Collecting animation art is one of the most exciting hobbies there is. Imagine displaying a piece of your childhood framed on your wall! Just about everyone can relate to cartoons. We all grew up with animation, and I don't know of anyone who wouldn't like to own a framed Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny. In the following pages, I hope to give some insight into the world of animation art enthusiasts and what they collect. I'll begin by offering a brief overview of the types of animation art that collectors look for and where they go to build their collections.

A production cel and background from Chuck Jones' 1996 Looney Tunes short, Pullet Surprise. © 1996 Warner Bros.

The Grand Production Cel
The most popular form of animation art is the "production cel," in other words, a hand-painted animation cel that was actually filmed to create one frame of an animated scene that appeared in a cartoon. The overwhelming popularity of the production cel is most likely because collectors best identify with the final painted version of the character. Production cels can range from thousands of dollars each (for rare, early Disney cels) to only a couple of dollars each (for commercial cels and some Anime cels). Value is determined by a number of factors, including rarity, condition of the cel, pose of the character and in which cartoon the cel appeared.

Production cels are sold in theme parks, studio stores, galleries, major auction houses and a growing number of mail order catalog companies and online electronic catalogs. A novice collector, as well as the seasoned veteran, should examine artwork thoroughly before purchasing. One should expect no less than a money-back guarantee of authenticity and satisfaction from the seller. Auctions usually do not offer this, and I recommend only purchasing at auction when you are expert enough to determine value and authenticity on your own. Purchasing by credit card is always a good idea, as well. If there is any question of fraud, you can refuse to pay and your credit card company will back you, providing you can prove your claim.

Termite Terrace, a limited edition cel featuring Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies working in an animation studio. © 1997 Warner Bros.

Limited Edition Cels Aren't So Limited!
Limited edition cels are available through a growing number of galleries, theme parks and catalog sellers. Prices may vary as much as 30% to 50%, depending on where you shop. A limited edition cel is a hand-painted cel that was created for sale or as a premium of some sort. These cels can have hand-inked lines, Xerox "ink lines" or serigraphed "ink lines." The process used to get the outline of the characters on the cel before painting is up to the creator of the artwork. It is more costly to have a cel hand-inked, and therefore, these usually retail for more than Xerox or serigraph lined cels. With the number of animation art collectors rapidly growing, the studios are quick to increase the number of limited edition cels released each year. Prices for Limited Editions vary greatly. You can find a Hanna-Barbera limited edition cel selling for under $350 framed, and you can also find a Disney limited edition cel selling for $2,300 framed. Collecting limited edition cels is popular, and many collectors remain faithful to basically one studio in preference.