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' bid to translate the era's biggest television phenomenon into a theatrical event. Adapted from the Japanese original and padded with the "Pikachu's Vacation" short, it became a genuine box office surprise, proving that the franchise's appeal extended well beyond Saturday morning television. For a generation of young collectors, it marked their first encounter with Pokémon on the big screen, cementing the film's place as a cultural touchstone of the late nineties animation boom.
This cell centers on Mew, the elusive Psychic type whose mythical status within the Pokémon universe made it a foundational figure for the entire franchise's mythology. Mew's presence anchors the film's central conflict, serving as the genetic origin point for Mewtwo and the philosophical questions the story raises about cloning and identity. Collectors prize Mew material for its rarity in early merchandising and its symbolic weight, representing the purest, most original form within the Pokémon lineage as it existed at the franchise's cinematic debut.
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 edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack is visible along the bottom edge, appearing as two bilateral variable-area tracks with a DTS timecode stripe also present beside them.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a cool, slightly blue-tinted clear stock; the dye image renders in deep violet and magenta tones consistent with an intact color dye set.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive color image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character and color palette are consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a bilateral variable-area optical track with an adjacent DTS timecode stripe is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print, as DTS was in wide use for major studio releases by that date.
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
