Ottawa Gallery Selling Animation Art
James Hall
Here is some old news that I "picked" off the net that I found interesting and
maybe, so will you.
>> 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 behind the "magic names" that makes the product work and that
moving from one studio to another does not diminish this talent. Duncan Who
? So say many Disney fans (a subset) and animation fans (the whole). 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 mind you (Canadians, eh), people in Ottawa have
known for over 20 years. Duncan does a fine job animating.
Now you have an opportunity to own a piece of his first SOLO (a real,
one-of- a-kind, yada, yada, yada) commercial work. Celebrities Gallery has
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, in Duncan's words, "a really rotten little 30-second spot".
The commercial has a farmer character, done by Duncan, who introduced 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.
Duncan remained with Atkinson for a short time, then moved on to Toronto,
next was at Disney for 10 years and is now with Dreamworks. In fact, Duncan
was the 1st animation director hired by "the Zimmer" for Dreamworks. And he
was hired the moment his 10-year deal with Disney (also orchastrated by "the
Zimmer" when he first joined Disney) ended.
For your added collecting pleasure Celebrities Gallery has animation artwork
from the following Canadian produced shows;
"Return To Oz" (1964) cels only
"Curious George Goes To ..." (1978-80) all facets of the artwork
"Care Bears Battle The Freeze Machine" (1984) cels, drawings & backgrounds
"Raccoons On Ice" (1981) cels only
"The Bestest Present" (1986) based on the newspaper comic strip "For
Better of For Worse" everything
"Babar & Father Christmas" (1986) won Gemini (Can. award) for best animated
television feature - cels, drawings & backgrounds
"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 film "Return To Oz" was based on the Canadian TV series
"Wizard of Oz" (1960-61) which was;
1st TV cartoon series for Canadian TV,
1st animation done (and seen) based on Frank's characters,
1st animated feature based on Frank's characters.
"Wizard of Oz" was seen in the U.S. in 1961-62 as "Tales of The Wizard of Oz"
and was the 1st 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.
And Pino Van Lamsweerde who directed the "Harry Canyon" segment in "Heavy
Metal" also directed the "Care Bears ..." film.
We also have some artwork from many different U.S. Studios, but rather than
compete with the studios themselves and other animation galleries over animation
that already has exposure, we perfer to promote Canadian. Our prices
average $250.00 for cels from the features. Oz cels are from $300.00 to
$400.00.
As with many other reputable galleries 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 (in which case you pay the
difference). You will 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.
Any questions or more information concerning a particular feature or type
of art (cel/poses/layouts) may be obtained by contacting 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. Thank
you for your interest.
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