Original key setup (a hand-painted animation cel set against a very rare matching hand-painted color background) from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 11.5 x 9; this is cel #1, the first image to appear in the film, and depicts the Grinch, toothpick clenched in his teeth, leaning against the entrance to his cave high atop Mount Crumpit. Matted (this is its original mat with original captioning strip attached, reading “1966 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.”) to an overall size of 15.25 x 12.5. Signed and inscribed on the mat, “To Ewwing Philbin, who made it all possible. Merry Christmas, Chuck Jones &,” and “Dr. Seuss.” Double cloth matted and framed to an overall size of 24 x 21. In fine condition, with a bit of light rippling to the cel.
Dr. Seuss was initially uninterested in animating this or any of his books, but Chuck Jones managed to persuade him; Ewwing Philbin was one of the financial backers of the project. In order to make the work more attractive to the viewing audience, Seuss was required to enhance situations and develop characters a little more fully than he did in his book—a task he purportedly found challenging, considering how much he had labored over his original work. Though all of the production and character designs were based upon original artwork from the book (with the film requiring about 25,000 drawings to finish), Seuss was unimpressed after seeing the finished product. In fact, he thought that the Grinch resembled Jones more closely than the original Grinch drawings! A rare and beautifully-displayed setup from a timeless Christmas classic, signed by two of the greatest names of the genre, and inscribed to a man whose financial backing truly “made it all possible.” Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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