DISNEY LIMITED EDITION: MICKEY'S DREAM

Peter Ellenshaw

MEDIUM: Giclée Canvas Limited Edition
SIZE: 24" x 36"
EDITION SIZE: 395
ARTIST: Peter Ellenshaw
SKU: DFA-LE-MICKEYSDREAM

ABOUT THE IMAGE: Inspired by Walt Disney’s Animated Classics and features Mickey Mouse.

ABOUT THE MEDIUM:  Each piece is on hand-numbered canvas and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: William Samuel Cook “Peter” Ellensaw was an English matte designer, special effects creator and master painter.  He mentored under Percy Pop Day who played a pivotal role and mentored him on painting on canvas and glass, which was to create matte background form film.

After serving his country as an RAF pilot in World War II, Ellenshaw returned to work for Mr. Day at the studios. After a brief yearlong stint at MGM, Ellenshaw left in 1947 upon receiving a call to work for Walt Disney Studios on the film, Treasure Island. As it turned out, his partnership with Disney would last over thirty years and earn him five Oscar nominations. For his work on "Mary Poppins" in which he recreated scenes of Edwardian London in 102 different mattes, he won an Academy Award. Walt Disney became Ellenshaw's mentor and friend, spurring him on continually to perfect his craft and push the creative envelope.

ABOUT THE FILM: Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. With story direction by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer, and production supervision by Ben Sharpsteen, it is the third Disney animated feature film. The film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Music critic and composer Deems Taylor acts as the film's Master of Ceremonies, providing a live-action introduction to each animated segment.

Disney settled on the film's concept in 1938 as work neared completion on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, an elaborate Silly Symphonies short designed as a comeback role for Mickey Mouse, who had declined in popularity. As production costs grew higher than what it could earn, Disney decided to include the short in a feature-length film with other segments set to classical pieces. The soundtrack was recorded using multiple audio channels and reproduced with Fantasound, a pioneering sound reproduction system that made Fantasia the first commercial film shown in stereophonic sound.