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 Pokémania as the franchise expanded from Game Boy cartridges and Saturday morning television into a full theatrical event. Produced with 4Kids Entertainment's involvement and adapted from the Japanese original, it became a box office phenomenon, introducing millions of children and collectors to the medium of anime through a story of cloning, identity, and conflict. Its success cemented Pokémon as a cultural mainstay of the era and made surviving 35mm material from the production a genuine artifact of late-1990s theatrical distribution.
This cell holds Mewtwo alone, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose search for purpose drives the film's central conflict. As the movie's most complex and morally weighted character, Mewtwo draws particular interest from collectors who value frames centered on pivotal figures rather than crowded scenes. A single-subject cell like this one offers a clean, uncluttered piece of the film's visual history, tied directly to the character whose existence gives the story its emotional and thematic weight.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital optical 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 with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual variable-area (stereo) optical track with a Dolby noise-reduction encoded appearance; a band of what appears to be Dolby Digital data blocks is also visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the bottom edge.
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 warm-amber tint consistent with a colour dye-coupler image; the dye image shows saturated colour with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or prominent scratches are visible on the frames shown.
Picture
Positive colour image; the four frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the animated character and energy-sphere imagery are consistent with the Pokémon: The First Movie animated feature on record.
Era check
The combination of a dual variable-area optical track with apparent Dolby Digital data blocks in the perforation gaps is consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the late 1990s, 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
