Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the United States in November 1999 through Warner Bros., following its earlier release in Japan by Toho. Produced under the banners of Nintendo and Shogakukan, the film capitalized on the height of Pokémon fever sweeping American children's culture, pairing the theatrical debut of Mewtwo Strikes Back with the short Pikachu's Vacation. It marked one of the first major theatrical crossovers of a video game and trading card phenomenon into mainstream cinema, cementing the franchise's cultural footprint for a generation of collectors.
This cell draws from the reel bearing the name Team Rocket & Mew, placing it within the film's broader tapestry of comic and mythic intersections. Mew, the rare and ancestral Pokémon whose genetic material forms the basis of Mewtwo, remains one of the most sought-after figures in the franchise's history, prized for scarcity in both game and screen appearances. A frame pairing Mew's presence with Team Rocket's involvement speaks to the lighter, mischief-laced threads woven through the film's darker central narrative, a moment where whimsy brushes against the story's larger stakes.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds one frame.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punching appears clean with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track analog stripe.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image shows rich, saturated colour with no visible fading.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the single frame shows content consistent with an animated theatrical release matching Pokémon: The First Movie on record.
Era check
A single variable-area optical track alongside a 35mm colour positive frame is consistent with a 1999–1999 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
