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 through Warner Bros., riding the crest of a cultural phenomenon that had already conquered handheld gaming, television, and trading cards. Produced in Japan and localized for Western audiences, the film brought Pikachu, Mewtwo, and the wider Pokémon roster to the big screen at a moment when the franchise's popularity was at its peak. For many, it stands as the definitive cinematic snapshot of the late nineties Pokémon craze, a piece of childhood memory preserved on celluloid.
This cell carries Pikachu alone, the franchise's central mascot and the character most synonymous with its identity worldwide. As the face of Pokémon since the beginning, Pikachu draws collectors seeking the purest link to the brand's origins, a single character strip free of surrounding cast. A 35mm cell of this kind, whether drawn from a trailer, a title sequence, or a credits reel, functions as a physical fragment of the film's actual print, a tangible artifact separate from merchandise. Holding one connects an owner directly to the reel that once ran through a projector for audiences discovering this world.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds four frames.
Perforations
Four perforations per frame on each edge; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral (two-track) variable-area pattern; a thin blue stripe is visible immediately adjacent to the picture, consistent with a Dolby-encoded optical track; no discrete Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode line, or SDDS outer-edge tracks are clearly distinguishable in this capture.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base reads as a cool blue-tinted clear stock; the dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading visible.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks, or heavy scratching are apparent; fine longitudinal lines consistent with projection wear are faintly present.
Picture
Positive colour image; all four frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with an animated theatrical release print matching the film on record.
Era check
The dual bilateral variable-area optical track with blue Dolby stripe, cool-tinted polyester-base stock, and positive colour print format are all consistent with a 1999 North American 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
