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 4Kids brought the franchise's anime universe to American theaters at the height of Pokémania. Adapted from the Japanese feature Mewtwo Strikes Back, it introduced a generation of collectors to 35mm frames of a phenomenon that had, until then, existed mainly on television and trading cards. The film's box office success cemented Pokémon as a cinematic property and gave physical film collecting a new frontier, since theatrical release prints from this era are scarce and sought after by both film and franchise collectors alike.
This cell preserves a frame of Gyarados, one of the franchise's most recognizable and powerful Water-type Pokémon, prized by collectors for its striking design and its long standing popularity among trainers and enthusiasts alike. Appearing in a major theatrical release, this frame represents a tangible fragment of the film's animated legacy, offering a physical connection to a pivotal moment in Pokémon's cinematic history. As a single surviving frame from a theatrical print, it stands as a piece of film history, valued not for spectacle alone but for its direct link to the movement of celluloid through a projector in 1999.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital hybrid 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 look clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, appearing as a dual bilateral (two-track) pattern; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, indicating a Dolby Digital / analogue hybrid print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
Base appears with a warm amber-orange cast consistent with the dye image; no obvious fading or red shift beyond the warm tones of the image itself.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks or heavy scratching are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character and fire-breath imagery are consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
The combination of a dual bilateral variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a 1999-1999 theatrical release print, when that hybrid soundtrack format was standard.
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
