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Don Bluth's Thumbelina Production Cel Up For Auction

Published Mon, 10 May 2021 09:18:11 -0500

Another production cel from a classic Don Bluth film is up for auction at Heritage. This time, we move on from the nostalgic dinosaur epic The Land Before Time and the hilariously, oddly dark All Dogs Go to Heaven to Bluth's animated adaptation of Thumbelina, often referred to as Hans Christian Anderson's Thumbelina. At a time when Disney was producing what seemed like hit after hit, Bluth continued to put out films that didn't achieve icon status but developed passionate cult audiences. On Thumbelina, the director was joined by co-director Gary Goldman to bring this classic fable to animated life for '90s kids everywhere. Now, fans of animation history and Bluth's works can head over to Heritage Auctions to check out a unique production cel from this underrated and beautifully animated film.

Don Bluth's Thumbelina Production Cel. Credit: Heritage

Thumbelina Production Cel Setup (Don Bluth, 1994).

"Soon it won't be just pretend. Soon a happy ending…" Thumbelina, voiced by Jodi Benson of The Little Mermaid fame, longingly sings her song "Soon" in this fantastic hand-painted original production cel seen at the 11:25 mark of Don Bluth's Thumbelina. The songs of the Thumbelina were famously written by Barry Manilow, whose love ballads especially shine in the film. Thumbelina measures approximately 7.75" tall on the large 16 field cel, and the piece is displayed over a printed background for presentation purposes. The cels are numbered 189 and S189 in the right corners, and the setup as a whole shows minor handling and edge wear from normal studio use with some taping near the edges to accommodate pegholes. The condition overall is Very Good.

You can head over to Heritage Auctions to place your bid for this Thumbelina cel right now. Best of luck to those aiming to bring this piece of animation, Hans Christen Anderson, and Don Bluth history home.