As part of The Walt Disney Company’s ongoing commitment to help its hometown of Los Angeles recover from the devastating wildfires in January 2025, Disney is participating in the Sotheby’s AnimAID | The Art of Animation online auction. The auction will offer a treasure trove of rare and one-of-a-kind pieces of animation history with proceeds benefiting local animators and their families who have been affected by the fires.
There will be historical offerings from the company’s vast animation libraries — inclusive of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Television Animation, 20th Century Television, Lucasfilm, and Marvel Animation — that go back over a century, along with new original pieces from its world-class animators, like Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer.
“Los Angeles is our hometown and the heart of the animation community,” Meredith Roberts, EVP, Television Animation, Disney Branded Television, said. “Rallying the creative community to donate artwork felt like the most meaningful way we could support our own.”
The auction takes place from April 23-30, 2025. Other participating Studios include Warner Bros., DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, and Paramount.
Uniting to Support the Animation Community
According to Fox Carney, Manager, Research at the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, the question in the animation community in the wake of the fires quickly became, “What can our community do for each other?”
With the help of the International Animated Film Society (ASIFA-Hollywood) and its wildfire relief fund, AnimAID, Disney banded together with other studios to launch this auction.
“It’s a testament to just how close-knit this community is,” Roberts said.
The excitement for this effort has been palpable within the halls of Pixar.
“When we announced this, so many people came out of the woodwork to do anything they could to support the cause,” Docter said.
Carney concurs, noting that, “we want to let those who work in animation know that companies such as ourselves support them, that we care about them, that we’re here for them, that we want to be able to provide resources in any way that we can.”
And it wasn’t just for the community to help itself. The auction is also a way for fans who have enjoyed the art and made memories from the work of these animators to contribute to them during challenging times. “How can they step in to help the artists who have created those moments?” Carney said.
A Treasure Trove of Animation History
“This company started from animation. Animation is in our DNA,” Carney noted. Given that, it’s no surprise that there’s a very wide array of offerings from Disney at the auction. In the Disney Animation research library alone there’s an estimated 65 million physical pieces of artwork and production materials across the studio’s hundred-year history.
Disney Animation, Pixar, and Disney Television Animation will be offering selected artwork and items from their archives that cover decades of history, as well as new items made just for the auction.
“The collection reflects the history of the studio and appeals to collectors and fans of all ages,” Roberts said.
There’s everything from new character statues signed by the directors of Disney Animations’ Frozen 2, to original character designs and storyboards from series like Disney’s Darkwing Duck and Kim Possible, in addition to original artwork from Pixar’s Turning Red director Domee Shi.
“It is very unique and rare to be able to own some of the pieces,” Docter said.
Disney’s Fire Relief Efforts
This auction is just one of the many ways that The Walt Disney Company is working to support its community and employees in the wake of the LA wildfires.
Earlier this month, Disney hosted Disney Field Days! at local schools for students displaced from their schools by the fires, with plans to host more throughout the area.
As the fires were still raging, Disney committed $15 million to LA fire relief and rebuilding efforts. On top of that, those affected by the fires have been supported by Disney through donations, care packages, and private screenings. The company also provided the brave first responders at the frontlines of the recent fires with complimentary tickets to Disneyland. Read more about Disney’s efforts here.