Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokemon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. brought the franchise's animated feature debut to American theaters, riding the crest of a merchandising and television phenomenon that had swept through households that year. Produced in Japan and localized for a global audience, it introduced Mewtwo's origin story alongside the established cast, cementing Pokemon as a cinematic property rather than just a card game or Saturday morning cartoon. The film's box office success proved the brand could carry a theatrical run, making this release a genuine touchstone for a generation raised on the series.
This cell centers on Team Rocket, the recurring trio whose scheming and comic misadventures became a signature thread throughout the Pokemon television series and its early films. Jessie, James, and Meowth built a following distinct from the main heroes, prized by collectors for their consistent presence across the franchise's formative years. A 35mm frame bearing their name preserves a physical fragment of that theatrical run, a tangible piece of the print struck for cinema exhibition rather than home video, tying this collectible directly to the moment audiences first saw these characters projected on the big screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds one frame, with four perforations visible on each edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area tracks with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly cool; dye image shows strong, saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; a single consecutive frame is shown, and the animated character style is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
The combination of a bilateral variable-area optical track with apparent Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching the 1999/1999 release period 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
