Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's bid to turn a television phenomenon into a theatrical event, pairing the Mewtwo Strikes Back feature with the Pichu-centric short Pikachu's Vacation. It became a box office success that cemented Pokémon's foothold in American pop culture and introduced a generation of collectors to the franchise's cinematic ambitions. Its soundtrack and promotional materials, including the Ancient Mew card given to early ticket buyers, remain sought after decades later.
This cell centers on Mew, the rare and elusive Pokémon whose mythology anchors the film's opening. The Ancient Mew designation points to the hieroglyphic prologue sequence, a passage rendered in an invented pictographic language accompanying the film's promotional card. Collectors prize this material for its tie to that giveaway and for Mew's status as a foundational, mysterious figure in the series. A 35mm cell from this segment preserves a rare theatrical fragment of that opening's design.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds one frame.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean with no torn or missing perfs visible.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks are visible below the frame, consistent with a stereo optical print; a thin blue line separates the picture area from the tracks.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base shows a warm amber-gold cast across the image area; the surrounding clear rebate appears slightly cool, suggesting a colour dye image with some warm shift.
Projection history
Vertical streaking lines run through the image area, consistent with projection wear or emulsion abrasion on a used print.
Picture
Positive colour image; a single frame is present and the warm-toned pictorial content is consistent with an animated theatrical release print.
Era check
Dual variable-area optical tracks and a 35mm positive colour print format are consistent with a 1999 North American theatrical release print of this title.
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, 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.
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
