Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 from Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the peak of Pokémania as the franchise crossed from television and trading cards into American theaters. It paired the Mewtwo Strikes Back feature with a Pikachu short, introducing a generation of young audiences to the mythos of cloned Pokémon and psychic power on the big screen. The film became a box office phenomenon, cementing Pokémon's place in late-90s pop culture and setting a template for anime crossing into mainstream Western distribution.
This cell centers on Mew, the elusive genetic origin point behind Mewtwo's creation and one of the franchise's most sought-after figures among collectors. Mew's presence in the film ties directly to the movie's core mythology, the question of origin, purity, and what was copied to make something else. A cell bearing only Mew, without surrounding characters, speaks to that singular, almost secretive role the creature plays in the story's backbone.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby SR·D theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the bottom edge, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge, consistent with a Dolby SR·D release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base shows a slight blue-cyan tint typical of modern safety stock; the dye image reads with strong magenta and violet hues consistent with a color print.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen in this capture.
Picture
Positive color image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character visible is consistent with Pokémon: The First Movie.
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks alongside a variable-area optical track is consistent with a 1999–1999 theatrical release print, as Dolby SR·D was standard for major studio releases of that period.
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
