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 (a year after its 1998 Japanese debut), released by Warner Bros. and Nintendo/4Kids in partnership with Pikachu Project and OLM. It rode the crest of the franchise's explosive North American breakthrough, translating the television phenomenon into a theatrical event that introduced Mewtwo to a mass audience and cemented Pokémon as a cross-media juggernaut for children of the era. The film's box office success proved that the anime could sustain feature-length storytelling beyond its episodic roots.
This cell centers on Jessie, James, and Meowth, the trio whose comic antagonism became inseparable from the series' identity. Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart, and Madeleine Blaustein gave these characters their enduring vocal presence, and collectors prize material tied to their voices as the definitive era of the English dub. A Team Rocket piece from this film represents the comic relief thread woven through a story otherwise dominated by weightier themes, a reminder that the trio's presence was constant even in the franchise's most ambitious cinematic outing.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital 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 throughout the visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical print; Dolby Digital pixel blocks appear present in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, suggesting a Dolby Digital SR print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base appears neutral to very slightly warm; the dye image shows saturated blues, reds, and yellows with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the animated character style is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching the 1999/1999 release period 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
