Animation Art
For most people, especially ‘baby boomers’, animation art will bring an immediate smile to your face and take you back to the time of watching cartoons on Saturday morning while mom and dad slept in.
Cartoons like The Pink Panther, Bugs Bunny and the gang, and the relentless Wile E. Coyote represent a time that will never be replicated. A time when there were no cell phones or internet, where there was no ‘road rage’ and people dressed up to go to the moves or get on a plane. It was a different time…”The good ‘ol days” for many.
Cel animation became ‘art’ by accident. The cells were created by hand, on sheets of transparent plastic called “cels” intended for use in animation. When played back at a high speed in the range of 30 frames per second they create the illusion of movement.
Now everything is digital so cells are rarely ever used. It has since become a lost art. The good news is that these old vintage cels can be very valuable.
Some of the most valuable cels are by Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Bill Melendez. Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones were responsible for the hysterical Warner Bros cartoons such as Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, and Bill Melendez was the artist behind Snoopy and the gang.
Cels are categorized by Production Cels, Production Drawings, Limited Edition Cels, Serigraph Cels, Lithos, Giclees, and etchings. Some of the most notable sales have been of Disney cels. A hand-painted animation cel from Mickey Mouse’s first cartoon was sold at auction for $420,000 in a private sale in 1999 and other sales have generated sale prices in the $50,000.00 range. If you have any cels or a collection of cels you are thinking of selling, contact us for assistance. We very likely already have buyers for you.