Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived from Warner Bros. and Nintendo/4Kids in November 1999, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept American theaters and playgrounds alike. Adapting the Japanese anime's Mewtwo Strikes Back into a feature event, it introduced a generation to the franchise on the big screen, pairing the cartoon's television roots with theatrical ambition. Its box office success proved that the pocket monster phenomenon could carry a full length film, cementing Pokémon's place in late nineties pop culture and setting the template for the animated movie tie ins that followed throughout the franchise's history.
This cell preserves a strip from the film built around Team Rocket, the recurring trio whose schemes and comic timing became a signature element of the Pokémon universe. Their presence in a 35mm cut is a natural draw for collectors, since the group's antics offered comic relief within the movie's darker Mewtwo storyline. A piece named for them speaks to that thread of the film rather than the main narrative, giving admirers of the group's persistent, scheming energy a physical artifact tied directly to their screen time in this particular release.
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 edges; the strip holds one frame fully visible with partial frames above and below.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even; perforation edges appear cleanly punched with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at the resolution provided; no legible key numbers or manufacturer text can be read.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image shows saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the single main frame shows consecutive animated content consistent with a release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999/1999).
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, saturated colour dye image, and cool-neutral base are all consistent with a 35mm 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
