Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the fall of 1999 via Warner Bros., riding the crest of a cultural wave that had already swept through television, trading cards, and toy aisles. Produced in Japan and localized for American audiences, it introduced Mewtwo alongside the franchise's beloved cast, cementing Pokémania as a defining moment of late-1990s childhood entertainment. The film's box office success proved that the property could translate to theatrical spectacle, and it remains a touchstone for a generation of fans who trace their fandom back to opening weekend.
This cell centers on Pikachu, the franchise's most recognizable and commercially vital character, whose likeness has anchored the series since its inception. A cell marked with an emotional state rather than an action promises a moment of quiet character work, a pause where the film asks its audience to feel something alongside its mascot. Such frames are prized by collectors precisely because they capture Pikachu outside of battle or spectacle, in a register that reveals the emotional stakes underpinning the movie's themes of conflict and connection. It stands as a small, sincere fragment of the picture's heart.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby hybrid theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds three frames, each with four perforations visible on the top edge and four on the bottom edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the perforations, appearing as a dual variable-area (bilateral) waveform strip; a narrow blue digital stripe line is also visible immediately above the optical track, consistent with a Dolby SR/Digital hybrid print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight blue-green tint consistent with modern safety polyester stock; the dye image reads as warm yellow-dominant with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
Fine vertical lines are visible running through the picture area on at least two frames, consistent with projection wear.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the character depicted is consistent with the Pokémon franchise as recorded.
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical track combined with the narrow blue Dolby Digital data stripe is consistent with a 1999–1999 theatrical release print, when Dolby SR/Digital hybrid prints were standard.
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
