With original Walt Disney production cells and production drawings plus several types of limited edition Disney animation art available, how does a cartoon lover decide what to buy?

As a Walt Disney Authorized Art Gallery, we have assisted thousands of customers in making decisions about their Disney animation art purchases. While you have to decide what characters and films you like best (Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs tend to be the most popular, for what its worth), we can help you with the rest. It's not that difficult… really!

The first step is to understand the differences between the various types of Disney animation art. The second step is to step back from all this detail and ask yourself "what do you want to see hanging on your wall?" In this way you will be choosing with your head and your heart, and you can't go wrong!

First, the various types of Disney animation art available:

1. Original Production Cells (or Cels): One of a kind, hand-painted pieces that went under camera in the making of a Disney cartoon short or feature film. Original cells from the early days of Disney animation are very rare (and expensive) as the vast majority were destroyed years ago. Having little appreciation for the historic or artistic merit of the countless cells and other animation art in their warehouses, a variety of fates befell much of the early artwork. While some cells were preserved and sold through the Courvoisier Gallery in San Francisco and, later, at Disneyland, many cells did not survive. Some cells were given away as novelty items to children visiting the studio, and many others were simply destroyed. Fortunately, some Disney cells were taken home by animators and cell painters and thus avoided destruction.

A Disney production cell may feature one or more characters, and may be made up of one or more layers of clear celluloid acetate with the characters hand-painted on the reverse. This incredibly time consuming process is at the heart of traditional cell animation.

Walt Disney production cells are very desirable pieces of animation art as they offer fans and collectors an opportunity to own a one of a kind "moment in time" from such classics as Mickey and Minnie Mouse shorts, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Pinocchio", "Bambi", "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty".

Around 1990 the Disney Studio moved from traditional cell animation to digital animation. As such, cells were not used in animating newer films such as "Lion King", "Aladdin" and "Lilo and Stitch".

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2. Original Production Drawings: One of a kind, hand-drawn pieces that were used in animating a Disney cartoon. Drawn in pencil on animation paper, production drawings are the artistic backbone of a Walt Disney cartoon short or feature film. Each character action and pose must be drawn by hand before the corresponding cell can be painted.

Some drawings feature codes and notations regarding the layout of the scene, the sequence of the drawings, the positioning of the cells and other production requirements. These features, together with the roughness of some drawings, can give them a very raw, "behind-the-scenes" look that is very desirable to collectors who appreciate the tremendous effort that goes into animating a Disney cartoon.

Many Disney drawings from the early days remain in the studio archives. Fortunately some were taken home by animators years ago and have become available to be purchased by fans and collectors. Drawings featuring Disney stars such as Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Dopey, Bambi, and Winnie the Pooh are some of the most popular choices.

3. Hand-Painted Limited Edition Cells: As so much of the original animation art used in creating the Mickey Mouse shorts and classic feature films such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was lost or destroyed, limited edition cells are an important part of the collectors market. Painted using the same materials and techniques as production cells, hand-painted limited edition cells give Disney fans access to scenes that would be very difficult or impossible to find as an original.


Individually hand-painted in small editions (typically between 100 and 500 pieces worldwide), these cells are some of the most beautiful pieces of Disney animation art.


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4. Limited Edition Serigraph Cells: Very similar in appearance to hand-painted limited editions, serigraph cells (or "sericels") are considerably less expensive for several reasons. Firstly, they are silk-screened rather than hand-painted. While this is still a very high quality and time consuming process (each color is screened one at a time), it is not as difficult or expensive as hand painting. Secondly, serigraph cells are produced in larger edition sizes (typically between 1000 and 5000 pieces worldwide). Still a small number when you consider how many Disney fans there are in the world!

Walt Disney serigraph cells are extremely popular pieces of animation art as you can get many characters and terrific scenes at very reasonable prices. In recent years Disney sericels have begun to incorporate full color backgrounds and other special aspects previously reserved for hand-painted cells. Some have special remarques on the matting to commemorate special events (such as the Mickey Mouse's 75th birthday), while others have been hand-signed by voice talents such as Wayne Allwine (Mickey Mouse), Russi Taylor (Minnie Mouse), Tony Anselmo (Donald Duck) or Bill Farmer (Goofy and other Disney characters). Serigraph cells are also great gifts for Disney fans!

5. Limited Edition Giclees: A giclee is a very high quality digital print on paper or canvas. The beauty of well made giclees has made them extremely popular choices for art collectors around the world (not just in animation art galleries, but in all genres of art). They are fast replacing traditional lithographs as the preferred means of fine art reproduction as they offer superior quality at reasonable prices.




6. Hand-Painted Etchings: The introductory price point in Walt Disney animation art is hand-painted etchings. So many of the greatest characters are available... Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Snow White, Dopey and more! Their small size (13.5" x 13.5" framed) and very affordable price ($85 US framing included) makes them very popular gifts and pieces for people new to collecting Disney animation art.


Done under exclusive contract by the studios of artists Sowa and Reiser, the outline is hand etched into a copper plate, inked and pressed into hand-made paper. Once the black outline has dried, they are hand-painted with watercolors. Each is numbered in a limited edition of 500 and bears the Disney copyright on the front and comes with a certificate of authenticity.



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Okay, now we've covered the technical side of Walt Disney animation art, let's have some fun!

While we always recommend that you understand what you're spending your hard earned money on, at the end of the day you've got to purchase animation art that you love to look at. Whether a piece is original or a limited edition, celluloid acetate, paper or canvas, large or small, animation art has got to speak to you.

What do you love most about Walt Disney cartoons? Is it the elegance and beauty of Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and the other classic princesses? Is it the pure fun and humor of Mickey Mouse? Is it the dark evil of Maleficent, Scar, and Cruella de Ville? Perhaps its all about romance... Mickey and Minnie, Lady and the Tramp, Beauty and the Beast? Maybe Winnie the Pooh and friends takes you back to a time when childhood was innocent and pure and you want to raise your kids that way. Its time to put aside the technical considerations and ask yourself what draws you to Disney in the first place.

Some Disney animation art buyers are purchasing gifts for children and want something of lasting significance; something the child will always have (unlike toys and clothes). Others are buying for themselves as they have had a life-long love of classic Disney animation. What is your motivation?

We're always here to answer questions and help, but in the end, you've got to make the choice that's right for you. If it's a gift, you can't go wrong with Mickey Mouse, Snow White, or Winnie the Pooh... and we do BEAUTIFUL gift wrapping free of charge!

Steve Watt
Owner and General Manager
Animation Connection - The best choice for Walt Disney cells and other Disney animation art
800-700-1173

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