76

John Halas / Joy Batchelor

(1912-1995) / (1914-1991)

Animal Farm group of 2 key master animation cel and background setups. 1954.

Gouache on celluloid and paper.
Production:
Key master animation cels and background setups featuring Boxer the horse and Benjamin the donkey, from Animal Farm (1954), the British animated film based on George Orwell's classic novel. Please note condition issues on the 2nd cel.
Each: 10 x 14 in. (25.4 x 35.6 cm.)

  • Provenance:
    Private collection, New York.

    Further information:
    The matching scene for the first cel appears at the 40 min 59 sec into the film, as the pair toil away at building the windmill for the farm. Animal Farm was a milestone in film history, as the first British animated feature, and with a markedly different tone from its American predecessors. It was also (now infamously) funded by the CIA, ostensibly to combat the spread of communism - and to that end, took some liberties with Orwell's original story.

    Animal Farm occupies an important place in animation history as the first British animated feature, and its more adult political themes set it far apart from Disney films.
  • Condition:
    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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December 4, 2025 12:00 PM EST
New York, NY, US

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