PINOCCHIO (1940) ORIGINAL ARTWORK, BRITISH

Walt Disney's second animated feature film was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Pinocchio, the world’s most famous wooden puppet, is originally the creation of the Italian writer and social commentator Carlo Collodi. Entitled The Adventures of Pinocchio, the story was initially serialized in the children’s section of a Roman newspaper and, following its popularity, became a book in 1883. When Walt Disney decided to adapt the story to film, Pinocchio had already climbed to widespread fame, but it was not until he was animated that the naughty wooden boy truly became embedded in the popular imagination.

Pieces on the classic Disney films are always highly prized. This original artwork only recently surfaced, and was previously owned by an English lady, who had been given this piece in the 1940s. Prior to this discovery no other Pinocchio artwork for posters or front of house stills had been seen.