Nickelodeon Movies · Tollin/Robbins Productions · 103 min
Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Good Burger arrived in 1997 as Nickelodeon's first theatrical feature, spun off from the popular "All That" sketch and built around the sunny chaos of Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Paramount released it during a period when kids' television was beginning to test its box office reach, and the film's low budget, fast-food setting, and easy charm made it a lasting favorite among viewers who grew up on the sketch and stuck around for the movie. It remains a touchstone of late-90s youth comedy and a marker of Nickelodeon's early ambitions beyond the small screen.
This cell preserves the opening title card, the frame that announces the film before a single scene unfolds. Title cards hold particular value for collectors because they represent the picture's first handshake with its audience, the moment the name itself becomes part of the viewing experience. For a film so tied to its title, a simple burger joint that becomes the stage for its whole story, this piece stands as a clean entry point into the reel, a physical trace of Good Burger announcing itself before Ed, Dexter, or Mondo Burger even appear.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Good Burger (1997).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, appearing as two waveform lines consistent with a dual bilateral or stereo variable-area format; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are not clearly distinguishable at this size, and no DTS timecode stripe or SDDS outer-edge tracks are visible.
Edge print
Bottom edge reads '386 81' (mirrored as printed); no manufacturer name or SAFETY FILM text is legible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-purple tint along the edges; the dye image in the picture area shows warm reddish tones with no obvious fading or strong colour shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are seen in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to show the same or near-identical frame of a computer-generated anatomical illustration, consistent with a title-sequence or educational insert matching the 1997 release on record.
Era check
The dual variable-area optical soundtrack, warm colour dye image, and blue-tinted polyester base are all consistent with a mid-to-late 1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1997 production date of the film on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
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.
CROWN SERIAL 000062544
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
