wait to see if they go all out with the style. I'd be
>majorly dissappointed if it comes off "generic".
>> The tunes for DreamWorks' "El Dorado: City of Gold" (a comedy set against
>> the conquest) come from "The Lion King" scorer Elton John and lyricist
>> Tim Rice. Key DreamWorks animators include James Baxter (Quasimodo in
>> "Hunchback"), Duncan Marjoribanks (Ratcliffe in "Pocahontas," Sebastian
>> in "The Little Mermaid"), Finn (Cogsworth in "Beauty and the Beast," head
>> of story on "Hunchback") and Kathy Zielinski (Frollo in "Hunchback").
>> "Prince of Egypt" is co-directed by Brenda Chapman, head of story on "The
>> Lion King."
>About time there's more than one quality studio on the planet! This is
>wonderfull!
> Angela
Hello and welcome to the world of animation, a business just like any other
where there is always more than one player. No, Disney does not rule the
animation airwaves or digital pallet, just the marketing end.
More & more animation fans are becoming aware that it is the individual
talent working together behind the "magic names" that makes the product work
and that moving from one studio to another does not diminish his/her talent.
"Duncan Who ?", say so many Disney fans (a subset) and animation fans (the
whole), with the sound of glee in their voices.
What is a Marjoribanks. A bank that is merry or what ? No, just another
guy who is able to think and draw at the same time. Oh, by the by, I
believe that
Mar... is pronounced Marchbanks.
Disney may have lost Duncan to DreamWorks but Mickey & gang will continue to
struggle towards world domination.
However, animation enthusists may now realize what a few, very few, people
in Ottawa have known for over 20 years. Duncan does the job when it comes
to animation. Duncan started the Ottawa segment of his animation career
with Atkinson Film-Arts where he remained for a short period of time and then
moved on to Toronto. Duncan was then with Disney for 10 years before
finally arriving at Dreamworks.
In fact, Duncan was the 1st animation director hired by "the Zimmer" for
Dreamworks. And Duncan was hired the moment his 10-year deal with Disney
(also orchastrated by "the Zimmer" when he first joined Disney) ended. What
goes round comes round or "Full Circle" (yada, yada, yada).
Celebrities Gallery has the cels, with their matching drawings, from a
commercial that Duncan did in 1976 to promote that year's edition of the
Central Canada Exhibition. It was Duncan's first solo piece and in his words,
"a really rotten little 30-second spot". So we have 30 secs x 24 frames/sec
= 720 cels/drawings (more like 540).
Ask yourself, "How often does a collector find, let alone have the
opportunity to purchase a piece of artwork that was done in the early stages
of an artist's career ?". Add in the facts that Duncan's work is well
recognized by most of his peers and colleagues and he is responsible for
creating many instantly recognized characters, well I would say ...
The commercial has the character, a farmer done by Duncan, introducing the
all-star cast of celebrities and entertainers (such as Roy Rogers, Dale
Evens, Tammy Wynnet and Johnny Cash) for that year's Ex, as it is called in
Ottawa. The farmer was also the fair's mascot.
Celebrities Gallery also carries animation artwork from the following
Canadian produced shows;
1. "Return To Oz" (1964) cels only
2. "Curious George Goes To ..." (1978-80) all facets of the artwork
3. "Care Bears Battle The Freeze Machine" (1984) cels, drawings & backgrounds
4. "Raccoons On Ice" (1981) cels only and a few backgrounds
5. "The Bestest Present" (1986) based on the newspaper comic strip "For
Better of For Worse" all facets of prod. work
6. "Babar & Father Christmas" (1986) won Gemini (Can. award) for best
animated television feature - cels, drawings & backgrounds
7. "The Tin Soldier" everything
8. "Rumplesiltskin" cels & backgrounds
9. "The Misadventures of Icahbod Crane" cels & backgrounds
10. "The Adventures of Hiawatha" cels, drawings & backgrounds
11. "The Velvetine Rabbit" cels & backgrounds
12. "The Meerkats" (1986-87) everything
Barrie Nelson, who was the director for the "B-17" segment of "Heavy Metal"
was one of the principal animators for the "Oz" artwork. It is interesting
to note that the feature film "Return To Oz" was based on the Canadian TV
series "Wizard of Oz" (1960-61) which was the 1st TV cartoon series produced
for Canadian TV and the 1st animation done (and seen) based on Frank's
characters,
"Wizard of Oz" was seen in the U.S. (1961-62) as "Tales of The Wizard of Oz"
and was the first successful production venture for Rankin/Bass (who are still
at it).
We also have hand-painted limited edition cels based on the TV show "The
Wizard of Oz". There are 9 different scenes with an edition size of 250
each and are done by B. Clarke who worked on the original production back in
the early 1960's.
Pino Van Lamsweerde who directed the "Harry Canyon" segment in "Heavy Metal"
also directed the "Care Bears ..." film.
We do have some artwork from the many U.S. Studios. However, rather than
compete with the studios themselves (very bad business) and other animation
galleries (selling unique pieces that are from the same shows) we promote
excellent work that is exclusive to our gallery.
Just for fun ask your animation source about the possibility of obtaining,
say, a "complete scene" from Atkinson Film-Arts' "The Tin Soldier" or any
Disney production completed before 1986 (remember in 1986-87 studios began
saving absolutely everything, including used pencils, from any animation
production because Wall Street had just discovered that vast untapped
investment market called "animation art"). Thank goodness we are done
with them and that.
We at Celebrities Gallery also take great pride in promoting Canadian, eh !
Our prices average $250.00 U.S. for cels from the features (most with their
drawings and a colour copy of the matching background) while Oz production
cels start at $300.00 U.S. and the limited editions at $175.00 U.S.
As with any other reputable gallery you have 14 days (upon receipt) to return
a purchase for any reason. However, the art must be in the exact same
condition it was when it left our gallery and you must purchase another
piece that is equal or greater in price (buyer pays the difference). We
insist you to return any piece for a full refund including all shipping
charges if
you determine that the piece does not match it's certificate of authenticity.
For answers to any questions or for more information concerning a particular
feature or type please contact us at your convenience. Thanks again and
hopefully we have a piece of art that you will consider as an addition to, or
as the start of, your collection.
Be well ..................................... animated, Jim
Celebrities Gallery: animation art, fine art, Canadian stamps/coins
and a host of your favourite toys, games & comics from your childhood.
Ph/fax (613) 729-9158