DALLAS, TX.- The largest offering of artwork from the 1955 Walt Disney classic film Lady and the Tramp ever brought to market will be among the items in highest demand at Heritage Auctions’ Animation Art auction June 15-16 in Dallas, Texas.

The sale includes more than 75 lots from Lady and the Tramp, including one-of-a-kind hand-painted production cels, animation drawings, concept art, storyboards, backgrounds and the Holy Grail of animation art collecting: Key master and Master cel and background setups.

Nearly 1,300 lots from every major animation studio will be featured in this auction showcasing the “Art of Animation.” Among the legendary artists whose works will be featured are Mary Blair, Eyvind Earle, Gustaf Tenggren, David Hall, Mel Crawford, Chuck Jones, Ken Anderson, Mel Shaw, Ub Iwerks, Mike Ploog and Tim Burton.

“With Aladdin breaking box office records this summer and The Lion King also coming out in July,” Heritage Auctions Animation Art director Jim Lentz said, “many lots from the Disney renaissance films from the 1990s are in this sale also.”

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Color Model Cel and Key Master Pan Background (Walt Disney, 1937) (estimate: $50,000+) is an exceptional hand-inked, hand-painted Color Model cels of the Seven Dwarfs: Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey. The cels, on an oversized, hand-painted Key Master production pan background, show the Dwarfs heading home from the diamond mine, except for Doc, who is shown in a different scene. The image, which shows one of the most memorable scenes in Disney history, originally was part of the Herbert Black Collection of Walt Disney Animation Art.

Bambi Concept Painting by Gustaf Tenggren (Walt Disney, 1942) is a stunning piece from Tenggren, one of the Walt Disney Studio’s most influential artists who is highly regarded for his work and influence on such films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia and Bambi. One of his final projects with the Disney Studio was painting the forests and opening scenes of Bambi. The museum-quality painting offered here (estimate: $25,000+) appears on page 36 of Pierre Lambert’s Bambi art book and on page 173 of Didier Ghez’s They Drew As They Pleased – The Hidden Art of Disney’s Golden Age (the 1930s).

Sleeping Beauty Prince Phillip and the Dragon Production Cel and Key Master Pan Production Background (Walt Disney, 1959) captures Prince Phillip battling Maleficent the fire-breathing dragon. This hand-inked, hand-painted production setup (estimate: $25,000+) includes cels of Prince Phillip with his Shield of Virtue and his Sword of Truth as he squares off with Maleficent. The background is an artistic masterpiece on its own in this image that has an image size of 29 by 11 inches in a frame that measures 39 by 22 inches.

The Mad Doctor Mickey Mouse Production Cel and Key Master Background (Walt Disney, 1933) (estimate: $25,000+) shows Mickey Mouse looking into the House of Dr. XXX to look for Pluto in a short that was deemed so frightening that it was banned in the United Kingdom and in Nazi Germany. The image is a rare Mickey Mouse full nitrate black and white cel Key Master setup, with Mickey painted in at a later date by the studio to be used on page 69 of the Disney story book Mickey Mouse Movie Stories. The setup originally was part of the prestigious Herbert Black Collection of Disney Animation Art.

Eyvind Earle Lady and the Tramp Tony and Joe/“Bella Notte” Concept/Color Key Painting (Walt Disney, 1955) is one of more than 50 concept art/background Color Key paintings Eyvind Earle for the “Bella Notte” and “Park” scenes in Lady and the Tramp, and is widely considered his masterpiece for the film. This important image (estimate: $20,000+) from one of the best Key Scenes in Disney animation history is signed by Earle in the lower right corner.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Exceptional Evil Queen Production Cel Courvoisier Setup (Walt Disney, 1937) (estimate: $20,000+) shows the Evil Queen perusing a potion book to make a concoction to transform herself into the Old Hag, a formula that calls for Mummy Dust, Black of Night, Old Hag Cackle and Scream of Fright. This hand-inked, hand-painted Courvoisier cel has a 9-by-8-inch image size. Positioned below the Queen is a large blue Conte Crayon Walt Disney signature cut in a 6-by-3-inch mat opening.

Disneyland - Pirates of the Caribbean “Prisoners and Pirates” Original Maquette (Walt Disney/WED Imagineering, c. early 1960s) includes three maquette figures that were made years before the 1967 debut of the ride that eventually would spawn the billion-dollar franchise. Made for Walt Disney to personally review, these figures (estimate: $20,000+) were used as models for full-sized sculptures as soon as he approved them. The ride has evolved into one of the most popular theme park rides in the world, a major draw at Disney theme parks, and helped to drive the creation of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. Little if any artwork has been offered from the creation of the ride, which was the last ride Disney personally helped to create, and opened three months after his death in 1967.

Other top lots include, but are not limited to:

• Lady and the Tramp Lady Production Cel with Newborn Baby Background Layout Drawing Master Setup (Walt Disney, 1955): $15,000+

• Little Hiawatha Production Cel Courvoisier Setup (Walt Disney, 1937) : $15,000+

• Gertie the Dinosaur Animation Drawing (Winsor McCay, 1914): $10,000+

• Plane Crazy Mickey Mouse with Minnie Mouse and Plane Animation Drawings Group of 2 (Walt Disney, 1928-29): $10,000+

• Eyvind Earle Lady and the Tramp Twilight in the Park Concept/Color Key Painting (Walt Disney, 1955): $10,000+

• Mary Blair Cinderella Coach and Castle Concept/Color Key Painting (Walt Disney, 1950): $10,000+

The work of Tin Burton
The sale also includes an offering of lots from Tim Burton, the iconic filmmaker, artist, writer and animator whose original artwork is in very high demand among collectors. Burton was among the young artists brought on board to help fill the voids left by retiring artists, and his art will be coming back to the United States this fall with a large art exhibit opening in Las Vegas. Lots from Burton will represent films, including The Black Cauldron, Vincent and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Among his top lots in the sale:

“The Art of Tim Burton” Lady in Blue Illustration (c. 1979-80) (estimate: $5,000+) comes from the artist’s MoMA exhibit in New York that drew more than 800,000 visitors, giving it the third-highest attended MoMA exhibit ever. This is a rare piece of original art by Burton, whose childhood idols reportedly were Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) and Roald Dahl, and comes directly from the collection of one of Burton’s former college roommate.

Tim Burton The Black Cauldron Gurgi Concept Sketch (Walt Disney, 1985) (estimate: $2,500+) is among the concept art and character designs Burton created for the animated feature film. This image is an early study of Gurgi or perhaps Creeper that came from the personal collection of Joe Hale, the film’s producer.

Tim Burton The Black Cauldron Gurgi Concept Sketch (Walt Disney, 1985) (estimate: $2,500+) differs from the previous lot in that it features Gurgi’s “exploding” hair. The demand for his Black Cauldron work is due in part to the fact that the project was his first uncredited job.

With the multitude of superhero film either released or in production, it’s no surprise that collectors appear likely to be drawn to lots featuring their favorite superheroes, including:

•The World's Greatest Super Friends Title Cel (Hanna-Barbera, 1979): $5,000+

• Will Meugniot - Marvel Comics Christmas TV Special Concept Art (New World Entertainment, 1990s): $4,000+

• Space Ghost Publicity Cel with Master Production Background (Hanna-Barbera, 1966/67): $2,500+

• Dragon's Lair Dirk the Daring Production Cel Master Setup (Don Bluth, 1983): $1,000+

• The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man Concept Drawing and Print Group of 2 (Universal/Landmark Entertainment, 1999) for ride at Universal Studios Island of Adventure theme park: $750+