Crown Grading

FILM NOTES

Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in North American theaters in November 1999, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures following its original Japanese release the previous year. Produced by OLM, Inc. and 4Kids Entertainment, the film marked the theatrical debut of one of the most commercially significant media franchises of the late twentieth century, translating a television and trading card phenomenon into a feature-length cinematic event that drew record opening weekends and introduced a generation to the big-screen possibilities of anime.

This encapsulated cell, titled Pikachu, presents a close-up of the franchise's most recognizable character against a blue background, captured across two consecutive frames from the same shot. Pikachu, voiced throughout the series by Ikue Ōtani, is shown gazing upward with a quietly expressive quality that reflects the emotional register the character carries across the film. The slight positional variation between frames offers a rare glimpse into the hand-crafted continuity of traditional cel animation.