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 Nintendo brought the phenomenon to American theaters, pairing the Mewtwo Strikes Back feature with the short Pikachu's Vacation. It was a cultural event as much as a release, riding the peak of Pokémania and introducing millions of young viewers to their first theatrical anime experience. The film's box office success proved the franchise could sustain feature-length storytelling beyond the games and television series, cementing its place in animation history.
This cell relates to the Ancient Mew sequence, tied to the special promotional card distributed with early theater admissions, one of the most sought pieces of Pokémon collectible history. The moment carries a mythic, origin-story weight within the film, framing the deeper lore around Mew as the progenitor species behind the plot's genetic experiments. For collectors, this segment bridges cinema and the trading card phenomenon, making it a crossover artifact prized by both film archivists and card collectors alike, a tangible piece of the franchise's expansion beyond the screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of POKEMON: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds one frame in the picture area.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even; perforation edges appear cleanly punched with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, showing two wavy white lines consistent with a dual bilateral or stereo variable-area optical track; a blue or violet line runs above it suggesting a Dolby SR or similar encoded optical stripe.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-to-golden tint across the frame area, with the surrounding rebate appearing near-neutral; the dye image reads as warm-shifted rather than neutral.
Projection history
Vertical streaking lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with projection wear or emulsion abrasion on a projected print.
Picture
Positive image; a single frame is shown; the warm-toned animated frame content is consistent with a theatrical release print of the film on record.
Era check
The dual variable-area optical soundtrack, warm amber base tint, and perforation layout are all consistent with a late-1990s theatrical 35mm release print, matching the 1999 US 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
