Life Lesson: If you ever get work at an animation studio, SAVE EVERYTHING!!

[brendala]

I have a distant relative named Ruth who used to work as an "Ink and Paint Girl" at Disney. Her first professional art job was painting the cels for Snow White! Needless to say, I love talking to her at family reunions and our last conversation went something like this...

-Me: "I take it you didn't save any of those cels?"
-Ruth: "Oh God no! We were so relieved to finally be done with that production that we threw the damn things on the floor and slid around on them!"
-Me: "Bet you regret that now, huh?"
-Ruth: *sigh* "I wish I had known that people would actually be interested in collecting them someday. If I had just saved one I'd be set for life!"
-Me: "If I ever get work at an animation studio, I'm taking everything that isn't nailed down!"
-Ruth: *giggle* "That's right! Learn from my mistake, bubbeleh!"

Comments

[brendala.livejournal.com]

According to Ruth, back then animation was seen as disposable entertainment. And the idea of anyone collecting things like cels (and paying an arm and a leg for them!!) never occurred to anyone working there.
Also, the cels are rare mainly because very few Ink&Paint people felt sentimental enough to keep them. The production process for Snow White was pretty stressful and cel painting was monotonous and boring (especially for women like Ruth who were used to doing more elaborate, fine art paintings). Most of the Ink&Paint girls entertained themselves and vented their frustrations by finding creative ways to destroy the cels!


Next time my parents tell me I have too much old junk, I'll tell them about your mother's Beatles records! ^_^