Though the Star Wars animated ventures have enjoyed a modest life on video since their mid-80's heyday, the series by-and-large has been on the back-burner of most collectors' agendas. But with animation headlining the schedule of Star Wars events these days, many collectors are finding renewed interest in the obscure lines produced for the short-lived series. One of the chief appeals of these sideline collectibles is the fact that they represent a vastly unexplored territory within the hobby, with new discoveries being made regularly. From an obscure French Droids press kit to a variation in the hyphenated name of a Kenner pack-in coin, collectors are finding the field of Star Wars animation collectibles as nuanced and layered as some of the hobby's most active categories.
Before discussing the merchandising of Star Wars animation, though, mention should be made of the collectibility of the source material itself -- the artwork. Animation art has become an extremely hot market in recent decades, with toon enthusiasts recognizing the pop-art appeal and historical significance of vintage and contemporary properties alike. In the case of Star Wars animation, aesthetics and history are merely a starting point for determining the perceived value of a piece to a Star Wars collector.
Scarcity has become the overwhelming factor in evaluating pieces used in the original Star Wars Holiday Special short, since much of the artwork was reportedly lost or destroyed (although a generous quantity of original cels from the special were recently unearthed in the Lucasfilm Archives). Also, a few years ago, members of the Star Wars Fan Club were sent random cels from the Ewoks and Droids series, so much of the original artwork now happily resides in the relative safety of private collections.
When selecting various pieces of artwork from these series, collectors seem to follow some general trends unique to the Star Wars collecting hobby. For example, characters and vehicles drawn from the classic film trilogy tend to be the most desirable, of which several appeared in the series: Boba Fett, IG-88, stormtroopers, Star Destroyer, A-wing, TIE Fighter, Wicket, Max Rebo Band, and of course R2-D2 and C-3PO. There appears to be a recent devotion toward the secondary characters based on the esteem of its action figure counterpart -- for example, the Vlix character from Droids owes his heightened popularity among animation collectors to the simple fact that his action figure is one of the most hotly sought-after vintage line collectibles (more on him later).
Finally, a cel's value can be greatly enhanced by the background it is coupled with. Since there is typically only one background produced for every 30 or more cels in the animation process, securing a cel with its original background is quite a plus. Acquiring the original line drawing from which the cel was derived is also desirable, since it exhibits a bit of the designing skill behind the art.
