Post your Animation cel collection!

[Moviefreak]

My brother worked with them ~ 2005 in Orlando and I stopped by to visit. This was just after Disney shut down the Disney/MGM Studios animation department and lots of people lost their jobs. But Jeff hadn't been with Disney in forever; I think he worked at Don Bluth studios in either the late 1970s or early 1980s?

I remember that Jeff was drawing a picture of a donkey, and I commented how it reminded me of "The Small One" Disney short (about the donkey that carried pregnant Mary to Bethlehem). He said something like: "Well, I worked on that film."

Jeff gave me a customized Mickey Mouse pic dressed as a surgeon.

Who was your brother? Did he work at Disney, or at Jeff's next studio where they were working on the project TUGGER?

I worked with both Barry Temple and Jeff, Jeff left the studio after Mulan and Barry left after Lilo & Stitch. Sadly, the last I ever heard of Jeff was when he was arrested for fraud in 2010. That was a sad fall from grace.

 

[blewis17]

Who was your brother? Did he work at Disney, or at Jeff's next studio where they were working on the project TUGGER?

I worked with both Barry Temple and Jeff, Jeff left the studio after Mulan and Barry left after Lilo & Stitch. Sadly, the last I ever heard of Jeff was when he was arrested for fraud in 2010. That was a sad fall from grace.

My brother Jonathan worked on Tugger with Jeff and Barry, Woody Woodman, Robert and others. That’s where he met Ike Eisenmann (childhood actor, Scotty’s nephew from The Wrath of Khan, etc), and then worked for Ike after Genesis Orlando closed.

Barry essentially learned Maya and CG animation while working for Jeff, as you know he was a traditional 2D animator. He later went to work at Full Sail University but is now retired I believe. My brother worked at FullSail, briefly went to work at their sister location in Southern California, but he’s back teaching at Full Sail now.

 

[Moviefreak]

My brother Jonathan worked on Tugger with Jeff and Barry, Woody Woodman, Robert and others. That’s where he met Ike Eisenmann (childhood actor, Scotty’s nephew from The Wrath of Khan, etc), and then worked for Ike after Genesis Orlando closed.

Barry essentially learned Maya and CG animation while working for Jeff, as you know he was a traditional 2D animator. He later went to work at Full Sail University but is now retired I believe. My brother worked at FullSail, briefly went to work at their sister location in Southern California, but he’s back teaching at Full Sail now.

Yeah, I worked with most of them at Disney Animation. I stayed in touch with most of them through Tugger, but lost touch after that.

Fun fact about Ike Eisenmann: RPF member, blastmaster, is Al Eisenmann. Ike’s brother, as well as a former actor himself, a voice actor (Godzilla), and prop master on shows like Criminal Minds.

 

[dascoyne]

 

[dascoyne]

 

[Wakeem]

Anyone have stories from the 80s or early 90s collecting animation cels? Like seeing cels, backgrounds, and sketches from the popular Saturday Morning cartoons or G.I. Joe and Transformers easily available at places like San Diego Comic Con?

I always hear people say cels were available in a store on the way out of I think Disneyland. But I can't remember hearing a date for those stories. I know the first cel and background I saw was on display at either Disney World or the animation area where you see them working. I was surprised at how vibrant it was. Of course this was in the VHS days too.

 

[Treadwell]

Once in '84 or '85 there was a sale at a local college. I have no idea how such a thing came about, or how I found out about it, but it was in an outdoor covered area (covered walkway or something on the front of a building), and there were several boxes of cels to flip through. I was broke and didn't buy anything, but I remember Filmation Star Trek cels for $30. That kind of missed opportunity.

 

[Moviefreak]

Anyone have stories from the 80s or early 90s collecting animation cels? Like seeing cels, backgrounds, and sketches from the popular Saturday Morning cartoons or G.I. Joe and Transformers easily available at places like San Diego Comic Con?

I always hear people say cels were available in a store on the way out of I think Disneyland. But I can't remember hearing a date for those stories. I know the first cel and background I saw was on display at either Disney World or the animation area where you see them working. I was surprised at how vibrant it was. Of course this was in the VHS days too.

The Art Corner at Disneyland used to sell them back in the late 50’s and early 60’s, and they were selling for a couple bucks a piece. They had no idea these would be collectible in the future. What I would give to go back and scoop them up at those prices.

 

[pengbuzz]

I only have one, and it's not official or screen used:

 

[Wakeem]

Once in '84 or '85 there was a sale at a local college. I have no idea how such a thing came about, or how I found out about it, but it was in an outdoor covered area (covered walkway or something on the front of a building), and there were several boxes of cels to flip through. I was broke and didn't buy anything, but I remember Filmation Star Trek cels for $30. That kind of missed opportunity.

Was this college sale in California?

The Art Corner at Disneyland used to sell them back in the late 50’s and early 60’s, and they were selling for a couple bucks a piece. They had no idea these would be collectible in the future. What I would give to go back and scoop them up at those prices.

Thanks. I found a wiki and site about the Art Corner.

Disney History 101

Browse our Vintage Views of Disneyland's Art Corner

www.disneyhistory101.com

It reminds me of the Contemporary Resort at Disney World. I remember getting a personal sketch in the big arcade they had.

Of course, a few dollars for cels sounds cheap and like a give-a-away price now. But checking some inflation calculators puts a few dollars in the 50s and 60s as around $20 today. Which is still a fairly decent amount if we are talking about money that a kid would use. At least I remember getting $20 for some weekends and being able to get tons of stuff with that. It's a bit different today when I see action figures that are like $25 to $35 dollars.

 

[Treadwell]

Was this college sale in California?

Florida

 

[animator]

Anyone have stories from the 80s or early 90s collecting animation cels? Like seeing cels, backgrounds, and sketches from the popular Saturday Morning cartoons or G.I. Joe and Transformers easily available at places like San Diego Comic Con?

Once in '84 or '85 there was a sale at a local college. I have no idea how such a thing came about, or how I found out about it, but it was in an outdoor covered area (covered walkway or something on the front of a building), and there were several boxes of cels to flip through. I was broke and didn't buy anything, but I remember Filmation Star Trek cels for $30. That kind of missed opportunity.

So, my understanding is in the late 70's Edith and Burt Rudman opened a store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa named Gallery Lainzberg featuring Animations cels for sale. They found that a store front in an Iowa town didn't draw much business, so they started sending salespeople to set up events at colleges where they would bring in artwork for sale, which went well. They also started putting out catalogs that would be sent out and you could purchase cels over the phone.

I think Gallery Lainzberg pioneered this model and others followed, but that could be wrong. My mother worked at a college in Iowa and I was at one of those early shows 81-83, not sure and that is when I saw a was able to purchase my first cel. It was just a Daffy duck head for $35 dollars, but I was able to see production cels from Wonderful Disney movies! It was amazing! Once I started working, I became a customer and would call in what characters or movies I was interested in and they would send xeroxed copies of cels for me to review. The catalogs they published started out as simple black and white, but moved to nice color ones over time. Customers could send in photos with their collections and occasionally be included on a page (which I was one time).
Here are a few images from their Summer 1991 catalog.

Cels got popular, prices got crazy. This is around the time I stopped collecting much because it was just too expensive. Of course, there were lots of other Galleries, Stay Tooned had some galleries I went to in Minneapolis and Chicago in the late 90's. I'm from the mid-West, so that is mostly the ones I got to know. This seems so long ago and worlds away.

 

[Treadwell]

Several of the cels I've posted came from Gallery Lainsberg! I was a regular customer for years. I miss the printed catalogs.
They have a ebay storefront now.
I wonder if that mid-80s show I went to was theirs!

 

[animator]

Several of the cels I've posted came from Gallery Lainsberg! I was a regular customer for years. I miss the printed catalogs.
They have a ebay storefront now.
I wonder if that mid-80s show I went to was theirs!

John was my salesman at Gallery Lainzberg for years! I really miss getting those big xeroxed copies of cels with note as to what the colors were in the mail!

I think when the Rudmans sold Gallery Lainzberg it got sort of shady. John and Wanda (one of Gallery Lainzberg's earliest people) left and had their own business called FirstAnimationArt for years. John retired a few years ago.

 

[Treadwell]

Oh, I didn't realize it changed hands.

 

[Wakeem]

So, my understanding is in the late 70's Edith and Burt Rudman opened a store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa named Gallery Lainzberg featuring Animations cels for sale. They found that a store front in an Iowa town didn't draw much business, so they started sending salespeople to set up events at colleges where they would bring in artwork for sale, which went well. They also started putting out catalogs that would be sent out and you could purchase cels over the phone.

I think Gallery Lainzberg pioneered this model and others followed, but that could be wrong. My mother worked at a college in Iowa and I was at one of those early shows 81-83, not sure and that is when I saw a was able to purchase my first cel. It was just a Daffy duck head for $35 dollars, but I was able to see production cels from Wonderful Disney movies! It was amazing! Once I started working, I became a customer and would call in what characters or movies I was interested in and they would send xeroxed copies of cels for me to review. The catalogs they published started out as simple black and white, but moved to nice color ones over time. Customers could send in photos with their collections and occasionally be included on a page (which I was one time).
Here are a few images from their Summer 1991 catalog.

View attachment 1768774

Cels got popular, prices got crazy. This is around the time I stopped collecting much because it was just too expensive. Of course, there were lots of other Galleries, Stay Tooned had some galleries I went to in Minneapolis and Chicago in the late 90's. I'm from the mid-West, so that is mostly the ones I got to know. This seems so long ago and worlds away.

Thanks, I never heard of Gallery Lainzberg. I do vaguely remember seeing some animation stores in Malls during the mid 90s. But I don't remember the names. I think I only went in one of them. Most seemed upscale with adults in suits discussing purchases while sitting at desks. So I assumed the artwork was too expensive for me. I would just look through the glass.

I was searching around and a Gallery Lainzberg catalog on ebay from 1984 had Dragon's Lair and Space Ace arcade cels for sale. So the company behind the games didn't wait long to sell those. They also had the limited edition cels.

Also, I found a few articles that mention Gallery Lainzberg's college tours.

Gallery Lainzberg Founder Passes Away

www.awn.com

An unlimited seller’s market for limited-edition cel art

The resurgence of interest in cartoon characters is by no means limited to consumer merchandise such as T-shirts, coffee mugs and jewelry. For many years, the trend has included the collection of limited-edition animation art. This baby boom in the animation art market started about 25 year ago...

variety.com

I even found a surprise bit of information in a cel article that George Lucas co-owned a Comic Shop in New York back in the day. I vaguely recall reading something about this comic shop but perhaps either I forgot or thought it was a rumor. I know I saw a picture of George Lucas and Frank Frazetta in a book.

Through the Looking-Cel . . . er, Glass

I was looking forward to seeing his museum but now I'm even more curious as during the Prequels I wanted a single page from a Star Wars comic. It wasn't anything I thought would be super notable like a cover or spread. But they said they couldn't sell it because George Lucas still wanted it. I was surprised at the time because I didn't know why he would want a page from a comic book even though it was Star Wars.

 

[blewis17]

Anyone have stories from the 80s or early 90s collecting animation cels? Like seeing cels, backgrounds, and sketches from the popular Saturday Morning cartoons or G.I. Joe and Transformers easily available at places like San Diego Comic Con?

I always hear people say cels were available in a store on the way out of I think Disneyland. But I can't remember hearing a date for those stories. I know the first cel and background I saw was on display at either Disney World or the animation area where you see them working. I was surprised at how vibrant it was. Of course this was in the VHS days too.

Our local Toys-R-Us carried TV animation cels from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I can still see them in the packaging and they were marked as original production cels I believe, maybe $15-$20 a piece?

 

[Treadwell]

Yeah, that's how I got my Leonardo

 

[Wakeem]

Our local Toys-R-Us carried TV animation cels from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I can still see them in the packaging and they were marked as original production cels I believe, maybe $15-$20 a piece?

Yeah, that's how I got my Leonardo.

I imagine that these TMNT cels were only sold at certain locations. Do you guys remember seeing any with the original backgrounds for sale? Which local area was your Toys R Us?

I seemed to always go to a Toys R Us if I went to a mall. Whether at home or on vacation. I know I still have my original TMNT figures. But I can't remember which toy store I purchased them from. It was probably either Toys R Us or Kay Bee Toys. As we would go to the mall first which had Kay Bee Toys. I think the odd mall had Circus World. After which we would go to a Toys R Us which was usually like a mile or so around malls if not in the same area.

It's not a cel but I do have this TMNT print. The artist made variations with all four turtles.

Modern audiences and others seem to despise this NES TMNT water level. But I still love the music and didn't think it was that difficult.

 

[Treadwell]

IIRC I got mine in Ft. Myers, Florida, but I saw them in at least one other TRU in NE Florida.
I never saw any with original backgrounds.

I'm not even particularly a fan of TMNT but I am a big fan of Usagi Yojimbo, and was hoping to find a cel from his guest appearances. But the Leo one was full body and a nice pose, so I grabbed it. (I eventually got my Usagi from Gallery Lainsberg!)