Steven Spielberg Donates Classic Animation Art Collection To The Academy’s Archives

Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw have donated a collection of 157 hand-inked-and-painted animation cels to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has in turn renamed the Margaret Herrick Library’s Graphic Arts Department as the Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw Graphic Arts Department.

The Academy has also acquired a collection of home movies from Frank Thomas, one of Disney’s Nine Old Men. The videos were shot during the 1950s-1960s, and were gifted by Thomas’ son Theodore Thomas. Other newly-acquired animation-related items are puppets of Adelina Fortnight, Lionel Frost, and Mr. Link from Laika’s Missing Link and a maquette of Jessie from Toy Story 2 (gifted by co-director Ash Brannon).

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts operates the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Margaret Herrick Library, and Academy Film Archive, leaders in the fields of conservation, preservation, and exhibition of film-related objects and materials.

Featuring pieces dated between 1931 and 1952, the Steven Spielberg Animation Collection’s 157 pieces include cels and setups from films including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Pinocchio (1940), and animation setups and cels featuring characters such as Goofy, Pluto, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, and Woody Woodpecker.

The newly renamed Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw Graphic Arts Department houses the Academy’s posters and production art collection, including animation artwork, production and costume design drawings, storyboards, and other design works. The department was established in 1998, and its production art collections, acquired from designers, private collectors, and professional organizations, document more than 80 years of motion picture design.

“We are thrilled and honored to expand the Academy’s collection with these exceptional pieces,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer. “To be housed at our archive, library, and museum, these vital components of the filmmaking process highlight the collaborative disciplines that develop and produce the movies we love. They also demonstrate the Academy’s unique capacity to preserve the full range of film history formats. We are incredibly grateful to our donors for their remarkable gifts to the Academy and for their commitment to illuminating our film history.”

Other recent donations made to the Academy include key pieces from best picture Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) and personal collections of Gregg Araki, Gale Anne Hurd, and Harold Ramis.

Components of the Academy’s collection can be accessed by the public through exhibitions, public programming, and film screenings at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures; the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library reference and research collection; the Academy Film Archive access center; and online.