Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo's licensing machine, riding the crest of Pokémania as the franchise crossed from television and trading cards into a full theatrical event. It brought Ash, Pikachu, and the wider roster of pocket monsters to American multiplexes for the first time, cementing the property as a genuine cross-media phenomenon rather than a passing fad. For a generation of young collectors, this was often their first theatrical experience tied to a franchise they already loved from cartridges and cards.
This cell centers on Charizard, one of the most enduring and sought-after figures in the Pokémon universe, a Fire and Flying type whose design and power level made it an instant fan favorite well before this film's release. As a solitary 35mm frame bearing that name, it stands as a physical fragment of the movie's animation, a tangible link to a character whose popularity has only grown across decades of games, cards, and adaptations. For collectors, isolating Charizard on film honors the character's outsized presence in the franchise's mythology.
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 four 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 below the picture area on the lower edge, alongside what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip in the inter-perforation zone, 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 appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; the dye image reads with strong, saturated colour showing no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks, or heavy scratching are apparent; the surface appears consistent with a projected release print.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames run consecutively as a single continuous shot, and the animated character and visual style are consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with apparent Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a 1999-1999 theatrical release print, when that dual-format configuration was 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
