How To Draw Sorcerer Mickey

A model drawing of Mickey Mouse, dressed in his Sorcerer's Apprentice costume of red robes that tie at the waist and a blue wizard's hat. He is in the classic Sorcerer's apprentice pose, with an arc of yellow light springing from his left hand and hovering over his right index finger. The drawing is rendered in colored pencil.

Update: The circa 1940s Disney model drawing of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice sold for $10,200.

What you see: A Disney "model drawing" of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice from Fantasia. It dates to the 1940s. Heritage Auctions expects it to sell for $2,500 to $3,500.

The expert: Jim Lentz, director of animation art for Heritage Auctions.

So, what makes this the "Holy Grail of Mickey Mouse art"? Mickey Mouse was changed in 1939 by Fred Moore to have pupils. The Sorcerer's Apprentice was originally going to be a short, but they needed box office power for the art film, so they put it into Fantasia. When you rank Mickey Mouse's greatest hits, the Sorcerer's Apprentice is considered his number one all-time appearance. It's the Fred Moore design, the first time Mickey Mouse has pupils, Fantasia, and Mickey Mouse's signature role of all time.

Did Fred Moore make other notable changes to the design of Mickey Mouse? The ears changed a little bit, and the face is fuller. But the introduction of pupils was a big thing.

This is a model drawing. What are model drawings, and how did Disney use them? A model drawing is used for reference, for publicity, for books, and for posters. It didn't go under the [animation] camera. It's always perfect, and it's used for reference on how something is to be drawn. It's a high-quality piece of artwork.

This one is identified as MD-28. Does that imply that Disney did at least 27 other model drawings for Fantasia? No, it's just an inventory number for the studio.

Are there other Mickey Mouse Fantasia model drawings? There's never just one, but it's the only one of the quintessential [Mickey Mouse Fantasia] pose seen everywhere that's come to market. I've been doing this [animation art] for 40 years and I've never seen it. I've seen it on the covers of books and press kits. It's a famous pose.

Is it at all possible to know who at Disney would have done this model drawing? No, it's not known. You have to remember that the animators weren't paid to be artists. They were making films. The artist was always Walt Disney Studios. At that time, the head of art for Disney Publicity was Hank Porter, but we can't say it's Hank Porter. There's no way to know it's him.

Was there someone, or some type of animator at Disney to whom the task of model drawing typically fell? The principal animator for Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice was Fred Moore. He came up with the design used for Mickey, but there's no way to know who did the drawing, because it's so tight.

If the drawing was looser, we might be able to tell who drew it? If it was looser, we could tell by the animator's style. But it's not an animation drawing, it's a model drawing. It's final, and cleaned up.

How often do Disney model drawings come to auction? They're not common. We do see them from time to time, but one of this quality is extremely rare.

This is faintly colored, not fully colored. Was that typical for model drawings at Disney in the 1940s? Pencil was used for the drawing, so they stayed with graphite and colored pencils. If it was a cell, it would be different, and if it was a painting, it would be different.

What estimate would you put on this? I think it's going to go to $2,500 to $3,500. That's what I see good Sorcerer's Apprentice drawings going for.

What's the provenance of this piece? It's from the family of a former Disney employee.

The lot notes describe the model drawing as being in "very good condition." What does that mean in this context, when we're talking about a piece of functional art? It's not folded. It's not smudged. There are no tears, or holes in the paper.

What's it like in person? I think it's pretty amazing. It's Mickey Mouse in his greatest role, and in an amazing pose. It's kind of a trophy piece of Mickey Mouse art, and it's done by hand.

What's the record for a Disney model drawing? I wouldn't do that for Disney model drawings, but I would do it for Disney Mickey Mouse drawings. The highest I know of for a Disney Mickey Mouse drawing is $14,400 for a Steamboat Willie drawing at Heritage Auctions in December 2018.

Ah, so this model drawing probably won't get close to that. I think it will go for $2,500 to $3,500, and I wouldn't be surprised if it hit $5,000.

Why will this piece stick in your memory? That image looks at me every day. I have a whole library of Disney books that I reference when I work on catalogs. I have one, The Art of Disney's Fantasia, and that image is on the cover. It kind of threw me when I first saw the artwork–"Hey, wait a minute!" It pops up a lot. It's a famous image. It's pretty spectacular.

How to bid: The circa 1940s Disney model drawing of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice is lot #96139 in the Animation Art auction taking place at Heritage Auctions on June 15 and 16, 2019.

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