Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in North America in November 1999 through Warner Bros., adapting the fourth Japanese animated feature into the franchise's theatrical debut for Western audiences. Built on the success of the Game Boy titles and television series, the film became a cultural touchstone of the era, introducing millions to the medium of anime through a marketing juggernaut backed by Nintendo and 4Kids. Its box office performance proved Pokémon's staying power beyond cards and cartridges, cementing the brand's place in late-nineties pop culture.
This 35mm cell isolates Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose creation and existential struggle anchor the film's narrative. As a synthesized being wrestling with questions of purpose and identity, Mewtwo remains one of the franchise's most collected characters, prized for embodying the story's darker, more philosophical undertones. A single-character cell like this preserves a physical fragment of that arc, a frame from the actual print rather than a reproduction, offering collectors a tangible connection to Mewtwo's screen presence within the film's original theatrical run.
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 three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly formed with rounded corners.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a blue-shifted tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image appears saturated with no obvious fading.
Projection history
Faint vertical lines are visible running through the frame area, consistent with projection wear on a previously screened print.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with an animated feature release print.
Era check
The dual bilateral variable-area optical track, colour positive print stock, and perforation style are all consistent with a late-1990s theatrical release print of the film on record.
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
