Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in November 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's bid to translate a television and trading card phenomenon into a theatrical event. Adapted from the Japanese original with new footage for Western audiences, it became a cultural landmark of the era, introducing millions of children to the big screen experience of Pokémon and cementing Mewtwo as one of the franchise's most enduring creations. Its box office success proved that a video game and cartoon property could command mainstream attention.
This cell centers on the clash between Ash Ketchum, the franchise's determined young trainer, and Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose power and inner conflict drive the film's plot. Collectors seek Ash for his role as the audience's constant companion across the series, and Mewtwo for its status as the movie's central antagonist turned tragic figure. A confrontation between these two names represents the story's philosophical core, the struggle between human resolve and artificial might, making this a meaningful frame for any collection tracing 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.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a separate digital data region (consistent with Dolby Digital blocks between perforations) also present on that edge.
Edge print
Edge print reads, mirrored: '2283 185 022 0 20 18 K.004K 1999' — consistent with a Kodak key-number sequence and a 1999 date code.
Base & colour
Base shows a blue-tinted safety stock; dye image appears rich and not visibly faded or red-shifted.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and match the animated style of the film on record.
Era check
The Kodak 1999 edge date, blue-base safety stock, variable-area optical track with apparent Dolby Digital data blocks, and positive colour image are all consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print of this title.
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
