Disney original Snow White cine reel sells for £16K at auction

Auctioneer Charles Hanson believes the poisoned apple cel is the "very heartbeat of the film"

A pair of original pieces of cine reel from Walt Disney's first animated feature-length film has sold for more than £16,000 at auction.

The cels, from the 1937 release Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, were brought along to a valuation day in Leicestershire.

One image depicts the moment the Wicked Queen hands Snow White the poisoned apple.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said that one alone sold for £10,500.

The other, depicting Snow White with animals, was sold for £5,600 when it went under the hammer in Etwall, Derbyshire.

Mr Hanson said the cels were sold on the internet to the same buyer.

"We had bids from all over the world: America, Italy... the theatre and drama in the saleroom felt like a magical movie moment," he said.

Snow White was released in 1937 and was briefly the highest grossing film of all time, before being overtaken by Gone with the Wind.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

• Walt Disney's film was based on a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm

• Production of the film lasted three years, taking place between August 1934 and December 1937

• The film is estimated to have cost $2m to make

• The film's soundtrack was nominated for an Oscar in 1938

• It was recognised by the Oscars in 1939 with an Honorary Award for its "significant screen innovation"

Source: IMDB

The sections of film were originally sold in frames in 1938

It is believed the images were first sold in 1938 at an exhibition in London of the original paintings for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Charles Hanson, from Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers, said: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Walt Disney is a film that has provided so much joy to so many people over the generations.

"Such familiar and famous characters are right here at the very beginning of this success.

"Of all the scenes that could be captured on a cel the famous poisoned apple takes some beating - it's the very heartbeat of the film."