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Terms Glossary

Definitions of the animation and production-art terms used throughout the archive.

Cel: Short for celluloid. A cel is a transparent sheet of cellulose acetate (or later polyester) onto which characters, effects, or moving objects were painted or inked by hand for traditional animation. Cels were placed over painted backgrounds and photographed one frame at a time to create movement. Cels are the final painted artwork used in traditional production.
Genga (原画): Genga are the original key animation drawings created by senior animators. These drawings establish important poses, expressions, and timing within a scene and serve as the foundation for all subsequent animation.
Douga (動画): Douga are cleaned-up animation drawings created from the genga. These finalized line drawings are used directly to transfer artwork onto production cels or into the animation pipeline. Douga typically feature consistent linework and precise character proportions.
Layout (レイアウト): A layout is a planning drawing that determines composition, camera angle, character placement, perspective, and background positioning for a shot. Layouts act as the blueprint for both the animation and background artists.
Background (haikei, 背景): A background is the painted scenery over which animation cels are photographed. Backgrounds are typically hand-painted using watercolor, gouache, or acrylic, although later productions may use digital methods. A background paired with the exact cel it was shot with is called a matching background. Backgrounds are usually painted on paper or board in a single, fully rendered piece.
Settei (設定): Production reference material, most commonly character model sheets. Settei define a character's proportions, costume details, props, and expressions from multiple angles so that every animator draws them consistently.
Sakuga (作画): Literally "drawing pictures." In fan usage it refers to moments of especially skilled or elaborate animation, and more broadly to the craft of the drawn animation itself. Sakuga refers to exceptionally high-quality animation, often showcasing impressive movement, expressive acting, or technical artistry. Collectors often use the term to describe memorable scenes animated by renowned artists.
In-between: An in-between drawing fills the motion between two key animation drawings (genga), creating smooth animation. These drawings are typically produced by in-between animators following the timing established by key animators.
Clean-up: A clean-up drawing is a refined version of a rough animation drawing. The artist corrects proportions, line quality, and details while preserving the intended movement before the drawing advances to production.
Timesheet (Exposure Sheet / X-Sheet): A timesheet, often called an X-sheet, is a production document that specifies exactly how animation is photographed. It records frame timing, dialogue synchronization, camera moves, effects, cel layers, and background changes.
Cel layers (A/B/C): A single frame is often built from several stacked cels labelled A, B, C, and so on. Separating a character's body, a moving mouth, or a foreground element onto different layers lets animators re-photograph only the parts that change. Most animation scenes consist of multiple cel layers, with separate transparent sheets containing different characters, effects, or moving elements stacked over a background. Layering allows portions of a scene to move independently.
Cel number: A cel number is the production identifier assigned to an animation cel. Usually written in the corner, it indicates the sequence, scene, and specific cel within the animation process and helps match corresponding drawings and backgrounds.
Trace line: The outline transferred from the douga onto the cel. Early cels were hand-inked with a brush or pen; from the 1970s onward most studios used xerography to photocopy the line directly onto the acetate.
Xerography: A photocopying process adopted by animation studios to transfer pencil drawings onto cels electrostatically, replacing labor-intensive hand inking. Xerographed lines are typically uniform black (and later other colors).
Hand-inked: A cel whose outlines were traced by hand in ink rather than photocopied. Hand-inked cels are characteristic of earlier productions and often show subtle variation in line weight.
Sericel: A cel produced by silk-screen (serigraph) printing rather than used in production. Sericels are limited-edition collectibles created from production artwork; they were never photographed for the film.
Reproduction cel: A cel made after the fact from original artwork, for sale or display, rather than one used to shoot the film. Reproductions can be hand-painted or printed and are distinct from production (screen-used) cels.
Production cel: A production cel is an original cel that was actually used during the creation and filming of an animated television episode, film, commercial, or OVA. Production cels are one-of-a-kind artifacts and are the primary collectible sought by animation art collectors.
Storyboard (ekonte, 絵コンテ): The director's shot-by-shot plan of the episode or film, drawn as small panels with notes on action, dialogue, timing, and camera work. Storyboards establish camera angles, staging, dialogue, pacing, and storytelling.
Line test (pencil test): A rough filmed or scanned test of the pencil drawings, shot before inking and painting, used to check that the motion reads correctly and the timing works.
Registration / peg holes: The punched holes along the edge of drawings and cels that fit over standardized pegs, keeping every layer precisely aligned as it is drawn and photographed.
Pan cel: A pan cel is an unusually wide production cel created for camera pans across a scene. These oversized cels allow continuous movement beyond the dimensions of a standard animation frame.
Correction sheet (shūsei, 修正): A drawing produced by a supervisor or director to correct an animator's work, showing how a pose or drawing should be adjusted. Correction sheets are valued for revealing the guiding hand behind a production.
Cel-ga: A collector's term for a piece of finished cel artwork ("cel picture") — a painted cel presented as artwork, whether original production art or a reproduction.