Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999, distributed by Warner Bros. after Nintendo and Toho brought the Japanese anime phenomenon to Western audiences at the height of Pokémania. Built around the original film Mewtwo Strikes Back, it introduced the franchise's most morally complex creation to a generation already primed by trading cards and the Game Boy titles. The film's box office success proved Pokémon could sustain a cinematic narrative beyond the television series, cementing its place in animation history and in the memories of collectors who grew up with it.
This cell centers on Mewtwo, the genetically engineered psychic Pokémon whose existential struggle drives the film's plot, alongside his cloned counterparts: Gyarados, Scyther, Nidoqueen, and Ninetales. These clones represent Mewtwo's attempt to prove artificial life equal to the original, a thematic core of the story. Collectors seek Mewtwo material for his rarity and narrative weight, as he remains one of the most requested characters from this era. A cell gathering him with his clones speaks to the film's central conflict, preserved on 35mm as a physical artifact from the movie's theatrical run.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999/1999)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no visible torn or deformed holes
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area format; a row of small Dolby Digital data blocks is also visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a modern safety stock; dye image reads as cool-neutral with strong blue and purple saturation, no visible fading or red shift
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the animated character and creature imagery is consistent with the Pokémon: The First Movie theatrical release
Era check
The combination of dual bilateral variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a 1999-1999 theatrical release print, when that combined soundtrack format was standard for wide releases
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
