Original Japanese animation, Chibi-neko! ゲーム・おもちゃ・グッズ-キャラクターグッズ-セル画

Produced at Mushi Production, this is an original piece of key animation artwork that was actually used in the theatrical animated feature film. Of course, it is hand-drawn.
This valuable item was obtained directly from an animator who worked on the animation production of the theatrical film The Star of Cottonland. In the past, animation was created by stacking cels over each individual key drawing drawn by key animators, coloring them with special paints, and then photographing each frame one by one, connecting them together (while editing) to complete the animation film.
In that sense, key drawings can be considered the very foundation of animation.
(This method is no longer used today, as animation production has become digital.) The number visible at the upper right of the second photo is the sequential frame number for the in-between animation. [Rare Anime Goods – Bonus Item] #綿の国星