Original hand painted and hand inked production animation cels of Briar Rose and Two Birds, Eight Rabbits, Five Squirrels, and Three Chipmunks set on a lithographic background from "Sleeping Beauty," 1959, Walt Disney Studios; Size - Briar Rose: 5 1/4 x 2 3/4", Image 10 1/2 x 14 1/4"; Unframed.
"Oh, we walk together, and talk together, and just before we say goodbye, he takes me in his arms, and then... I wake up.
[all the animals sigh]
Yes, it's only in my dreams. But they say if you dream a thing more than once, it's sure to come true, and I've dreamed that dream so many times." - Briar Rose
"Sleeping Beauty," the 1959 Walt Disney full length motion picture, introduced two characters that would become universal favorites; Maleficent and Princess Aurora. Aurora, along with Snow White and Cinderella would be forever immortalized in the public's view as the three greatest Disney Princesses. The original design for Aurora and her peasant disguise Briar Rose was developed by Tom Oreb, who based the character on the famed Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn; known for her thin frame and a very graceful demeanor. Marc Davis, the head animator, would continue the development process by morphing her general appearance and the clothing of the heroine. The fine tuning of the character continued so that she could be combined with the very angular forms present in the Eyvind Earle hand painted backgrounds.
As with other Disney films, an actress was hired as a live-action model (as a guide for the animators) for Princess Aurora/Briar Rose. Helene Stanley, who was also the model for Cinderella in 1950, became the model for the heroine. It is interesting to note that prior to marrying Marc Davis in 1956, Alice (Davis) designed some of costumes worn by Stanley in her acting role in "Sleeping Beauty."
In 1952, the professional opera singer Mary Costa, after meeting people at a party with her future husband director Frank Tashlin, auditioned for the part of Disney's Princess Aurora/Briar Rose. Walt Disney called her personally within hours of the audition to inform her that the part was hers. The success of the film "Sleeping Beauty," owes a chuck of those accolades to the voice of Mary Costa. Her songs were some of the most beautiful ever sung by a Disney Princess. In November 1999 Mary Costa received the Disney Legends Award, and her hand prints are now a permanent part of the Disney Legends Plaza at the entrance to Walt Disney Studios.
After Maleficent's evil curse that Princess Aurora would (before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday) prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die; the three Good Fairies disguise Aurora as a peasant named Briar Rose and hide her deep in a remote forest cottage. The majority of the movie focuses on Briar Rose, and this is a beautiful original production animation cel setup of her. She had been placed on a custom background of the forest, just outside and beyond her woodcutter's cottage home. Rose is surrounded by two birds, eight rabbits, five squirrels, and three chipmunks; that are hand inked and hand painted on a pair of original production animation cels. An absolutely beautiful three cel setup and a great addition to any vintage Walt Disney animation art collection!
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