What are Original Production Cels?
Original production cels are one of a kind pieces of original production art that was actually used in the making of the animated show. A series of cels are photographed in sequential order creating the illusion of movement. While some cels from a sequence may look similar, each cel is unique. Cels are hand-painted by overseas studios on clear acetat that are either 12-field size (10.5 x 12.5 inches) or 16-field size (16.5 x 13.5 inches). The majority of animated shows and movies are now digital which means that the only production element available are drawings. Some shows were originally done on cel, but have moved to the digital process like The Simpsons which went digital beginning with Season 14. Other shows like Family Guy and Futurama have been digital from the beginning and have never had cels available from the show unless it was a specially created one of one or limited edition. The term cel is derived from the word “celluloid” an early form of the material used in the animat
