Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in North American theaters in November 1999 through Warner Bros., following Pokémon's explosive arrival on Western shores via Nintendo and the Pokémon Company. Built from Japanese footage with new English-language material, it became a cultural landmark, introducing a generation to Pikachu, Ash Ketchum, and the franchise's cinematic ambitions. As the first theatrical outing for the series, it cemented Pokémon as more than a card game or handheld title, pushing it into mainstream film distribution and setting the template for animated franchise tie-ins for years to come.
This cell centers on Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose creation and philosophical struggle anchor the film's narrative. As the movie's central antagonist-turned-tragic figure, Mewtwo draws collectors for its rarity as a wholly original creation rather than an existing Pokémon, and for its outsized presence in the franchise's early mythology. A cell bearing this name preserves a moment tied directly to that character, a fragment of animation history isolated from the surrounding story, offering a tangible piece of the film's exploration of identity and power without additional figures sharing the frame.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour 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 edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the perforations, appearing as a dual-bilateral waveform pattern consistent with a stereo optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a blue-tinted dye image consistent with a colour release print; no obvious red shift or fading is apparent.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot, and the animated character visible is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
A dual-bilateral variable-area optical track on a colour 35mm positive print is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print of this title, which carried Dolby Stereo optical as a standard format.
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
