Disney Animation Art

Filmmemorabilia are eagerly wanted collectors items, and until a couple of years ago, original animation film drawings on celluloid - cels - belonged to collectors. At first, these cels were thrown away until they became the focus of interest thanks to their high quality and craftsmanship. Cartoon enthusiasts bought these precious drawings at the Disneyland Souvenir shop, but gradually as the demand increased, the sales of these materials was better organized. By now, collecting these cels has been in vogue and various animation arts auctions were held at renowned houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's, and huge amounts of money are paid for them. America counts some well-known collectors such as Michael Jackson and Steven Spielberg and even musea are now beginning to accept this animation art as one of the "fine arts".

To give continuity to an animated. film, 24 frames per second are required. First a 'storyboard' is drawn, indicating the film's storyline. Next, the characters are drawn on paper before they are transferred to celluloid, after which the line drawings are colored. Finally, the cels are put on to a background.

Collectors make a division between original productions-cels made in small quantities for special sales; mechanically colored cels made in larger quantities and the original sketches from the animation artists. Between September 22nd and October 15th the Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent will exhibit a unique collection of original and limited edition cels from the Walt Disney Studios - a premiere for the Benelux. The exhibition is open daily and is held at Ghent's historic Sint-Pieters abbey.

Organization: SONO bvba, Sobrie's Gallery