Welcome back to this week's look at Heritage's Sunday night movie poster auction! Each week Heritage auctions off some truly unique finds across all movie genres, such as movie serials, animation, science fiction, romance, and more. Each week I find a few gems that could be overlooked! Here are my pics for this week's unique finds!
Before Godzilla won his first Oscar in 2024, Godzilla had been fighting Japan, monsters, and other versions of himself for several decades. Godzilla vs Space Godzilla is the 21st film in the Godzilla series and introduces Space Godzilla to the franchise. Space Godzilla was created via Godzilla cells that were transported to space, and exposed to radiation from a black hole. Of course, this somehow angers Space Godzilla, who heads to Earth to cause havoc and the eventual destruction of Earth. Godzilla, alongside his friends, saves the day in the end.
This unrestored poster is noted as being in Very Fine / Near Mint, an impressive feat for a 30-year-old poster. While Godzilla is wildly popular and collectible, this poster tends to go for under $50 in auction. This could potentially be an affordable piece for kaiju or Godzilla fans and would display well.
You know how you can hear an image when you look at it? An odd thing, I know, but when I look at this Circle of Life immediately springs into my mind. Disney's 1994 masterpiece The Lion King is my favorite Disney film and is generally regarded as one of the best-animated films Disney has ever put out. The Lion King was the highest-grossing animated film for nearly 10 years but was dethroned by 2003's Finding Nemo. We are coming onto the 30th anniversary of the film, so chances are Disney will do something to commemorate.
Heritage notes this unrestored poster as being in Very Fine condition. I don't see this poster pop up in auctions too often, so if you're a fan of The Lion King, I wouldn't sleep on this.
The 1949 film Mighty Joe Young is likely not what audiences expected on its release. This poster has a King Kong-esque feel -- likely due to many of the same people working on both films. Yet while King Kong was a horror movie about an untamed gorilla, Mighty Joe Young is about a gorilla who was raised by humans, only to be mistreated by people who don't understand him. Yet unlike King Kong, this film is much cheesier. If you haven't seen it and have time to kill, it's worth a watch. The 1998 remake doesn't hold a candle to how over the top the original was.
This poster is noted as having restoration but is still in Fine+ condition. Similar posters have sold for under $300, so while this isn't the cheapest gorilla movie poster, it's still significantly more affordable than an original King Kong poster.
Prior to home videos being a thing, Disney (and many other studios) would re-release movies. In the early 1970s, Disney re-released an edited version of Fantasia to mostly college towns or art exhibits. It wasn't until 1977 that the film would see a widespread release again. It wouldn't be until 1990, the film's 50th anniversary, that the film would see a VHS, Betamax, and LaserDisc release. Fantasia continues to inspire audiences to this day, and Sorcerer Mickey, who made his appearance in Fantasia, is one of the most notable forms of Mickey Disney has put out.
This unrestored poster truly reflects the art style of the time, and I love it. Heritage notes this is in Very Fine- condition, but would display well thanks to the bright, vibrant colors. This poster tends to sell for under $160, making this a very affordable piece of vintage art.
