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's Pokémon franchise machine, riding the crest of a cultural phenomenon that had already conquered television, trading cards, and handheld games. The film adapted Mewtwo Strikes Back for American audiences, becoming a box office event that proved animation tied to a gaming property could dominate theaters. It stands as a marker of late-90s childhood, a moment when Pokémon transitioned from playground obsession to mainstream spectacle, cementing characters that remain recognizable decades later.
This cell centers on Mew, the rare and mythical Pokémon whose genetic material forms the very origin of Mewtwo, the film's central conflict. Mew occupies a singular place in the franchise's mythology, elusive and legendary, often treated as the ancestral blueprint for all Pokémon. Collectors prize material featuring Mew for that scarcity value, mirroring the character's in-universe rarity. A 35mm frame preserving this figure connects directly to the movie's foundational premise, offering physical film history tied to one of Pokémon's most enduring and sought-after icons.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999/1999).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area tracks, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-to-neutral tint consistent with colour dye layers; the image dyes appear saturated with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible running through both frames, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the vivid purple-toned imagery is consistent with the animated theatrical release on record.
Era check
The combination of bilateral variable-area optical track, apparent Dolby Digital data blocks, and colour positive stock on a safety base is consistent with a 1999-1999 theatrical release print.
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
