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.' theatrical release of the Japanese anime phenomenon sweeping American children's culture, adapting the "Mewtwo Strikes Back" storyline for Western audiences. Its box office success cemented Pokémon as a cross-media juggernaut and marked one of the earliest major anime crossovers into mainstream US cinemas, introducing a generation to the franchise's blend of creature collecting and emotional storytelling on the big screen.
Pikachu Falling isolates a moment built around the franchise's most recognizable character, the electric mouse whose likeness anchors Pokémon merchandising worldwide. A cell naming this instant points to one of the film's pivotal emotional beats, the kind of scene fans return to when discussing the movie's heavier tonal shifts. As a 35mm artifact, this piece represents a physical fragment of theatrical history, the sort of individual frame collectors seek to hold a tangible piece of a character's most memorable screen presence.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of POKEMON: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds one frame of picture with partial frame borders visible above and below.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even; punched cleanly with rounded rectangular shape; top edge perforations are clear and white, bottom edge perforations appear slightly darker or filled with grain consistent with the optical soundtrack area.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running vertically beside the picture on one edge, showing the characteristic waveform pattern of an analog optical track; Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks are not clearly distinguishable in this capture; DTS timecode line and SDDS outer-edge tracks are not visible in this capture.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The clear base shows a neutral to very slightly warm tint; the dye image appears well-saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent.
Picture
Positive color image; the single frame visible shows animation consistent with the theatrical animated feature on record.
Era check
The analog variable-area optical soundtrack, 35mm four-perforation format, and saturated dye image are all 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
