How collectible are cels with production backgrounds?
Technically called a “setup,” this category is considered the most desirable and collectible form of production animation artwork. Very few studios make available production cels with production backgrounds. There may be as many as 1500 individual production cels for each minute of finished film, but only 10 to 25 production backgrounds for the same minute of film. Most production cels on the market are laid over a photographic reproduction of the original background, which has little or no bearing on the current or future value of the artwork. When genuine production setups are available, it is an opportunity to add the rarest, (and by most collector’s standards) the most desirable category of animation art.
