The New York Times covers a major initiative between the Disney Animation Research Library and the Getty Conservation Institute to preserve some of the studio’s oldest animation artwork, many of which are deteriorating. Tiny samples from animation cels will be exposed to a battery of lab tests to simulate long-term exposure to conditions like extreme temperatures, light, moisture, and air. It is expected that the results will be useful to conservators attempting to preserve 20th century sculptures involving plastics in addition to long-term preservation efforts of vintage animation. The article also notes that a four-hour documentary about Walt Disney is due to air on public television.

UPDATED May 11, 2015: Disney has sent over a full press release about this initiative, which is included below.

THE WALT DISNEY ANIMATION RESEARCH LIBRARY AND GETTY CONSERVATION INSTITUTE ANNOUNCE SECOND PHASE OF ANIMATION CEL CONSERVATION PROJECT

The four-year project will focus on optimal storage conditions and re-attaching flaked and delaminated paints on Disney animation cels

LOS ANGELES – The Walt Disney Animation Research Library (ARL) and the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) announced today the second phase of their ongoing collaborative research into the conservation of Disney animation cels. Over the course of a four-year project, scientists and conservators from the ARL and the GCI will investigate optimal storage conditions for cels, as well as strategies for re-attaching flaked and delaminated paints to the plastic surface. The continued research is made possible by a generous contribution from The Walt Disney Company, as well as funds provided by the GCI.

The joint effort has been at the center of the GCI’s Preservation of Plastics projects, one of the key components of its long-term Modern and Contemporary Art Research Initiative.

“The findings of this ongoing collaboration will create a path toward significantly extending the life of this hugely important collection of animation cels” says Tim Whalen, director of the Getty Conservation Institute. “This project also offers the Walt Disney Animation Research Library a more complete understanding of their collection and simultaneously expands our knowledge of a complex material that is a challenge to conservators worldwide.”

The ARL and GCI began their collaboration 2009, when the ARL provided access to over 200,000 cels from the 1920s to 1989 in their climate-controlled facility in Glendale, CA. Researchers analyzed and differentiated three types of plastic used to produce animation cels – cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, and Mylar (polyester). They also assessed the condition of sample cels, and observed yellowing, warping, cracking, shrinking, and delamination of paint, and in some cases were able to correlate the extent of deterioration with the specific composition of the cels.

To tackle these conservation concerns, scientists and conservators will determine optimum storage conditions for cels, considered the most important factor in the overall strategy for preserving the collection. While there is much research regarding the best storage conditions for plastics, the conditions need to be tested on the paints used on cels, and most importantly, on the combination of plastics and paint. This research will be aided by the ARL’s well-documented and standardized library of paint formulas that have been used for several decades. Cels will also be separated according to plastic type in order to prevent additional damage.

Another component of the project will be to explore re-attachment of paint to the cels. Various procedures will continue to be evaluated and best practices established for future conservation work.

“Not only are we determining ways to preserve these cels for future generations, but the research has broad and relevant applications to all kinds of works of art made with plastic,” says Tom Learner, Head of Science at the Getty Conservation Institute. “These very same plastics were used by sculptors and designers working in the same period, and this in-depth study will help the field develop improved conservation strategies for all these cultural objects.”

The collaboration has been led by Michael Schilling, senior scientist at the GCI, and Kristen McCormick, Art Collections and Exhibitions Manager at the ARL. Continued work will be performed not only by outside professionals, but several in-house GCI staff. The spirit of cooperation and lending of expertise can serve as models for future partnerships in plastics conservation.

“We hope that knowledge gained by this research will inspire other collaborations that lead to advances in storage conditions and conservation treatments,” says McCormick. “Who could fault us for dreaming of a world in which characters like Snow White, beautifully rendered in animation cels, live happily ever after?”

Information about the cel conservation project can be viewed here

Information about the Walt Disney Animation Research Library can be viewed here
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The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that includes the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Foundation. The J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs serve a varied audience from two locations: the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Malibu.

The Getty Conservation Institute works internationally to advance conservation practice in the visual arts—broadly interpreted to include objects, collections, architecture, and sites. The Institute serves the conservation community through scientific research, education and training, model field projects, and the dissemination of the results of both its own work and the work of others in the field. In all its endeavors, the GCI focuses on the creation and delivery of knowledge that will benefit the professional conservation community through scientific research, education and training, model field projects, and the dissemination of the results of both its own work and the work of others in the field. In all its endeavors, the GCI focuses on the creation and delivery of knowledge that will benefit the professionals and organizations responsible for the conservation of the world’s cultural heritage.