Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in November 1999 from Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of a cultural wave that had swept from Japan into American living rooms and playgrounds within a single year. Adapted and reworked for Western audiences, it introduced Mewtwo and a story built on themes of identity and loss, wrapped inside a franchise built for mass merchandising. For many young viewers it was a first theatrical experience tied to characters they already loved from television and trading cards, and its box office success proved that the Pokémon phenomenon had staying power well beyond a passing fad.
This cell centers on Pikachu, the franchise's defining figure and the character most responsible for its worldwide recognition, in a moment the film marks plainly as sorrow. Emotional beats for Pikachu are rare and significant, since the character usually anchors comic relief and warmth rather than grief, making a crying moment a meaningful departure that speaks to the film's larger themes of loss and connection. For collectors, 35mm cells from a single defining character moment like this hold particular appeal, offering a tangible link to a scene that reflects the emotional weight the studio placed on its most beloved mascot.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both visible edges; the strip holds one frame.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even; edges of the perforations appear cleanly punched with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern consistent with an analog stereo optical track; a narrow blue-tinted line runs immediately adjacent to the picture, consistent with a Dolby SR or similar analog optical format.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; the dye image shows strong yellow and orange saturation consistent with a color release print in good dye condition.
Projection history
Faint vertical lines are visible through the picture area, consistent with light projection wear; no splices or cue marks are visible.
Picture
Positive color image; a single frame is visible and the image is consistent with animated content from the film on record.
Era check
The dual bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, color positive base, and 35mm four-perforation format are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s.
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
