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FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, following its 1998 Japanese debut from Toho. Built on the anime series that had become a cultural phenomenon, the film introduced a generation of young audiences to the franchise's mythology on the big screen, pairing the Mewtwo origin story with a short Pikachu cartoon. Its box office success cemented Pokémon as a lasting cinematic property and marked one of the earliest instances of a video game and television property translating into a genuine theatrical event.
This 35mm cell centers on Mew, the rare and elusive Pokémon whose genetic material forms the basis for Mewtwo's creation, making it central to the film's founding premise. Mew carries particular weight among collectors as the species tied to the mythos of origin and rarity within the Pokémon world itself, a fitting echo for physical film memorabilia. A cell bearing this name preserves a piece of the movie tied directly to its central mystery, a keepsake for those drawn to the character's singular, near-mythical status within the franchise.
