![]() One of the more common types of deterioration in animation cels is paint becoming detached from the plastic substrate. Serving as historical, technological, and cultural documents of their time, archivists and conservators are faced with questions of preservation and conservation.Ī collaborative research project between the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and the Walt Disney Animation Research Library (WDARL) was established to improve conservation strategies for animation cels by investigating the effects of storage environment on their condition (Getty Conservation Institute Citation2021) and developing new approaches for minimally invasive conservation treatment of damaged paints. ![]() Since the mid-1980s, animation cels are no longer seen as simple functional items created solely for the purpose of making a movie, but rather as works of art in their own right (Mikulak Citation1995). Having served their initial purpose, animation studios tended to discard animation cels after production, to sell them in limited quantities, or to wash and reuse the plastic sheets (Witkowski Citation1994). Playing back usually at 24 frames per second gives the illusion of motion which means that roughly half a million finished cels were needed for 80 min of film (Thomas and Johnston Citation1981). Animation cels are typically placed over a background image and photographed on motion picture film, along with a series of other animation cels that together depict phased movements of the figures (Getty Research Institute Citationn.d.). The paints were also diluted into inks, before being superseded by Xerographic outlines. The Walt Disney Ink & Paint Department formulated their own gum arabic-based paints between 19. Characters are reproduced onto the sheet from drawings created by animators. Typically, inks are applied to the viewing side (front) and paints are applied to the back (reverse) of the sheet ( Figures 1 and 2). The method developed is effective for cel paints with the same or similar formulations.Īn animation cel is a transparent plastic sheet of cellulose nitrate, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, or polyester on which characters or objects are inked and/or painted by hand. Method development and a case study procedure are presented in depth. A major advantage of this method is that a consolidant is not necessary. The new treatment is a multi-step approach that manipulates paint properties by using precise levels of relative humidity, established within a humidity chamber, in order to reactivate the paint and reattach it. This paper presents recent innovations in paint reattachment that rely on the intrinsic hygroscopic properties of the cel paint formulations. One important component of this study has involved developing minimally invasive treatments for reattaching delaminating paints, which involved studying paint condition, characteristics, and properties. Being reverse painted, paint consolidation of animation cels adds another layer of complexity to established approaches to paint consolidation. In practice, flaking paint of animation cels is often removed and repainted rather than consolidated. ![]() ![]() Common damage observed on aged cels is cracking, loss of adhesion, dislocations, and losses of the paint. Animation cels are transparent plastic sheets inked on the front and painted on the reverse. A collaborative research project between the Getty Conservation Institute and the Walt Disney Animation Research Library investigated storage and conservation treatment strategies for animation cels.
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