The History of Animation Cel Collecting?

[Strictly-Dragonball]

Just thought it would be nice to start a discussion of the history of this thing we love so much

Where did it all begin, how did the so called "studio trash" that was just simply a by product of the final result, the end film or T.V show ever establish a collector's market?

Because it's most certainly there in earnest, particulary american animation art, the big players like Disney and Warner Bros. started the trend of making reproduction art to meet this collector demand.

I know it was essentially after the huge success of Snow White where galleries around the world wanted artwork from the masterpiece Disney had made. Courvoisier Galleries obtained the rights to be the exclusive distributor for Disney artwork for many years.

But yet these originals that are worth tens of thousands today could be had for under $2.00 at Disneyland it's insane isn't it?

When did it all take off?

Also, in Japan, was there a market straight away for the anime cels? Unlike USA?

[graymouser]

I would be curious to know too.

I remember reading a while back that it started with the Spaceship Yamamoto movie. As part of a promotion, cels from the movie were given away to attendees. I have no idea if this is really true or not. Either way, its kind of a neat story.

[sensei]

An older Japanese collector told me that his introduction came after the premiere of Future Boy Conan, in April 1978. That was when he and his friends started stopping by Nippon Studio to ask if they had any extra cels from this show that they were willing to give to loyal fans. This was a kindness studios extended to their supporters at this time, and the collector still has a nice selection of cels from this show.

I suppose if they didn't happen to have any cels on hand, they'd pass on a layout sketch or two (by a yet anonymous artist named Hayao Miyazaki).

[cutiebunny]

A Japanese seller mentioned that, when she was about 4 years old, the local movie theatre held a drawing for Disney Cinderella cel. She won the drawing, but really didn't understand what a cel was. She noticed that the paint would flake off if she chipped at it, and eventually, she discarded the cel when all the paint was gone.

She commented that, had she not done that, she might be a rich woman


It makes you wonder what all the toys that you had when you were little could have been worth if you had not played with them.

[sensei]

Worth reviewing: the March 2008 thread on Disney Animation Art Returns from Japan (the link to the NYT article that inspired it is still good).

Short version: Disney sent a hand-picked and fabulous display of cels, backgrounds, concept art, sketches, and master set-ups to tour Japan in 1960, publicizing the release of Sleeping Beauty dubbed in Japanese. At the end of the tour, Disney generously donated the whole show to Tokyo's Museum of Modern Art, which decided that the material was not in line with the art they wanted to put on display. The exhibit then kicked around Japan for several years, looking for an institution willing to take it. Eventually stored in a janitor's closet, the collection was not examined again until 2004, when several of the items were found damaged by chronic dampness.