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 via Warner Bros., following its 1998 Japanese debut from Toho, and became a cultural flashpoint for the franchise's early boom. Adapting the Mewtwo Strikes Back storyline, it introduced American audiences to a darker, more philosophical corner of the Pokémon universe, pairing the phenomenon's merchandising success with genuine stakes about identity and cloning. For a generation raised on the games and the television series, this was their first taste of Pokémon on the big screen, and it remains a touchstone for collectors tracing the brand's theatrical history.
This cell isolates the film's central confrontation, Ash Ketchum against Mewtwo, placing the franchise's most recognizable young trainer opposite its most formidable original creation. Ash represents the human element of the Pokémon world, the ongoing protagonist whose journey anchors the series, while Mewtwo stands as the movie's tragic antagonist, a genetically engineered being wrestling with its own purpose. A cell built around their fight captures the narrative's dramatic core, the moment where the film's themes of power and belonging come to a head, making it a natural focal point for anyone assembling pieces from this release.
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 visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area on the lower edge, appearing as a dual-bilateral (two-track) waveform pattern running the full length of the strip.
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 with strong, saturated colour showing no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines consistent with projection are visible in the picture area; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated content is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
The dual-bilateral variable-area optical track, saturated colour dye image, and perforation style are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s.
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
