cel

American  

[sel] / sɛl /

Or cell

noun

1. a transparent celluloid sheet on which a character, scene, etc., is drawn or painted and which constitutes one frame in the filming of an animated cartoon: may be overlapped for change of background or foreground.

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cel British  

/ sɛl /

noun

1. short for celluloid celluloid

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Etymology

Origin of cel

By shortening of celluloid

Example Sentences

When a film cel from “Snow White” was acquired by the Met in 1938, Disney was seen as a pioneer, an innovator, even a modernist.

From Washington Post • Jan. 6, 2022

One could, of course, argue that the cel itself—a tracing of the animators’ drawings on a sheet of plastic—was but a mere simulacrum of the original work on paper.

From Slate • Dec. 13, 2021

It’s perfectly fine though also, perhaps, pointless, if not a slap in the face of the glory that was 2-D cel animation.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2019

It’s understandable that Miyazaki might find sources of inspiration harder to come by as he ages, or doubt his stamina for the gruelling work that goes into cel animation.

From The Guardian • Aug. 16, 2017

En cel an qu’ai dist or endroit, Et ne sait a tort ou a droit, Furent li Templiers, sans doutance, Tous pris par le royaume de France.

From The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the Temple by Addison, Charles G.