Ariel's Vocalise - Reprise

I've been wanting to post my latest acquisitions for some time, but in purchase order. The piece I bought immediately after this has a major problem which I've had to address rather slowly. It's nearly ready for me to put the last words to the story (COVID lockdown is preventing me from taking the last step), but until then I may as well start:

I bought this from a seller who had recently advertised it on eBay. We haggled for price, and he tried to push some of his other pieces, in which I had little interest.

I chose this piece as it differentiates from the other cels in the shot by her eye lids, which are shifting in order to blink. While this frame doesn't ruin the look on her face, subsequent frames (three frames in total to complete her blink) aren't particularly desirable. Additionally, the slight close of her lids softens her expression from the otherwise wide-eyed surprise she shows when her voice returns to her, making this frame distinct among its peers.

I love this scene, as it builds up dramatically to the final climax. As a child, I found the concept of Ariel losing then regaining her voice captivating; the magical energy that visually depicts her voice was, I feel, a clever design choice (a sensible departure from the original, where she had her tongue cut out). In the process of writing this post, I've learned that singing using vowels instead of words, such as in this case, with Ariel's "Ah-Ah-AH!", is called a Vocalise(n).

This piece was previously sold through Hertiage Auctions in 2015 for about $1500. They also have a better photo of it:

I'd love to take some photos of my own (I have refined my technique significantly), but this is presently in the US with ArtInsights, who have matted it. I can't import it just yet, as COVID has disrupted all postal chains, and there is no way in Hell I'm putting this into the mail when I can't even get books in a timely manner (or in one case, at all!). If the global situation takes too much longer, I might just ask Leslie to complete the framing.

Obviously, some tampering has taken place since it was sold through HA, as they list it as framed with "a letter of authenticity". As you'll see in the next acquisition post, I have a lot to learn about which questions I should be asking before I make a purchase!

This piece cost $1614, including shipping within continental US. The purchase date is 12 April 2018. Seal (naturally), unframed (but matted by ArtInsights), and I don't think it came with a COA.

"Determination"

This cel first appeared on eBay a few months back for $1695 and I didn't have the money to buy it.

Then about two months ago Leslie Combemale from ArtInsights contacted me and showed me this cel, which I still wanted. I had a bit more money, but not quite enough, so Leslie made a deal with me and I paid $1000 up front and the rest ($695) within a month.

Anyway, the cel:

A beautiful, emotional expression on her face and a full body! Also, the lighting of the scene gives her a greeny-blue tail instead of an outright green tail, which I like!

The quirky thing about this cel setup is that the cels do not actually go together (i.e. Not a key setup). If you break down the cels into their original frames you get three separate images:

1. Flotsam and Jetsam

2. Ariel

3. Bubbles

 

As you can see, Ariel and the eels aren't supposed to have quite as much crossover. Of course, in such a mismatched setup, Ariel gets full priority and is placed on top of Flotsam and Jetsam, despite them actually being on top of her during the film. As for the bubbles, they were made by her tail. I'm thinking I may shift the bubble layer back behind Ariel so that they don't occupy her face.

Being mismatched, I'm not sure how this affects the value. $1695 is far better than $2300, which is how much this cel was offered by Animation Sensations (a.k.a Georgetown Frame Shoppe). Incidentally, they still have it on their site marked as "SOLD", as if they were the ones who sold it. Don't believe it!

This piece cost $US1695. Photographic background. Unframed. The authentication seal is in the bottom-right corner.

"The Sea Witch...?"

I bought this one on eBay not too long after the Ursula cels. Although not a have-to-have shot, I do love the clear expression and sizeable shot in this cel. Although I have actually seen better cels from this sequence (some extend all the way to her tail, which is also painted), this one is significant in that it is the only cel from this sequence that I have seen that has a seal. For a collector who collects only legitimate cels, that made this cel much more significant. Often when I find cels without seals from a sequence, I find several cels from that sequence, all without seals. That makes it harder to get ones with seals.

This cel was sold on eBay as an auction. Unlike my Ursula cel this one attracted a few more bids and I was a little more worried that I wouldn't get it (ah, the rush of sniping on eBay). In total it had six bid, including mine, and the final price was $US968.79. It comes with a photographic background which does not match the scene, and a couple of images with alternate presentations, this one included, were also on the listing. I fell this presentation format, a white background which emphasises the image clearly, is best. It's unframed so I can have it arranged that way when I get around to framing.

This piece cost $US968.79. Photographic background (or not :P). Unframed. The authentication seal is in the bottom-rightcorner.

"A Thing for This Human"

Hot on the heels of my first Ursula cel came my second. This one I bought on eBay. Although it was a bidding auction I was the only bidder. I fail to see why; it has and excellent expression. Ursula is not too big in this cel; she only takes up about half the cel real-estate. Nevertheless, the face has clear expression, the posture and mannerisms that are iconic of Ursula are present and you can even see the beginning of her tentacles!

This piece cost $US895.00. Photographic background. Framed in black. The authentication seal is in the bottom-rightcorner.

"Walking Around On Those..."

I got this piece from eBay a few months ago. It was difficult because I am registered in Australia and the seller had closed their listings off to those outside the USA. Because of this I missed out on another cel he was selling. Fortunately this one didn't sell the first time and I conviced him to repost it. I then changed my geographical location to USA so that I could actually bid on it. They shouldn't make it this difficult to bid on this sort of thing; I was going to have it sent to a friend in the USA anyway!

This came already nicely framed and I think it's a beautiful frame from this sequence. At the time of writing, a similar cel is available from celmates.com for US$4250. This one was only $US1,295 and I think this one is better given her expression, which gives me the opinion that CelMates is a bit overpriced (or I'm a really good bargain hunter)!

This piece cost $US1,295. Photographic background. Framed in black. The authentication seal is in the bottom-left corner.

"Wedding Announcement"

This piece came from eBay as a Buy-It-Now. Slightly less spectacular than some of my other pieces, but it's still a great shot of the main character without too much distortion from mid-movement and a decent display of emotion. This appears after Ariel hears of the wedding and is about to rush downstairs to find Eric. Before she does, she turns and scoops up Sebastian and kisses him. This cel is when she is in transition from the former to the latter.

 

This was the first cel I bought that did NOT come with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA), but it DOES have a seal (trimmed image doesn't show it, but it's there). The seal is the most important. From what I have gathered, the COA isn't as important because it can be transferred to other pieces; a seal is branded onto the piece.

The real kicker is that this cel only cost me $60; my cheapest acquisition to date! The main problem was that the seller wasn't doing international shipping by default, and I had to POUNCE on this fast! So I had the cel sent to Leslie, who was quite happy to receive it, and rather surprised by the price too. The cel wasn't in an ACME envelope, and although all the pieces being sold by the seller came in the same cling-wrap-like packaging, Leslie couldn't find anything remarkable about the presentation to discern anything about the cel's past.

The seller was also selling two other pieces from this movie: one was a cel of Eric and Max dancing on the ship, and one was of the entire Under The Sea ensemble with the lobstering at the front, facing the fourth wall, claws up.

The first cel I didn't like, even though it was only $50, because Eric was in mid-motion and his hair was swooped over most of his face so that he looked kind of emo. The second cel, which was $60, I missed out on to someone else (don't know why they didn't buy this one too) who re-posted it on eBay two weeks later for $350.

That's still pretty cheap, but I'm not interested in giving someone a $290 payoff because they can hit the Buy-It-Now button faster. Naturally, some schmuck bought it and is probably happy with it. At that price, there's no reason not to, unless you know how the guy got it, how much he paid for it and you don't believe he deserves the money.

The reason these cels were being sold so cheaply was that they were being sold by someone who really didn't know their worth. From what I could gather, he was selling them for a friend who had divorced her husband. The cels were his but they seem to have been given to her in the settlement, and she was trying to get what she could for them. I hate to dance on someones marriage wreck, but it worked out good for me!

This piece cost $60. Photographic background. Unframed in plastic wrapping. The authentication seal is in the corner.

"First Sight"

Before I saw this piece, I knew I wanted at least one cel from this shot. This appeared on eBay in late 2010 and I spent ages deciding whether to get it. I hesitated not because I didn't think it was a great shot, but because it wasn't the perfect shot. In this shot, Ariel transitions (or "melts") from shock at having seen Eric for the first time to a completely adoring expression.

The reason this shot is technically not "perfect" is because the final shot of her transition is different from the others. While there are about 12 frames showing almost identical expressions to this one, the final piece has her face in full transition, with her pupils dilated, her smile fully formed and her eyebrows properly set. It's also probably the longest cel shown in the whole film, as the lack of character movement is compensated for by zooming in on Ariel.

Still, I loved this piece for its own merits (it's soooo lovely!) and decided to get it. If that other piece surfaces, I can get that one too! This one is itself distinct in the film. On her right hand there is a little ink missing from the line between her middle fingers. That isn't something that has happened since the film, it can also be seen in the movie. None of the other cels around it have this mark, so you can easily see it as the frame ticks by.

The person who sold this to me assured me that I was getting a good deal for it, and that he paid well over $3000 for it. For the price I bought it from him for, I think I paid slightly on the steeper side, as many cels like this have been sold in recent years for between $1000 and $2000. The reason he paid so much for it was that he bought it from a Chuck Jones Gallery, who are notorious for overpricing. Considering he bought it eight years ago, when cels from this movie were nowhere near their highest in popularity, I'd say he definitely paid too much. Then again, each piece is one-of-a-kind, so it's hard to place a set price on this sort of thing in the first place.

This piece cost $2000. Photographic background. Unframed in an ACME cardboard envelope. The authentication seal is in the bottom right corner.

"You Monster!"

This was my first cel ever. I bought it on eBay in May, 2010. It turns out that I actually purchased from a gallery, Animation Sensations (a.k.a Georgetown Frame Shoppe), who use eBay as a tool for offering some of their products at discounted prices.

It wasn't what I would call a "HAVE to have" moment, but I am happy with it all the same, and feel excited to look at it and have it displayed. It's an excellent moment in the film, one of the few times that Ariel is genuinely full of hatred. It's a full body shot (so head-to-tail; none of the rest of my current collection is like that) with a clear, emotional expression.

It's funny, because soon after I acquired this one I managed to find Leslie Combemale and started talking to her about cels from this film. I mentioned a cel of her cowering under Ursula, which she said was a "Lady in a Muzzle" shot (referencing Lady and the Tramp, a shot undesired by most collectors because it shows their beloved heroine in distress). She then added "But that's not the worst in this movie. There's this one shot of King Triton as a plant creature. That goes beyond a Muzzle shot. That's just... ewww!" My response was to show her this piece XD.

There is a small problem in the framing: apparently the Disney Store used to use a certain type of sticky tape to bind the cel to the background. This tape has been found to pose a threat to the cel over a period of time. As far as I know this hasn't been corrected and so I'll need to get it fixed sooner rather than later!

This piece cost me $1100, not including postage and handling. It was a little annoying, because the seller advertised the item with a $50 postage charge for international postage, and then found out that it was actually $150. They asked me to meet them half-way ($75). I obliged, but reminded them that it was their responsibility to make sure their listing was accurate.

It's on a photographic background with silver Disney Store framing. The authentication seal is in the bottom right-hand corner. Two cels: one for Ariel and one for the Polyp.