"What Is It?"

A little while after the last round of cels was paid off and I was hunting around again for more, I found a couple and asked Leslie for her opinion. She asked if I was in the market for more cels and sent another request to ACME for any more cels they might have found (apparently, they don't even know what they have!).

This one came in an email with a list of others, and was the one above all others in the email that I though "definitely!". Such a close-up with a strong expression. Although she's large in this image, in the movie there are only two frames in total from this shot (this one included) that are decent; all the others are in a form of tweening.

A bright beautiful expression on this one! This cel is a little smaller than all my other cels, but the image is still quite quite large. Under the cut-off line around her elbows, you can see the outlines of her forearms, waist and part of her tail. These are good examples of the extra unseen work that the animator does when drawing. As I once read: To know what the head is doing, you must know what the shoulders are doing; to know what the shoulders are doing, you must know what the torso is doing. Hence they draw more to get her posture right.

This piece cost $1500. Photographic background. Unframed in an ACME cardboard envelope. The authentication seal is on the right, towards the bottom.

"What Would I Give...?"

I almost didn't get this piece, not because I didn't like it, but because I couldn't afford it at the time. It was shown to me at the same time as my second and third pieces, but I could only afford two and I initially chose the other two.

The reason I managed to get this one in the end was because ACME accidentally sent me this one instead of the "Gee, You Must Have Really Been Through Something" cel. By the time they had realised their mistake, sent me the correct one and waited for me to get back from my holiday (they were pretty nice about it) I could feasibly afford this piece. I made a deal with Leslie Combemale to pay it off under a layaway plan (and managed to pay it off well ahead of schedule).

ACME was happy; they didn't have to reacquire the piece. But I must note: This was an exceptional situation. Neither ACME nor ArtInsights are in the habit of sending off pieces of artwork that you haven't bought in the hopes that you will buy it :P

I like this piece because it's another beautiful shot of Ariel, in a tender moment with Eric. Her eyes are full of love and she's actually singing (her mouth is forming the "v" in "give").

This piece cost $1800. It has no background, just a white sheet backing (the original background was a pan background and was sold with another cel at Sotheby's in 1990). Unframed in an ACME cardboard envelope. The authentication seal is in the bottom right-hand corner.

"Gee, You Must Have Really Been Through Something..."

My second/third piece (bought at the same time as the "Look At Ya" cel) which I bought through Leslie Combemale from ArtInsights. When I saw this one, I knew immediately that I wanted it. While waiting for Leslie to get back to me with prices (she showed them to me first to see if I was actually interested) I was losing sleep wondering when she was going to reply (she being approximately 13 hours behind me; and hence is on a completely different timetable) or even IF she had replied as I was lying in bed, trying to sleep.

This is one of my very favourites. It has that tender gazing into the eyes and closeness of the two main characters. The expressions on their faces accurately capture their feelings: concern and helplessness on Eric and Ariel respectively. I've seen other cels from this scene, and none of them have captured the mood as well as this one.

This cost $1800. Both characters are on the same cel. Photographic background (original background was sold at Sotheby's with another cel from this scene in 1990). Unframed in ACME cardboard envelope. The authentication seal is on the right, around the middle.

"Look At Ya!"

This was the second piece that I bought, at the exact same time as my third. It was found by Leslie Combemale from ArtInsights especially for me through her contacts at the ACME Archives. She actually contacted them looking for any Little Mermaid cels still lying around. Of course I had a list of favourites, and of course they've run out of shots from those scenes, bu they did have some beautiful ones I had never thought of before!

It's another nice shot of Ariel with a happy expression. Not the best pose of Scuttle but his gesture captures what he's saying.

This piece cost $2200 and is the most expensive on in my collection to date. It's actually an interesing setup as each component is on a separate cel (4 total): Scuttle, Ariel, Ariel's Reflection and one just for the ripples in the water. Photographic Background (original background was sold at Sotheby's in 1990 with another setup). Currently unframed; came in a cardboard envelope that ACME uses to distribute cels. The authentication seal is on the bottom left.

"You Monster!"

This was my first cel ever. I bought it on eBay in May, 2010. It turns out that I actually purchased from a gallery, Animation Sensations (a.k.a Georgetown Frame Shoppe), who use eBay as a tool for offering some of their products at discounted prices.

It wasn't what I would call a "HAVE to have" moment, but I am happy with it all the same, and feel excited to look at it and have it displayed. It's an excellent moment in the film, one of the few times that Ariel is genuinely full of hatred. It's a full body shot (so head-to-tail; none of the rest of my current collection is like that) with a clear, emotional expression.

It's funny, because soon after I acquired this one I managed to find Leslie Combemale and started talking to her about cels from this film. I mentioned a cel of her cowering under Ursula, which she said was a "Lady in a Muzzle" shot (referencing Lady and the Tramp, a shot undesired by most collectors because it shows their beloved heroine in distress). She then added "But that's not the worst in this movie. There's this one shot of King Triton as a plant creature. That goes beyond a Muzzle shot. That's just... ewww!" My response was to show her this piece XD.

There is a small problem in the framing: apparently the Disney Store used to use a certain type of sticky tape to bind the cel to the background. This tape has been found to pose a threat to the cel over a period of time. As far as I know this hasn't been corrected and so I'll need to get it fixed sooner rather than later!

This piece cost me $1100, not including postage and handling. It was a little annoying, because the seller advertised the item with a $50 postage charge for international postage, and then found out that it was actually $150. They asked me to meet them half-way ($75). I obliged, but reminded them that it was their responsibility to make sure their listing was accurate.

It's on a photographic background with silver Disney Store framing. The authentication seal is in the bottom right-hand corner. Two cels: one for Ariel and one for the Polyp.

Cel Photos

After attempting to discover a better way to get images of the pieces in my collection, I've decided to just take photos of them. The problem, as previously mentioned, is that with a flash part of the cel is obscured and without, the image is too dim.

I don't have access to a lot of secure places to try to get the best ambient lighting I can, so what I have done is taken two pictures: one with a flash and one without. Some cels were taken in a different location, which is why there is some lighting inconsistency.

I will have a separate post for each piece, so that I can explain each better.

Update

Didn't realise I hadn't posted on here in so long!

My passion for collecting cels hasn't dies down at all. In fact I am in the process of acquiring yet another piece for my collection (and possibly even more, if I'm lucky). Still need to take proper pictures of my current collection, but I can't get good pictures of them :(

On the note of expanding my collection, I recently attempted to acquire a very nice cel from a gallery, who had a sneak-peak promotion for their latest pieces. The conditions were that you had to be the first to call up on that particular date at 11am to secure the piece.

I placed a pre-order on the piece and called up at 11am PST to attempt to secure the piece for myself. Unfortunately I was told that the piece had already gone. I was terribly upset. I decided that I would have preferred to have not known about that piece at all, since I know now that it may be many years before it becomes available again.

As for the gallery and their practices (whom I will NOT name to avoid giving any publicity; I will only say that it was NOT ArtInsights, since I have mentioned them previously), I have decided that the practice of sneak-peaking would be from a gallery who cares more about money than their customers' individual needs. If you encounter a gallery like this, don't form a lasting bond with them: you can do better!