A DEEPLY PERSONAL ARCHIVE CELEBRATES THE TALENTED STORYTELLER WHOSE IMAGINATION SHAPED DISNEY CLASSICS, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, AND PIXAR’S EARLIEST MASTERPIECES
By Christina Rees | August 18, 2026
Heritage’s August 21–23 The Art of Disney Signature® Auction features more than 1,300 lots spanning nearly a century of Disney artistry, but its emotional centerpiece is the extraordinary Joe Ranft Family Archive. Comprising more than 100 fresh-to-market works and personal artifacts from the late Disney Legend, the archive chronicles the remarkable career of one of animation’s most influential storytellers, from his early days at Walt Disney Studios and Skellington Productions to his pivotal role as a member of Pixar’s legendary Brain Trust.
The Disney Legend award and Disney Legend pin presented posthumously to Joe Ranft in 2006. The items make up one of 100-plus lots from the Joe Ranft Family Archive featured in Heritage’s August 21–23 The Art of Disney Signature® Auction.
Posthumously named a Disney Legend in 2006, Ranft was revered throughout the animation industry for his extraordinary gift for storytelling. After studying at CalArts alongside future Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, he joined Walt Disney Studios in 1980, contributing to projects including The Great Mouse Detective, Oliver & Company, The Rescuers Down Under, and the beloved cult classic The Brave Little Toaster, which he also co-wrote. He later reunited with director Henry Selick at Skellington Productions, serving as storyboard supervisor on Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, before becoming one of the four influential members of Pixar’s famed Brain Trust, helping shape every feature from Toy Story through Cars.
Ranft served as storyboard supervisor on Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas,’ for which he created this sequence of six ‘This is Halloween’ storyboards.
Andy’s toys interact with one another in this group of nine storyboard drawings Ranft created for 1995’s ‘Toy Story.’ Ranft was a story supervisor on the film and voiced the character Lenny.
The Ranft Family Archive reflects every stage of that remarkable career through original storyboards, concept art, production artwork, and deeply personal memorabilia.
“Joe Ranft’s creativity touched nearly every corner of modern Disney and Pixar storytelling,” says Jim Lentz, Heritage’s Vice President and Director of Animation & Anime Art. “To present his family’s archive is both an honor and an extraordinary opportunity because so much of this material has never been available publicly before.”
Among the auction’s highlights are storyboard drawings attributed to Ranft from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, including dramatic sequences from the beloved “Town Meeting Song,” where Jack Skellington introduces the citizens of Halloween Town to the wonders of Christmas. Also featured are hand-colored storyboard sequences from Pixar’s groundbreaking Toy Story, capturing Woody dispatching the Army Men to scout Andy’s birthday party in one of the film’s most memorable scenes.
The Joe Ranft Family Archive also includes storyboards from the 2001 Pixar film ‘Monsters, Inc.’
Toaster and his friends brave Ernie’s foreboding junkyard in this trio of original concept art Ranft created for 1987’s ‘The Brave Little Toaster.’
Collectors also will find storyboard groups from Monsters, Inc. that reveal Ranft’s creative process across several pivotal scenes, along with original concept artwork from The Brave Little Toaster, including haunting pastel-and-gouache designs for the film’s unforgettable junkyard sequence. The archive also includes artwork from James and the Giant Peach, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Cars, and other productions that benefited from Ranft’s remarkable imagination.
Beyond the artwork itself, the archive offers an intimate portrait of the artist through career-defining honors and personal keepsakes. Among them are Ranft’s Disney Legend Award, Annie Award, and Pixar service awards, including a poignant bronze Woody memorial sculpture created by his brother, Jerome Ranft, inscribed, “Remembering All Your Years of Passion & Commitment – Joe Ranft.” The collection also includes production maquettes, personal memorabilia, and even selections from Ranft’s cherished collection of books and magic tricks, reflecting the warmth, humor, and boundless curiosity that made him one of animation’s most beloved creative voices.
