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Northern Irish-born artist (1905–1964) who joined Walt Disney Studios in 1939 and was assigned to develop the studio’s first proposed adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. Over the course of several months, Hall produced hundreds of paintings, drawings, and sketches inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic tale. Though the project was ultimately abandoned, his richly detailed Wonderland artwork survives as some of the most celebrated concept material from Disney’s early development history. (Walt Disney Studios, 1939) Original concept artwork of Bill the Lizard and the White Rabbit by David Hall from Alice in Wonderland, later printed in the first edition of Simon & Schuster's Giant Golden Book Surprise Package as one of a select group of illustrations salvaged from Disney's abandoned 1939 adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic. Accomplished in mixed media on 14.5 x 10.75 animation board, with the image measuring 6.5 x 5. The reverse bears Walt Disney Studios production stamp identifying the artwork as “Feature 1017,” “Sketch No. 416,” the artist as David Hall, and a date stamp of December 14, 1939. In very good to fine condition, with some creases and areas of surface loss to the borders.
This charming illustration depicts a scene from the famous ‘White Rabbit’s House’ chapter of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. After Alice grows to an enormous size inside the White Rabbit’s cottage and becomes stuck, the panicked White Rabbit summons assistance and sends Bill the Lizard down the chimney to investigate, only for Alice to send him flying back into the air. Created by British artist David Hall during his brief but influential tenure at Walt Disney Studios, the artwork dates to Disney’s first proposed adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. In 1939, Hall produced more than 400 paintings and sketches exploring Carroll’s fantastical world, developing a visually rich interpretation heavily inspired by the original illustrations of Sir John Tenniel.
Although Walt Disney ultimately abandoned Hall’s version of the project, finding its elaborate designs too complex to animate and its tone too dark for the intended audience, Hall’s artwork remains among the most celebrated unrealized concepts in Disney history. After the project was shelved, Disney licensed a selection of Hall’s illustrations for publication in Simon & Schuster’s 1944 Giant Golden Book Surprise Package, introducing his long-unseen vision of Wonderland to the public. An exceptional surviving example of Hall’s rare and highly sought-after Alice in Wonderland concept art, representing one of the most fascinating unrealized chapters in Disney animation history.
