DALLAS, TX.- Heritage Auctions celebrated four decades of Studio Ghibli in spectacular style as its March 22-24 Art of Anime: Vol. VI Signature® Auction soared to $1.491 million. With more than 3,600 bidders competing over three days and 1,200-plus lots, the sold-out event marked a historic moment: The largest offering of Japanese animation art ever presented in a Western auction — and the first in the popular Heritage series to focus almost exclusively on anime.

Leading the charge was an electrifying lineup of Studio Ghibli masterpieces, headlined by a rare production cel of the elusive “Senior Witch” from Kiki’s Delivery Service, which cast a spell at $48,000 — one of the highest totals ever realized for the 1989 film. Another Kiki standout, a charming Key Master setup of the title character peering into a brick oven, fired up at $16,000. Beloved Ghibli titles like Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso and Grave of the Fireflies excelled over the course of the event, and not surprisingly, a significant production cel featuring the beloved Catbus from the final moments of My Neighbor Totoro trundled away for $13,000.

“This was not only a celebration of Studio Ghibli’s 40th anniversary,” says Jim Lentz, Heritage’s Vice President and Director of Animation & Anime Art, “but also a landmark moment for anime art collecting. The depth, the bidding, the results — they speak volumes about the passion and growing global market for this category.”

Beyond Ghibli, the auction was packed with legendary titles that flexed their muscle across the bidding floor. Berserk claimed the highest price in the sale with a staggering $85,000 for a harmony cel setup created by master art director Shichiro Kobayashi. The cel, an atmospheric piece originally created for a home video release, stands as one of the most important Berserk artworks ever sold at auction — a fitting tribute to the late Kentaro Miura’s dark fantasy epic.

Akira, the cyberpunk juggernaut that helped bring anime into global consciousness, made a bold showing with two rare production backgrounds of Neo-Tokyo’s dystopian skyline, which sold for $11,000 and $8,500. Macross fans powered fierce bidding on original concept art, including Shoji Kawamori’s VF-1J Valkyrie ($18,000) and Haruhiko Mikimoto’s character concept of protagonist Hikaru Ichijyo ($11,000).

Dragon Ball Z was in full Super Saiyan mode with a powerful pan production cel of Gohan in his climactic showdown with Cell, which hammered at $11,000. Other Dragon Ball works included a dynamic set of Dragon Ball GT drawings reaching $4,500, while a shikishi illustration of Spike Spiegel by Cowboy Bebop animation director Hiroki Kanno charmed its way to $4,400.

Fan-favorite franchises showed up strong across the board: Ghost in the Shell ($6,000), Neon Genesis Evangelion ($6,000), Pokémon($6,750) and again, Cowboy Bebop ($5,500) all landed top-tier results. And while anime took center stage, a few cult Western classics made cameo appearances — like a cel from Heavy Metal’s iconic “Taarna” segment, which sliced its way to $6,500, and an original production piece from the surreal French-directed sci-fi gem Fantastic Planet, which fetched $3,400.

“With each installment of The Art of Anime, we’re seeing more collectors, stronger bidding and a deeper appreciation for the craft behind these works,” says Lentz. “Vol. VI was a major leap forward — not just for Heritage, but for anime art collecting as a whole.”