In general MOST US animation is gonna be that 
expensive---US studios simply don't release their 
cels in large numbers (if at all!).

As far as I know, most of the cels being 
circulated nowadays were all sold via Disney's own 
galleries or through a select few partner 
galleries.  So everything you see on the secondary 
market was already marked up by Disney the first 
time they were sold.

I was a BIG Gargoyles fan when it first aired, and 
I pawed many a production cel at the store in 
Disney/MGM Studios in Florida.  I was a starving 
student at the time, so I couldn't afford them 
back then.

Unfortunately, the series was soon cancelled, and 
I realized I better buy some cels before the news 
got too widespread.  Too late.  :-(  The store was 
nearly cleaned-out, and now I've heard rumors that 
Disney is shutting down almost all of it's retail 
cel operations and putting the cels back into 
storage.  Don't ask me why....

JP