Pinocchio (1940), original artwork, British

Unframed: 14 x 18 in. (35.6 x 45.8 cm)

Framed: 20 x 23 1/4 in. (50.7 x 59 cm)

This charming artwork, featuring Pinocchio learning to read, was used to create one of the British front of house stills. The front of house stills are only 8 x 10 inches. However, the artwork was created larger and reduced in size for the printing.

Exceptionally rare. Original artworks rarely surface as the majority were destroyed.

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.