First Animation Art
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
First Quality Art from the Animated Film
2036 Fifth Avenue SE - Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403 - Phone 316-862-1169 or call toll free 1-888-921-1001
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Disney Affordable Treasures
By John Cairns and Wanda Lunn


One of the best kept secrets in Disney animation collecting is the variety of
original production available to collectors. Collectors who are introduced to
cartoon art by inexperienced sellers on line or in the mall, are often told
that ‘originals’ no longer exist. “...all the cels were washed off.” , “...the
paper was mostly reused” are some of the phrases heard by novice
collectors in many stores. This makes the studio limited edition and modern
production art seemingly the only choice for them.

But what the studios don’t want you to know is that a few full service
animation art galleries can find many wonderful original cels, drawings and
pre-production materials. These are not acquired through the studios, but by
searching private collections around the country.

As an example, we often hear laments from collectors such as: “I’d love to
have something from Lady and the Tramp, but I just don’t have $4500 to
spend for their beautiful limited edition art!” The good news is that with
patience and time, original drawings of characters from this film can be
found in the $250 to $1300 range and vintage single character cels often are
in an affordable range from $600 to $3200.

But these prices are just examples! Some great images can be found above
and below these estimates. Limited editions are attractive because they
capture entire scenes from films with multiple characters. In contrast,
production art captures a specific moment or idea and will generally feature
a single character. Be realistic in your search. Remember, an original
production cel or drawing is a way to have a unique rarity for your collection,
not necessarily the perfect moment from the film that you remember.

But how to judge, and what to collect? First you have to know what art is
out there and how it was used. Here’s a quick primer:

Production cels are the finished hand painted images on clear acetate or
nitrate that were actually filmed when making the cartoons. Production
drawings will be either roughs  of characters - (loose construction drawings
of the characters in motion), or clean-up drawings - (precise finished pencil
drawings ready to be transferred to cels.) Color model drawings are like
clean-ups in that they are precise finished images used as guides in the ink
and paint department to identify colors on the different parts of the
character’s body or costume. Color Model Cels are the finished painted
umages used as color guides by the inkers and painters. Also to be found
are concept sketches in graphite or charcoal or pastels - these are the
drawings used in planning the look of the character and sometimes vary
widely from the finished image. Storyboard sketches are small drawings,
pastels or charcoals used to plot the sequences and action in a film. Pencil
Model Sheets are a group of character sketches, either on one paper, or
they are several images cut out and mounted together on a larger sheet.
Ozalid and Lithograph Model Sheets were made in a very small number
from the original pencil model sheets. These were used as drawing guides
by the animators and in between artists.  Background layouts are sketches
that will generally be in blue or gray pencil used to create the final
watercolor backgrounds. Production Backgrounds are the actual watercolor
painintings used to film with the cels. They are especially rare and valueable.

Here are some general points to understand.

Generally, feature film cels and drawings will cost more than short films,
and the older the art, the more well known the character, the more you are
likely to pay. Most cels and drawings from the vintage era will be single
character images. You also need to understand the time periods in which
the art was used and what still exists. I like to think of vintage Disney
animation art falling into 6 time periods; all under the direction of Walt
Disney himself.

The Short Film Era : 1928 - 1937

This is the time period when Disney produced hundreds of wonderful short
films. Some of your favorite characters were “born” in this era, including
Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, the Three Little Pigs and many others. Cels
that still exist from this time period are quite rare and generally pricey for
main characters starting at $2000 and going way up! Concepts, backgrounds
and model sheets will not be bargains, but good values can be found if you
concentrate on lesser characters and scenes. Keep in mind that the first
color Mickey cartoon was in 1935 and most vintage cels before that date are
in black and white.

Best Values:  Look for original pencil art of the main characters to get the
best bang for your buck. We've seen Mickey production drawings from this
era range from $400 to $1200 for some pretty classic images from his short
cartoons. Some very early films like Steamboat Willie, and Plane Crazy can
push Mickey pencil art into the $2000 and up range, but other 1930’s films
are in the lower price ranges. Donald art is more plentiful from later years,
but can also fall  in this same price range. For cels, search for images of
secondary and odd characters. They can capture the flavor of this early era
and be surprisingly affordable. You’ll be looking in the $800 to $1800 range
for some delightful images.


1937-1949 The Early Features and the War Years

The release of Snow White in 1937 turned the page on animation art
collecting. For the first time, Disney cels and other forms of animation art
were sold as fine art through a few galleries. Thank goodness the studio
decided to do this marketing from 1938 through 1945. This release saved a
great number of delightful production art that might have been reused as
cost saving measures or recycled for the war effort. This is the era that
produced many favorite films including Bambi, Pinocchio, and Fantasia and
some of the less familiar such as Fun and Fancy Free and Make Mine Music.
Wonderful artwork survived in the private collections of studio employees
and many of these gems have found their way to the secondary market
today. But art from this time period is not plentiful and time and patience is
necessary to find your favorites.

Best Values:  This is a great time period to look for Donald Duck artwork
since he appeared in many war era films. Cels and drawings can be very
good values in the $300 to $1800 range. Again, stick to pencil art for main
characters from the features. Snow White, Pinocchio and Bambi can be found
in the $600 to $2600 range in lovely poses from their classic moments.
Forget the costly Mickey as the Sorcerer from Fantasia - you’re better off
finding Mickey wearing his famous robes from a later era if you have to have
the look! But recognize minor characters can steal the show in your
collection and are great values. I’ve seen cels of the crows from Dumbo for
$2500, Angus McBadger from Mr. Toad for $1200 and delightful drawings of
Pecos Bill and Slue Foot Sue for as little as $400 each. Storyboard drawings
from Song of the South found recently for $1200 to $1800 in the last year
and have been spectacular! Disney did lots of experimenting in this era.
Concept art can be fun and reasonable. Pencil background layouts from less
known features or shorts can be a delight and very detailed. Keep your eyes
and mind open to the unusual from these years.

The Fantasy Years 1950-1959

Disney returned to the classic fairy tale in this era, releasing such
memorable features as Cinderella, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and
Sleeping Beauty. Donald did battle with the famous chipmunks, Chip and
Dale, and Goofy made some delightful films as an “everyman” human-like
character. The studio marketed cels through the Disneyland Art Corner store
for as little as $1.50 and many great images still exist in private hands.
Cels from Cinderella, Alice and Peter Pan tend to be a bit harder to find
since the films were released before the theme park opened in 1955.

Best values:
This is the era to find great cels from the features. Most secondary
characters are very affordable and even the biggies like Alice and Cinderella
are not necessarily out of sight. Look for the leading ladies in the $2000 to
$3500 range in original cels and as little as $500 - $1000 for spectacular
drawings. We’ve found lovely cels of Flora, Fauna and Merryweather for less
than $1000 this year. Drawings of the fairies can be found for less than half
of that. Goofy is affordable and fun in this era as well as Chip and Dale.
Kings and Queens from the features are fun to collect and not hard to get in
the $500 to $1200 range for cels! Lady and the Tramp cels of the sidekick
dogs can be found for less than $1500 in most cases and even the lead
characters can be had for less than $2500. Remember that ideal portrait-like
poses will push prices up, but fun close-ups and action poses can be much
more affordable.

Walt’s final films 1960-1967

Disney’s use of the new xerography outline technology changed the way
cartoons were made. 101 Dalmatians was made possible in 1961 with this
new technology. The Disney Sunday television show brought back old
characters such as Tinkerbell and Jiminy Cricket, and introduced some great
new ones like Ludwig Von Drake. By this time Disney was no longer
releasing theatrical short cartoons, so some of the best affordable art
survives from television animation. Feature films with animation include
Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book.

Best Values:

Look for some great classic characters in new roles. Jiminy Cricket, Mickey,
Donald, Tinkerbell and even some of the Seven Dwarfs were used on the
Disney Sunday show. Cels can be very enticing in the $400 to $1200 range.
Ludwig Von Drake is a favorite from this era and can be found in cels for
$400 to $800. In the features, Sword In The Stone cels are more affordable
than 101 Dalmatians and Jungle Book. Best bets from Dalmatians are the
puppies, human and non Dalmatian dogs. From the Jungle Book, Mowgli and
Baloo and Kaa will tend to be much better values from $900 to $2500.
Villains from this era will not be bargains in cels. Stick to pencil art to add
Cruella and Shere Khan to your collection.

So now you have some work to do and here’s the place to start. If you are
collecting animation art already, make an inventory of your current
collection. What do you already have hanging on your walls? What does your
collection tell you about what you like? The point is that you need to be
able to communicate your interests clearly to your animation specialist. Are
you attracted to multiple character scenes? Are your focusing on one studio,
film, or a specific group of characters? Do you see a reoccurring theme in
your favorite art? Realistic communication with your specialist will open new
avenues of collecting for you.

So take the time to sit down with your animation gallery specialist and
make up that wish list. You never know what they can find for you unless
you ask!

Happy Hunting!

Wanda Lunn and John Cairns have over 28 years of experience in helping collectors
acquire quality animation art. They were instrumental in the sucess of Gallery Lainzberg
- the nations first large showcase of animation art. They are the owners of First
Animation Art in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.