Archival Art and Designs from Disney Artists to Auction

Heritage Auctions presents its first major Disney event of 2023, The Art of Disneyland: From Stagecoaches to Monorails... and More! on March 25 and 26 with 850 lots and a huge range of items from Disney's theme parks, plus work by veteran artists Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily, two legendary Disney artists.

Based in Southern California, they bring their 30-year collection of Disney creations and prototypes to auction for the first time. "Our niche is nostalgia," says Kevin Kidney. "We are interested in classic Disney, the Disney of our childhoods." Widely known to collectors and enthusiasts for their craftsmanship and attention to detail, "Kevin and Jody" have created many collectibles and Disney Parks items for various characters and attractions. These artifacts are becoming hard-to-find and demand from collectors is now leading to record-breaking prices.

Examples of Kevin and Jody's work include original concept art for the popular Big Fig line of characters, replicas of famous Walt Disney Studios signage, replicas of props from Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, clothing designs, models used to create some of Disney's most popular parades, and hand-painted 3-D maquettes.

"Many of these designs have been on display in our studio," says Kevin, "and it includes production samples that are very special. The scenic pieces are rare, they're handmade, hand-painted."

He has a special affection for an extremely rare set of six paintings featuring characters from Disney's Ichabod and Mr. Toad drawn by Kevin and hand-painted by Jody. The paintings were the concepts for a proposed line in the Tiny Kingdom series. Five years later, Kevin and Jody gave this original art new life as the basis for their limited edition set of Ichabod and Mr. Toad pewter miniatures and other popular miniature sets.

Other items include an original Mark IV Monorail cabin from Disney World, and an 8ft Jolly Roger skull-and-crossbones flag from the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant in Fantasyland. 

This Heritage Disney auction follows last year's record-breaking $2.2 million Art of Disneyland auction, and coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company and the 50th anniversary celebration for Walt Disney World.