Mouthpieces for the Grasshopper character puppet

Tray of mouthpieces for the Grasshopper character from the 1996 Disney stop-motion animation film James and the Giant Peach produced by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick.

The mouthpieces were painstakingly switched in and out to create the effect of Grasshopper’s changing facial expressions and to give the impression of speech. They show the incredible range and volume of facial inserts used for an individual character. Each mouthpiece is handmade and hand-painted. The mouthpieces are kept in number order boxes to coordinate with the lip-synch script.

James and Giant Peach (released 1996) was made by Walt Disney, Allied Filmmakers and Skellington Productions in the Skellington Productions studio, San Fransisco. The film is based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, released in 1961. The directors Tim Burton and Henry Selick filmed the production over 20 stages, taking three years.