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 4Kids brought the Japanese phenomenon to American theaters, riding the crest of Pokémania at its commercial peak. Adapted from the anime feature Mewtwo Strikes Back, it introduced U.S. audiences to the franchise's mythology of cloning and origin, pairing the theatrical release with the short Pikachu's Vacation. The film became a box office success and a cultural marker of the era, cementing Pokémon's transition from handheld game to global media franchise and setting the template for future theatrical entries.
This cell centers on Mew, the elusive progenitor Pokémon whose genetic material births Mewtwo and sets the film's plot in motion. Mew appears sparingly onscreen, which makes any surviving frame of the character desirable to collectors tracing the mythological thread of the story. As a legendary figure tied to the franchise's foundational lore, Mew carries symbolic weight beyond its brief screen time, representing origin, wonder, and the mystery at the heart of the Pokémon universe.
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; edges of the perforation holes appear cleanly punched with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area lines; a thin coloured line consistent with a Dolby SR or analogue stereo pilot tone stripe is also visible immediately above the optical track area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base transmits with a violet-purple cast consistent with a dye-transfer or colour-print image; the dye image appears saturated with no obvious fading.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; a single frame is shown; the character depicted is consistent with the Pokémon franchise and the film on record.
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, 35mm four-perforation format, and colour print stock are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching the 1999–1999 release window 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, 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
