National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Released in 1999, Pokémon: The First Movie arrived at the height of a global phenomenon that had swept through television, trading cards, and video games. For a generation of young fans, it marked the franchise's leap onto the big screen, and its theatrical trailer served as an early glimpse that fueled enormous anticipation. Seen today, it captures a specific cultural moment, when animation from Japan was reaching mainstream audiences worldwide and becoming a shared touchstone for millions of children and families.

This particular cell features 150 and 151, two of the series' most iconic subjects, forever linked to the film's central story. Holding an actual frame of 35mm film from that era is a tangible connection to how movies once reached audiences, before digital projection became the norm, making it a genuinely personal piece of animation history.