(Walt Disney Studios, 1959) Outstanding original concept storyboard painting by Eyvind Earle for Sleeping Beauty, portraying Prince Phillip and his steed Samson charging into battle against Maleficent, soaring high above as an immense black and purple-bellied dragon. Like many of Earle’s panoramas, he sets the scene from a safe distance, keeping the observer far from harm’s way as he executes the film’s harrowing final conflict—a breathtaking collision of fire and steel, of good versus evil. Maleficent dwarfs the brave horse and knight, riding on a winding, narrow pathway that drops precipitously to either side, as the great winged reptile shoots towards them a stream of bright, wicked flame. The intensity of the action Earle has no doubt mastered, however, nor has he denied us a truly terrible vista, one sparse yet volatile, dominated by a hazy castled backdrop and alive with its cast of jagged rocks and frenzied vines that seem intent on stopping the progress of our heroes. Accomplished in tempera on 24 x 9 artist's board, with Earle signing in black paint in the lower right corner. In fine condition, with tack holes to the corners. Disney artist Eyvind Earle was Sleeping Beauty's production designer, and Disney gave him a significant amount of freedom in designing the settings and selecting colors for the film. Earle also painted the majority of the backgrounds himself, and his stylistic influence is readily apparent in the final product.
