"Go On And Kiss The Girl!"

This one was bought at the same time as the "What Is It?" cel. I almost didn't get it because it was quite dim and the photograph they sent of it wasn't the best. Leslie convinced me that I would be happy with it, and I'm really glad she did! If you look at it in the right lighting (certainly not direct lighting!) it's a really good shot of the pair of them in the boat smiling, looking at each other and holding hands. It's also one of the few shots which actually shows both of them and some of the singing wildlife at the same time. I consider it a wonderful addition to my collection!

As you can see, really hard to get a good photo of. In the movie, the fireflies had airbrushed cels, which are missing here. The cel setup is curious too: One for the water, one for the boat, one for the couple, and two for the fireflies. I think that the overall thickness of the cels makes it that much more difficult to take a decent picture, and the flies are on the top. Removing them gives a clearer view of Ariel and Eric. Maybe it is best there's no airbrushed cels; you mightn't see anything at all! The thickness also makes the whole setup heavier to hold.

This piece cost $1500. Photographic background (original background sold at Sotheby's in 1990). Unframed in an ACME cardboard envelope. The authentication seal is on the right, towards the bottom.

"What Would I Give...?"

I almost didn't get this piece, not because I didn't like it, but because I couldn't afford it at the time. It was shown to me at the same time as my second and third pieces, but I could only afford two and I initially chose the other two.

The reason I managed to get this one in the end was because ACME accidentally sent me this one instead of the "Gee, You Must Have Really Been Through Something" cel. By the time they had realised their mistake, sent me the correct one and waited for me to get back from my holiday (they were pretty nice about it) I could feasibly afford this piece. I made a deal with Leslie Combemale to pay it off under a layaway plan (and managed to pay it off well ahead of schedule).

ACME was happy; they didn't have to reacquire the piece. But I must note: This was an exceptional situation. Neither ACME nor ArtInsights are in the habit of sending off pieces of artwork that you haven't bought in the hopes that you will buy it :P

I like this piece because it's another beautiful shot of Ariel, in a tender moment with Eric. Her eyes are full of love and she's actually singing (her mouth is forming the "v" in "give").

This piece cost $1800. It has no background, just a white sheet backing (the original background was a pan background and was sold with another cel at Sotheby's in 1990). Unframed in an ACME cardboard envelope. The authentication seal is in the bottom right-hand corner.

"Gee, You Must Have Really Been Through Something..."

My second/third piece (bought at the same time as the "Look At Ya" cel) which I bought through Leslie Combemale from ArtInsights. When I saw this one, I knew immediately that I wanted it. While waiting for Leslie to get back to me with prices (she showed them to me first to see if I was actually interested) I was losing sleep wondering when she was going to reply (she being approximately 13 hours behind me; and hence is on a completely different timetable) or even IF she had replied as I was lying in bed, trying to sleep.

This is one of my very favourites. It has that tender gazing into the eyes and closeness of the two main characters. The expressions on their faces accurately capture their feelings: concern and helplessness on Eric and Ariel respectively. I've seen other cels from this scene, and none of them have captured the mood as well as this one.

This cost $1800. Both characters are on the same cel. Photographic background (original background was sold at Sotheby's with another cel from this scene in 1990). Unframed in ACME cardboard envelope. The authentication seal is on the right, around the middle.

"Look At Ya!"

This was the second piece that I bought, at the exact same time as my third. It was found by Leslie Combemale from ArtInsights especially for me through her contacts at the ACME Archives. She actually contacted them looking for any Little Mermaid cels still lying around. Of course I had a list of favourites, and of course they've run out of shots from those scenes, bu they did have some beautiful ones I had never thought of before!

It's another nice shot of Ariel with a happy expression. Not the best pose of Scuttle but his gesture captures what he's saying.

This piece cost $2200 and is the most expensive on in my collection to date. It's actually an interesing setup as each component is on a separate cel (4 total): Scuttle, Ariel, Ariel's Reflection and one just for the ripples in the water. Photographic Background (original background was sold at Sotheby's in 1990 with another setup). Currently unframed; came in a cardboard envelope that ACME uses to distribute cels. The authentication seal is on the bottom left.