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' bet that the franchise's television momentum could fill American theaters, pairing the Mewtwo Strikes Back feature with the short Pikachu's Vacation. It became a genuine box office event, introducing a generation to Pokémon on the big screen and cementing the brand's crossover from Saturday mornings to multiplex marquees. Decades later it remains a touchstone for collectors who grew up with the craze, and 35mm material from the release is treasured as physical evidence of that theatrical run.
This cell isolates Gyarados, one of the franchise's most recognizable Water-type Pokémon, prized by fans for its scale and reputation as a dramatic, powerful presence within the Pokémon roster. As a standalone piece of frame, it represents a single captured instance of the character's appearance in the film, the kind of artifact collectors seek to hold a tangible fragment of the movie's identity. Owning a Gyarados cell means owning a piece of that creature's presence in cinema history, tied directly to the 1999 release that brought it to theaters.
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 throughout the visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the same side, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-orange cast across all three frames; the dye image appears fully saturated with no visible fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the animated content is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital data blocks between the perforations is consistent with a late-1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1999/1999 release window 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
