Hi Tom,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

The Ugly Duckling is important because it was the last of Disney's 75 Silly Symphonies, a series that began with "The Skeleton Dance" in 1929. The series was important because it served as an experimental laboratory where Disney artists developed techniques that would become fundamental to feature animation. The 1939 film won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) at the 1940 Academy Awards and was the final Oscar associated with the Silly Symphonies series.

The appeal of Disney cels is strong because they sit at the intersection of fine art, film history, pop culture, craftsmanship and nostalgia, with the last - nostalgia - being among the most important collecting factor. The Ugly Duckling saw the height of its collecting in the 1980s, when children who had grown up in the late 1930s and early 1940s being wealthy enough to collect cels that reminded them of their childhood.

Courvoisier Galleries were the original commercial bridge between Walt Disney's animation studio and the fine-art collector world; they helped establish the idea that animation art could be collected, framed, exhibited in museums and treated as original works of art. Guthrie Courvoisier, proprietor of the San Francisco-based gallery, approached Disney's merchandizing representative, Kay Kamen, who agreed that the cels could be marketed commercially. Walt and Roy Disney subsequently agreed to the arrangement and on July 19, 1938, Disney and Courvoisier signed an exclusive contract making Courvoisier the sole representative for marketing Disney original art.

Heritage Auctions has sold more Courvoisier labeled Disney animation cels than any other auction house, including a few dozen "Ugly Duckling" cels. Based on their recent auction results, this would probably bring between $2,500 and $3,500.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

A vintage Walt Disney Courvoisier set up "Ugly Duckling" animation cel
matted and framed
19 by 19 inches
CONDITION: this appears to be in good condition
PROVENANCE: unknown
$ 2,500-3,500*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia