Crown Grading

FILM NOTES

Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in North American theaters in November 1999, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures following its 1998 Japanese release by Toho. Produced by OLM, Inc. and based on the global phenomenon that had reshaped children's entertainment, the film marked the franchise's theatrical debut and remains a cultural touchstone of late-1990s animation.

This cell, titled Mew, captures the climactic confrontation between Mewtwo and Mew, each suspended within a glowing purple psychic orb against a darkened arena. The mirrored composition of the two frames reflects the film's central tension — clone versus original — rendered here in the saturated hand-painted cels characteristic of late traditional animation before digital production became standard.