Animation Art from Mickey Mouse The Band Concert

Rob Jaiven

Rob Jaiven has been an animation art collector and dealer for over 35 years. Many of the most famous pieces of animation art known to exist have been sold by his company Cuckoo Comics & Collectibles.
Instead of growing up and putting away his childish things, after years as a mathematician Rob quit the academic life, took those childish things out again and began his company. Suddenly in the early 1980's these childish things became fashionable and sought after. Cuckoo Comics & Collectibles continues to buy and sell the oldest, rarest and most desirable pieces of animation art. Rob also serves to educate collectors and is happy to answer questions and to talk about animation art with anyone who has an interest.
Rob Jaiven

The Band Concert is a Mickey Mouse short cartoon film released by Walt Disney Studios on February 23, 1935. It was directed by Wilfred Jackson. It was the first theatrical release of a color Mickey Mouse film, and it is looked upon as one of the finest that the studio ever produced. Animation art from this early film is quite rare.

In the film Mickey Mouse’s band is performing a concert in a park. One piece they attempt to play is the William Tell overture. Donald Duck continually interrupts the performance as a vendor hawking lemonade, popcorn and ice cream. He has his own flute, jumps onto the stage and begins playing Turkey in the Straw. The entire band is enticed by this to follow along making our bandleader, Mickey Mouse, quite agitated. Mickey breaks Donald’s flute, but a la Harpo Marx, Donald  immediately pulls out another. In fact he has dozens of them and can seemingly produce them out of thin air.

The next distraction is the appearance of a bee. First it bothers Donald then goes off to agitate the already angry Mickey. Mickey’s movements (as the conductor) trying to fight off the bee are taken by his band to be musical instructions. When Donald throws ice cream at the bee it of course hits our intrepid bandleader. Finally the band reaches the Storm section of the William Tell Overture. This somehow causes an actual tornado to form. As Donald and the audience try and run, the tornado sucks up the entire band and pavilion. The dedicated orchestra continues to perform even from inside the twister. The overture comes to its conclusion and most of the band is deposited into a tree. Donald tries his Turkey in the Straw rendition one last time as the band members bombard him with their instruments. Truly a hilarious classic.

Animation Art from The Band Concert
The Band Concert – 1935 First Color Mickey Mouse Cartoon
Animation Art  Cels and Matching Production Background
Sold 1985, 1989, 1995, and 2011

This is an animation art piece from The Band Concert and possibly the rarest and most famous piece of animation art in existence.

This piece is a key production set up which means that the original animation art cels of Mickey and his entire band used in the film are paired with the original and matching watercolor production background of the stage and countryside. This gives us one perfect frame from the film.

This piece has sold for as much as $450,000 and is considered the most important example of vintage animation art.

This and other animation art pieces for sale can be viewed at http://animationartstudio.com

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