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HEAVY METAL THE MOTION PICTURE: TAARNA Pre-production cel

Artists: J.S. Goert (Layouts) , Christian B�nard (Finisher) , Jean Giraud (Writer) , Moebius (Writer)

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HEAVY METAL THE MOTION PICTURE: TAARNA Pre-production cel Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	HEAVY METAL THE MOTION PICTURE: TAARNA Pre-production cel
Artist:	J.S. Goert (Layouts)
Artist:	Christian B�nard (Finisher)
Artist:	Jean Giraud (Writer)
Artist:	Moebius (Writer)
Media Type:	Paint - Acrylic
Art Type:	Animation
For Sale Status:	1000
Views:	121
Likes on CAF:	0 1
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	5/23/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

HEAVY METAL: THE MOTION PICTURE

"TAARNA"

Based on Arzach by Jean Giraud aka Moebius

Designed by Chris Achilléos

Created and written by Len Blum and Daniel Goldberg

Directed by Pino van Lamsweerde

Full pre-production test cel set-up of multiple cels and painted backgrounds.

8.75x11.75" in 16x12" matte

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Heavy Metal, The Motion Picture was adapted from the pages of Heavy Metal magazine and Metal Hurlant and featured adapted animations of strips by Richard Corben, Bernie Wrightson, and everybody's favorite, Moebius (aka Jean Giraud). Taarna was the character featured on the film poster, and this multiple cel set-up is the perfect representative of the entire film, as the Moebius influenced femme fatale takes flight on her winged reptile into an epic battle. Key-set ups like this very rarely enter the resale market. This was purchased at the original gallery exhibition of animation cels from the film release back in 1981, and comes with the C.o.A. that came with it.

While not credited on this sequence, Jean Giraud was initially involved until disagreements about the script caused him to walk away and deny usage of his Arzach characters –leading Len Blum and Daniel Goldberg to create Taarna, which Chris Achilléos designed in the Moebius style. This is a pre-production set-up. The cels have matching references keys, and the hand-painted background is a set of two painted background, one of which is affixed to its own cel.

In all my years of dealing in animation cels and comic art, I've never come across another one of these.

Style guides and test cels are composed by art directors and lead animators only.

This test-cel was created for the Taarna segment which was adapted from Moebius' Arzach, and would have been requested by film directors Gerald Potterton and John Bruno from the lead animators because this segment isn't rotoscoped.

There are several art directors credited for the Taarna segment, so the various elements may include contributions from Chris Acheleos, Mike Ploog, and Howard Chaykin (reference painters), Brent Boates, Charles White, George Ungar, Alex Tavoularis, and J.S. Goert (lead character designers), and Christian Bénard (from Studio Moebius, who would have drafted early gengas and even possibly painted test cels). All are award-winning artists in their own right.

The individual cels that followed would have been produced by junior animators at Atkinson Production Studios based on the continuity illustrations of Hank Tucker, Sherman Labby, Jeffrey Gastrall, and John Dorman.

Since there are very few animations based on Moebius' comics, production art connected to those that were produced within his lifetime (like Heavy Metal) are in great demand and luckily much more affordable than his published illustrations. Taarna was easily the most popular segment in Heavy Metal the Motion Picture and cels from the Taarna segment are both more valuable and higher in demand than any of the other segments but still present an affordable lateral option for Moebius fans and collectors.

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About the Owner

	Matt Kennedy ( 1 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	September 2014
Last Login:	September 2025
Website:	http://www.popsequentialism.com
Country:	UNITED STATES
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