Melody Time Stat Model Sheet: Miscellaneous Characters from Pecos Bill

Miscellaneous Characters

MEDIUM: Original Photostat Model Sheet
IMAGE SIZE: 11" x 14"
PRODUCTION: Melody Time, "Pecos Bill"
YEAR: 1948 
SKU: CCV6514

NOTES: A director's approval note, "OK Geronimi," has been reproduced below the title of this piece. This model sheet comes from the archive of Disney layout artist and art director Ken O'Connor.

ABOUT THE FILM: Pecos Bill is an animated short segment from Walt Disney's 1948 film Melody Time. With a total running time of 22 minutes, it is the lengthiest piece in the anthology. It follows Texas' famous hero Pecos Bill, who became the biggest and best cowboy that ever lived. The story recounts the ill-fated romance between Bill and a beautiful cowgirl named Slue-Foot Sue, with whom he fell in love at first sight. This makes Widowmaker, Bill's horse, so jealous of Sue that he causes her to get literally stranded on the moon. Heartbroken, Bill leaves civilization and rejoins the coyotes who raised him.

This retelling features Roy Rogers, Bob Nolan, the former's horse Trigger, and the Sons of the Pioneers telling the story to Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten, all in a live-acted introduction set against animated backdrops before segueing into the animated story.

ABOUT THE MEDIUM: Photostat Model Sheets are reference guides used by animators to ensure consistency in character design, proportions, and expressions throughout a film. These printed sheets typically feature multiple poses, facial expressions, and turnarounds of a character, often photocopied from finalized drawings by lead animators. Model sheets help maintain uniformity in animation by providing a standard reference for all artists working on a character, preventing visual discrepancies between different scenes.