Disney Animation Cel Research

The Disney Animation Research Library (ARL) is the world's largest archive of animation art, housing approximately sixty-five million pieces of animation art created over a period of more than eighty years by the Walt Disney Animation Studios division. The collection includes original plastic animation cels and backgrounds, as well as conceptual design work, animation drawings, model sheets, layouts, exposure sheets, models, audio and video tapes, reference photographs, and books.

The animation cel collection provides a unique and invaluable source of cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate, two classes of plastic particularly vulnerable to deterioration. While ARL's state-of-the-art storage facilities have extended the life of these materials, the exact aging process depends on various factors, including the composition of the plastics. A number of cels in the archive are already showing typical signs of cellulose plastic deterioration, such as yellowing, warping, and cracking, as well as the visible pulling away of artist's paint from the plastic support.

During the project’s initial phase, the Conservation Institute and Disney ARL studied this collection to better understand the changes that occur in these materials over time and the possible causes of these changes. The aim was to improve ways of preserving not only Disney's animation cels but also any object made from the same types of plastic. Scientists assessed the best methods for the in situ identification and condition monitoring of cels made with cellulose nitrate and acetate, examining their physical and thermal properties in detail.

The second phase of the research involved a four-year effort by scientists and conservators from the ARL and the Conservation Institute to investigate the optimal storage conditions for cels—considered the most important factor in the overall strategy for preserving the collection—as well as the development of strategies for re-attaching flaked and delaminated paints to the plastic surface.

While there is much research regarding the best storage conditions for plastics, the conditions need to be tested on the paints used on cels and, most importantly, on the combination of plastics and paint. This research was aided by the ARL’s well-documented and standardized library of paint formulas that have been used for several decades. Cels were also separated according to plastic type in order to prevent additional damage.

A hands-on workshop was held in December 2017 for five participants from Southern California institutions with Disney animation cels in their collections. The purpose was to educate an initial group of participants on innovative treatments for relaying animation cel paints exhibiting delamination, flaking, or both.

Damage to cel paints can occur within storage boxes by contact with interleaving materials or other cels and by gradual changes in the composition of the plastic sheets through processes that can be mitigated by controlling the storage environment. At a November 2017 meeting, experts in acoustic emission and end users discussed implementation of the technique. As part of the experts meeting, Conservation Institute Senior Scientist Michal Lukomski explained the use of acoustic emission in a pilot study.

Research from the Conservation Institute and ARL partnership has revealed three distinct paint formulations in cels created between 1937 and 1985 by the Walt Disney Animation Studios. Participants practiced paint relaying techniques that take into consideration the unique chemical composition and working properties of Disney cel paints. Specific treatments for cels from each time period were demonstrated.

Participants also learned practical ways of differentiating three common types of plastic sheets, techniques for removing interleaving papers and paints from cels inadvertently adhered to the paints, and methods to relay paints dislocated during storage. Instructors demonstrated documentation techniques developed for a condition survey of ARL-owned cels. The workshop was held at the ARL in a specially constructed, environmentally controlled chamber that included a workbench equipped with lighting, cameras, and mirrors for viewing both sides of the cels during treatment.

Participants will continue to practice these techniques during the remainder of the research project and contribute their findings to the study.