Plight of the Bumble Bee Stat Model Sheet: Rough Mickey Mouse Suggestions (Oversize)
Mickey Mouse
MEDIUM: Photostat Model Sheet
IMAGE SIZE: 27" x 20"
PRODUCTION: Plight of the Bumble Bee, 1951 (Never Released)
SKU: CCV4619
NOTES: "OK JACK KINNEY" has been reproduced below the title of the model sheet. This piece shows signs of heavy production wear: creases, wrinkling, aged tape, and small tears. Due to its size, this piece will be shipped rolled in a tube.
ABOUT THE IMAGE:
- “The best Mickey ever was never finished. It was called 'The Plight of the Bumble Bee,' and it was all finished in animation. It had an awkward length, but Fred and Sib agreed that it could not be cut, so it was shelved.” - Director Jack Kinney
Plight of the Bumblebee is an unfinished animated Mickey Mouse short produced by the Walt Disney Studios in 1951. It was directed by Jack Kinney. The plot consisted of Mickey training a talented bee, Hector, to be an opera star, but the latter got drunk on nectar from the flowers on stage and ultimately ruined the show.
This photostat model sheet comes from the estate of veteran Disney animator and director Jack Kinney, who was awarded a Winsor McCay Award in 1983 in recognition for his lifetime contributions to animation. Kinney was the primary director of the Goofy series, responsible a total of 39 entries. His most notable creations were the Goofy How to... shorts, where the character demonstrated how to play various popular sports. Kinney also directed two entries in the Pluto series, as well as directing four entries in the Donald Duck series, including Der Fuehrer's Face (1943), a wartime satire of Adolf Hitler, which became the only Donald Duck short to win an Academy Award.
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.
