Toon Town's Surgeon General

WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD DUCKS


At death's door, Donald gets his feathers fluffed and his paint refreshed.


Before (left, top)


This cel-a clear plastic sheet, similar to 35mm film-was created in 1966. Stark determined it was starting to lose its acetic acid. This forces the cel to stretch "like a piece of taffy," he says, and as it changes shape, the paint begins to flake off. To repair it, Stark first removed the acid. He next cleaned and polished the cel and chemically sealed it. Then began the painstaking process of matching the paint colors, first by eye and then by confirming them on a computer. For a long time, Disney refused to provide Stark with its proprietary paints, most of which are no longer made. Then one day, about 10 years ago, Stark got the pigment formulas from a former assistant colorer who had worked in one of Disney's labs. He took the formulas to the National Society of Paint and Coatings Technology, where volunteers from the society's retirees club converted them to modern-day paints that match original Disney colors.


After (left, bottom)


If the old paints are rewettable, technicians can work with them. But if they have petrified, as in this case, there's a problem. The old paints were made out of gum arabic. To soften the gum, the technicians add a compound that is essentially table sugar. When fresh, the gum "breathes," absorbing and then releasing moisture from the air. But over time, the sugars crystalize and the paint becomes brittle and cracks. In such cases, the paint is chemically removed and the cel repainted based on Stark's color keys. In addition to Disney, Hanna-Barbera and Warner Brothers have also given Stark their color palettes. "So there isn't much we don't have now," he says.


Less than 2 percent of the 475,000 cels used to make Walt Disney's Snow White exist today. Counterclockwise from top right: Stark cleans the dwarves; opens his trove of rare paints; touches up Snow White; and proudly poses with the result.