Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the United States in November 1999 through Warner Bros., following Nintendo's Pokémon franchise as it crossed from handheld games and television into a theatrical event. Produced in Japan and localized for American audiences, it capitalized on the peak of Pokémania, becoming a box office success and a defining artifact of late nineties children's entertainment and merchandising history. For many collectors, it marks the moment Pokémon became a true cinematic property rather than a television spinoff.
This 35mm cell centers on Pikachu, the franchise's mascot and its most recognizable figure across every era of Pokémon media. Pikachu Falling suggests a moment of vulnerability for a character usually shown in triumphant or comedic poses, giving the cell a distinct emotional register within the film's narrative. As a piece of theatrical film stock, it represents a physical fragment of the movie's actual projection history, a tangible link to a specific instant in a story built around loyalty, conflict, and the bond between trainer and Pokémon.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm, 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 edges appear clean throughout the strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area on the lower edge, appearing as a dual variable-area (bilateral) waveform; a thin dashed line consistent with a DTS timecode stripe is also visible immediately above the optical track area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image reads as rich and saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal scratching is visible in the soundtrack area; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with an animated feature matching the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a bilateral variable-area optical track, a DTS timecode stripe, and saturated colour dye image is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching the 1999 US release 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
