Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the United States in November 1999 through Warner Bros., released by Nintendo and Pikachu Project 1999, riding the crest of a cultural wave that had turned a Game Boy title into a global phenomenon. It brought the franchise to American theaters for the first time, pairing the feature with the short Pikachu's Vacation and cementing Pokémon as a fixture of late-1990s childhood. The film's box office success proved that the craze extended well beyond cards and consoles into mainstream cinema.
This cell, called Pikachu Falling, isolates a moment built around the franchise's mascot, the character whose likeness anchors nearly every piece of Pokémon merchandise and remains the most recognized face in the property. A moment described as falling suggests a beat of vulnerability for a character usually shown triumphant, giving the frame emotional weight within the film's larger story. As a piece of 35mm film history, it represents a physical fragment of the print that once ran through theaters during this landmark release, a tangible artifact for collectors drawn to the character and the era.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds two frames side by side in an anamorphic or flat dual-frame layout across the width.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly defined with no visible torn or deformed edges.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area waveforms, consistent with a stereo optical track; a thin coloured line (likely a Dolby SR or DTS timecode stripe) is also visible immediately above the optical track area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at the resolution shown; no legible key numbers or manufacturer text can be read.
Base & colour
The base appears with a cool-neutral tint; the dye image shows strong blue-violet and amber tones consistent with an unexpired colour print stock.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the two frames appear to be the same shot printed side by side, consistent with a dual-strip or scope print format, and the animated content matches the film on record.
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, cool-neutral base, and colour dye saturation are all consistent with a late-1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1999-1999 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
