Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the fall of 1999, a Warner Bros. release built to capitalize on the franchise's explosive American debut earlier that year. Produced by 4Kids and OLM under Nintendo's supervision, it introduced Mewtwo's origin story to a generation raised on the trading cards and Saturday morning series, becoming one of the highest grossing anime films ever released domestically. Its box office success proved Pokémon was not a passing fad but a cultural fixture, and the film's soundtrack and merchandising tie-ins extended its reach well beyond the theater.
This cell centers on Team Rocket, the trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth whose comic relief and recurring schemes provided the series' emotional counterweight throughout its run. A frame bearing their name reflects their role as fixtures of the franchise even within a film built around darker, more mythic stakes. Collectors seek them out for their instant recognizability and enduring popularity, qualities that make any authentic piece of animation film tied to their appearances desirable regardless of the surrounding scene. As a 35mm artifact, it preserves a physical trace of the theatrical print itself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour positive release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean.
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frame is obscured by the dark exposure.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to slightly cool; dye image shows saturated blues, warm skin tones and deep blacks consistent with a colour release print.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks or cue marks are visible at this size.
Picture
Positive colour image; the two frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character style is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The colour positive print on what appears to be a safety base, with saturated dye layers, is consistent with a late-1990s theatrical release print 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
