Movie posters, film cels and illustrations of iconic anime characters ¡ª from Studio Ghibli¡¯s Totoro to Doraemon ¡ª went on sale Wednesday as Christie¡¯s auction house aims to broaden its Japan art offerings with its first anime-focused online auction.
A Sailor Moon illustration was expected to fetch up to $7,000, a vintage Godzilla poster was estimated to reach $30,000 and a single film cel of a Doraemon show featuring the iconic character in a tatami-floored room surrounded by toys was estimated to nab up to $2,500.
Prior to digital animation advances, animators would painstakingly hand-paint plastic cells in order to bring characters to life on stationary backgrounds for the silver screen. These were often discarded afterward, but surviving cels of iconic works have dramatically shot up in value and are increasingly making their way into the art world. The value of movie memorabilia, including film posters, has also skyrocketed.
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