Studio Ghibli Archive Artifacts Projected to Drive Record Bidding at Propstore’s London Auction

The Animation Art Live Auction by Propstore is scheduled on July 8 and July 9. A complimentary public exhibition at Borough Yards, London, is scheduled from July 2 to July 5.

Studio Ghibli/ Propstore

Propstore’s Animation Art Live Auction will present a meticulously curated collection of authentic Studio Ghibli production cels over two days, July 8 and July 9, featuring global online, absentee, and telephone bidding options. The collections encompass five films throughout nearly a decade of Ghibli's development, from My Neighbor Totoro in 1988 to Princess Mononoke in 1997, featuring hand-painted production backdrops, Key Master backgrounds, background overlays, and the cels themselves. The primary lot is a production cel from Kiki’s Delivery Service, illustrating Kiki at a crucial juncture in the 1989 film as she grapples with the loss of her abilities. The piece is distinguished by its original hand-painted Key Master background and a hand-painted background overlay, a combination deemed rare by the press release, reflecting the layered construction technique utilized by Ghibli during its hand-painted production period. The configuration preserves its original elements, imparting substantial importance beyond the image alone. It has a pre-sale valuation of £6,000 GBP to £12,000 GBP (about $7,620 USD to $15,240 USD).

Studio Ghibli/ Propstore

A production cel from Porco Rosso holds an identical valuation. The 1992 picture is recognized as one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most intimate creations, with Fio cradling a battle-scarred Porco after the film's climactic confrontation. The cel is shown on a hand-painted production background, emphasizing its physical authenticity as a functional artifact from the film's original production rather than a presentation or promotional object.

The Princess Mononoke cel, valued between £3,000 GBP and £6,000 GBP (about $3,810 USD to $7,620 USD), depicts Ashitaka and Moro, the formidable wolf goddess, from Miyazaki’s 1997 masterpiece. The film was the highest-grossing release in Japan that year and occupies a notable position in animation history as one of the final Ghibli blockbusters created mostly with conventional hand-painted cels, coinciding with the studio's shift to digital production. The surviving cel artwork from Princess Mononoke possesses heightened scarcity value, and the lot is displayed on a fine art giclée backdrop. Additional lots comprise a My Neighbor Totoro opening titles cel set on a presentation background, valued between £2,000 GBP and £4,000 GBP (about $2,540 USD to $5,080 USD), and a Pom Poko cel with Bunta on a fine art giclée background, appraised at £1,000 GBP to £2,000 GBP (approximately $1,270 USD to $2,540 USD).