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. and Nintendo's bid to translate a global gaming and television phenomenon onto the big screen. Produced with 4Kids Entertainment, it introduced Mewtwo's origin story to American audiences following the franchise's explosive stateside launch. The film became a box office success, cementing Pokémon as a cultural force beyond cards and consoles and giving a generation of young viewers their first theatrical encounter with these creatures.
This cell preserves Blastoise, one of the franchise's original starter evolutions and a favorite among longtime collectors for its immediate recognizability. As a clone within the movie's narrative, this Blastoise belongs to Mewtwo's mirrored army, a plot device central to the film's exploration of artificial life and identity. Cells built around clone characters hold particular appeal since they mark a defining sequence unique to this feature rather than the broader television series, tying the frame directly to the movie's core conflict.
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.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the perforations, appearing as a dual bilateral waveform pattern.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base shows a slight blue-teal tint consistent with a safety polyester or acetate stock; dye image appears neutral with strong purple and pink saturation.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character style is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
A dual bilateral variable-area optical track on 35mm safety stock is consistent with a 1999-1999 theatrical release print of this title, which carried analog optical audio.
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
