Animation Art as Yuletide Treasure at Heritage Auctions
The final animation event of the year at Heritage Auctions was a celebration of Disney magic and the anniversary of a seasonal Charlie Brown special.
What could be a better way to close the year than a celebration? The final Heritage Auctions animation event of 2025, The Art of Disney Signature Auction, held from December 12–15, celebrated some of the best of American animation. In addition to Disney animation art and memorabilia covering the company’s earliest years and the Disney Renaissance, including the largest collection of art signed by Walt Disney that Heritage has ever offered, the auction featured production art from A Charlie Brown Christmas, just in time for its 60th anniversary.
A Charlie Brown Christmas made its premiere on December 9, 1965. It was the first animated special for Charles Schulz’s hit comic strip Peanuts. Featuring characters beloved by many, Schulz’s signature combination of childlike earnestness, philosophical insights, and humor, alongside Vince Guaraldi’s iconic jazz score, made it an instant classic. The auction included production cels from the special, capturing iconic moments and offering a glimpse behind the scenes.
One of the auction’s highlights was a 3-cel sequence setup from a pivotal moment in A Charlie Brown Christmas. It shows Charlie Brown, freshly inspired by Linus sharing “the true meaning of Christmas,” taking his tiny Christmas tree outside to decorate. The hand-painted production cels are presented on a pan production background attributed to artist Dean Spille. Heritage described the sequence, which sold for $102,000,* as “the stuff of legend,” “a holy grail,” and “likely a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
The success of A Charlie Brown Christmas inspired more Peanuts animated specials. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown premiered in 1966 and quickly became as beloved a part of Halloween as its predecessor is for Christmas. A hand-inked and hand-painted production cel with Linus and Sally in a pumpkin patch, waiting for the titular “Great Pumpkin,” sold for $4,800. The cel has a Certificate of Authenticity signed by director Bil Melendez on the reverse.
The Peanuts cast isn’t the only cartoon characters who equally suit Christmas and Halloween. Several original storyboards from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, drawn by story artist Jorgen Klubien, who would go on to work on The Lion King and Pixar movies, were sold at the Heritage auction. When The Nightmare Before Christmas premiered in 1993, its idiosyncratic stop-motion art and mix of Christmas cheer with Halloween mischief quickly won a devoted following and made it mandatory viewing for both holidays. The top-selling storyboard was a rare crowd scene from early in the film, signed by the artist, which sold for $3,120. A brightly colored storyboard with Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, in Santa’s suit and sleigh, sold for $2,640.
Other lots combined more conventional Christmas imagery with the history of Disney animation. Several illustrations painted in gouache on board by Ralph Hulett for his Designer’s Showcase Christmas card collection were on offer. His “Skiing Santa” illustration, painted in 1976, sold for $1,200. Hulett was hired by Walt Disney while he was still a student. He worked for the studio for almost forty years, creating art for classic films like Pinocchio, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book.
More legendary Disney artists represented by the auction include Mary Blair, Eyvind Earle, Carl Banks, and the illustrators of Disney Little Golden Books.
*All prices include Buyer’s Premium.
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