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 Nintendo's answer to a cultural wave that had already swept toys, trading cards, and television into a single juggernaut. Adapted from the anime and built around the original 150 creatures, it introduced Mewtwo to American audiences and became one of the highest grossing films of its opening weekend, a rare instance of a television property vaulting into theaters with full studio backing. For collectors of 1990s pop culture ephemera, it stands as a marker of the franchise's peak commercial reach, the moment Pokémon proved itself larger than a handheld game.
This cell brings together the show's central trio, Ash, Misty, and Brock, alongside Pikachu, Squirtle, and Staryu, the traveling companions whose partnership anchors the series' appeal. Ash's Pikachu remains the franchise's defining mascot, while Squirtle and Staryu round out the water and support types favored by Misty and Brock's rosters. A grouping like this, human trainers and their Pokémon together in one frame, reflects the franchise's core theme of companionship, making it a natural centerpiece for those assembling a visual record of the original series' first cinematic outing.
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, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area strip running the full length of the strip.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-green tint consistent with safety stock; the dye image reads as a rich, saturated blue with no visible fading or red shift.
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 continuous shot, and the animated content is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The dual bilateral variable-area optical soundtrack, safety base stock, and saturated dye image are all consistent with a 35mm 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
