81

MGM / Don Bluth Entertainment

The Pebble and the Penguin animation concept color key painting. 1995.

Acrylic paint on illustration board.
Production:
Color key painting of the title penguin Hubie and his surly, but good-hearted friend Bertie.
6 x 11 3/4 in. (15.2 x 29.8 cm.), Frame: 13 1/2 x 19 in. (34.3 x 48.3 cm.)

  • Provenance:
    Private collection, Connecticut.

    Further information:
    The concept piece relates to Hubie and Bertie's vaudevillian duet late in the film "Looks Like I Got Me A Friend," closely resembling a scene at 54 min 40 sec. In the scene Hubie plays dead, worrying Bertie, who then begrudgingly admits they are friends - at which Hubie's mood perks up and the scene's color palette shifts from 'cold' blues to the 'warm' tones seen here. Hubie is shown clutching the green emerald 'pebble' which is key to the plot.

    David Goetz is credited for production design on the film, and this may be his work. Goetz contributed to many Don Bluth classics (e.g. The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, and the Dragon's Lair game series), and later moved to Disney, where he was credited as art director on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and production designer for Tangled and Zootopia.
  • Condition:
    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

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December 4, 2025 12:00 PM EST
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