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Cells
Glossaries
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cells | Cels (or cells), known as animation cels or acetate sheets, are transparent plastic sheets used in traditional animation on which characters and moving elements are drawn and painted. Each sheet represents a single frame of the animation and is layered over a fixed painted background, allowing movement to be created without having to redraw the static elements of the scene each time. This technique, developed in the early twentieth century, revolutionised the animation industry by making it economically viable. What it's for / why it's importantAcetate sheets represented the heart of animated production for decades, allowing the separation of moving elements from fixed ones and thus optimising production time and costs. Their transparency enables the layering of multiple levels of animation, creating visual depth and complexity without having to redraw the entire scene for each frame. This technique made possible the production of animated feature films and television series, transforming animation from an experimental curiosity into a global industry. Even in the digital age, understanding the logic of cels remains fundamental for those working with 2D animation software. When it's used / useful contextsPhysical cels were primarily used in traditional animation studios, from major studios like Disney, Warner Bros and Hanna-Barbera to Japanese anime studios. Today the use of physical acetates has essentially disappeared, replaced by digital animation, but the principle of "layers" in modern software derives directly from this technique. Original cels have become highly sought-after collector's items, tangible testimonies to animation history. In educational settings and certain niche artistic contexts, the traditional cel technique is still practised to understand the fundamentals of frame-by-frame animation. Practical exampleIn a classic Disney cartoon such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), each scene was composed of various layered elements: the painted background depicting the forest remained fixed, whilst on separate acetate sheets the moving protagonist, the animals surrounding her and any special effects such as dust or sparkles were drawn. For a scene lasting just a few seconds, dozens of overlaid cels might be necessary, each photographed in sequence by the multiplane camera to create the illusion of three-dimensional movement. Extra insightThe production of a traditional animated feature film required tens of thousands of cels: it's estimated that "The Lion King" (1994), one of the last Disney masterpieces created primarily with traditional technique, used over 1,100 hand-painted backgrounds and more than 119,000 individual cels. Each sheet had to be cleaned meticulously to avoid dust or fingerprints that would be visible during filming. Animators developed genuine repetitive strain injuries from the repetitive nature of the work, and studio air was often saturated with fumes from the solvents used to clean the acetates. It's hardly surprising that the industry embraced the digital revolution of the Nineties with such enthusiasm. |
