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's bid to translate a global gaming and television phenomenon onto the big screen. Produced with 4Kids Entertainment and OLM, it introduced Mewtwo's origin story to American audiences and became one of the highest grossing anime releases of its time, cementing Pokémon's place in Western pop culture well beyond the trading card aisle.
This cell carries the Ancient Mew Fossil, a name that points to the mythic groundwork laid before Mewtwo's creation, the fossilized trace of Mew itself as the progenitor species behind the film's central conflict. Frames touching on this imagery hold appeal for collectors chasing the mythology angle of the franchise, the quieter lore-building moments rather than the battle sequences. As a 35mm survivor from the film's theatrical run, it represents a physical fragment of that original release print, tied directly to the movie's founding legend.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie, with significant dye fading present
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds one frame in the main image area
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punching appears clean with rounded rectangular shape consistent with KS-type perforations
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single bilateral variable-area stripe
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers
Base & colour
Base shows a warm amber-to-brown cast across the image area; the dye image appears heavily shifted toward yellow-orange, consistent with significant dye fading
Projection history
Vertical streaking and mottled surface texture visible across the frame, consistent with a heavily projected print; no splice or cue marks visible in this capture
Picture
Positive image; a single frame is visible and the heavy dye fading makes content confirmation against the film on record difficult at this size
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack and KS-type perforation pattern are consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print, though the degree of dye fading is notable for a print of this era
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
