(Walt Disney Studios, 1967-1969) Desirable original concept painting attributed to Marc Davis for Disneyland's famous dark ride attraction, The Haunted Mansion, depicting bloodthirsty pirate Captain Bartholomew Gore. Accomplished in ink and watercolor on untrimmed 10 x 12 heavyweight art paper, the beautifully rendered work is signed in black felt tip by Davis. The reverse is stamped: "This material is the property of Walt Disney Productions." In fine condition.
The character of Captain Bartholomew Gore originates from the unused concepts for the early drafts of the ride, and, as such, he does not actually appear in any incarnation of the attraction. However, the character resurfaced and was used as the main antagonist in the 2016 Haunted Mansion miniseries of the Disney Kingdoms comic book series by Marvel Comics, where he was referred to simply as The Captain. Despite never appearing in the ride, there is a tombstone bearing his name in the front cemetery.
One of Disney's Nine Old Men, the legendary core animators of early Disney films, Davis joined Disney in 1935 as an apprentice animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He continued to work on classic films like Bambi, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland, and then later transferred to Disney’s Imagineering team, where he contributed whimsical story and character concepts for Disneyland attractions like the Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Davis is probably best known as the father of some of Disney’s most memorable animated women, including Cruella De Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, and Tinker Bell from Peter Pan.
