Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, following the anime's explosive 1998 launch on U.S. television. Adapted from the Japanese feature Mewtwo Strikes Back, it became a cultural flashpoint, drawing families and collectors already swept up in Pokémon mania. Its box office success cemented the franchise's crossover from card game and cartoon into full cinematic merchandise, marking the moment Pokémon became a genuine mainstream event rather than a niche fad.
This 35MM cell carries only the designation of the feature itself, making it a title strip from the film's identity rather than a scene from its story. Such cells are prized by collectors precisely because they anchor a reel to the release as a whole, serving as the physical marker of the film's opening or closing credits sequence. Without named characters or a specific moment to draw from, this piece represents the movie's presence as an object: a fragment of the print that introduced or closed the era-defining picture for millions of first-run viewers.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
Tap to enlarge
