Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999 from Warner Bros., released as Nintendo's franchise crested its first great wave of popularity in the United States. Adapted and expanded from the Japanese original, it introduced Mewtwo's origin story to Western audiences and became the highest-grossing anime film in the U.S. at the time. For a generation of collectors, it marks the moment Pokémon shifted from television phenomenon to full cinematic event, cementing characters and mythology that would anchor the franchise for decades.
This cell pairs Mew, the rare and near-mythical Pokémon whose scarcity drives the film's plot and much of the franchise's collecting culture, with Meowth, the talking, scheming member of Team Rocket beloved for comic relief across the series. A frame naming both together points to one of the picture's more memorable convergences, where the legendary and the mischievous share the same footage. For collectors, this pairing is desirable precisely because it bridges two very different audiences: those chasing Mew's rarity and those devoted to Team Rocket's antics.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds one full frame with partial frames above and below, showing four perforations per frame on both edges.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even; edges of the perforations appear cleanly punched with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track waveform.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at the resolution shown; no legible key numbers or manufacturer text can be read.
Base & colour
The base appears neutral to very slightly warm; the dye image shows saturated colour with deep blacks and no visible fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the frames appear to run consecutively as a single continuous shot; the animated characters and colour palette are consistent with the film on record.
Era check
A single variable-area optical track alongside a colour positive print on what appears to be a neutral safety base is consistent with a 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
