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| When Linus trembled with fear awaiting the Great Pumkin, and when the Little Mermaid puzzled over the purpose of a fork, the children viewing these animated tales were more interested in happy endings than the value of the art they were viewing. But the cartoon drawings that brought children to their televisions every Saturday morning and into theaters Saturday afternoons have become valuable collectibles. Fueled by nostalgia and an appreciation of the quality of artwork, animation art has become a highly valued collectible that can command five figures on the auction block. "Just like Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, people remember fondly the cartoons of their past," said Sharon Korbeck, editor of the book Todays Hottest Collectibles. "What better way to bring back those warm feelings of youth than to have an original piece of animation art from those cartoons?" During the 1980s and 1990s the marketplace for animation cels exploded. A Lady and the Tramp cel sold for $57,500, and an example from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs realized $85,000. "Animation art is not cheap," said Korbeck, "but there are many items that retail in the hundreds and low thousands." Historically, the artwork was disposable. Studios were interested in the finished film, and the huge stacks of drawings, paintings and cels were problematic to store. When a film was finished, the artwork was discarded. Fortunately, some artists and studio employees kept select works of art, which became the basis for important collections. Today, less than one percent of all animation art created still exists. In 1937, Guthrie Courvoisier, an art gallery owner in San Francisco, realized the retail potential for the artwork. He made an arrangement with Disney to market the original art from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and subsequent films. The relationship continued until 1942. Courvoisier Galleries' set-ups, with their wood veneer and painted backgrounds, are highly sought after today. A Dopey image from 1937 recently brought $4,180 at auction. In 1955, Disney began the sale of original production art at the Art Corner, a small merchandise counter at Tomorrowland in Disneyland. A piece could be bought for as little as $1.25. In the years before animation art was recognized as valuable fine art, collectors acquired rich collections of Disney art relatively inexpensively by hunting for these forgotten souvenirs at garage sales. |
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