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24 February 2023
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Vintage: ‘Disney Tribute to Firefighters’
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This iconic print of Mickey and a Fireman was produced by Disney as a tribute to all fire fighters for their heroic efforts during the California Southland Fires of 1993. Disney called the Anaheim Fire Department requesting a fire fighter to commission a sketch. The fire fighter’s name is Dave Baker and he was a rookie at the time. He went to the Disney Studio and this print was produced in two weeks. There are three characteristics that make the Disney Tribute to Firefighters print unique that had never been done before by Disney:
1.) Mickey is always standing above everyone else or on a pedestal. 2.) Mickey is shaking hands with a person. Two other prints were done with Mickey touching another person but not shaking hands. 3.) Mickey is looking up, he never is looking up in a print. He is either looking down or looking eye-level. Changing these three characteristics as a special tribute to the fire fighters is just another example of the attention to every detail for which Disney is famous. Charles Boyer was the artist. Charles joined the Disneyland art staff in 1960 as a Park artist drawing pastel portraits for guests. He soon moved to the marketing and advertising art department as an illustrator and remained with Disneyland for 39 years. Charles produced nearly 50 limited edition Disney lithographs, beginning with the famous Triple Self-Portrait of Walt Disney painting himself as Mickey Mouse in 1976. Source: Brotherhood of Fire |