Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the United States in November 1999, released by Warner Bros. after Nintendo and Shogakukan's Japanese production reached theaters earlier that year. It was a cultural event as much as a film, arriving at the height of Pokémania and introducing Mewtwo alongside the franchise's established cast. For many young audiences it was a first theatrical experience, and the movie's box office success cemented Pokémon as a dominant force in American pop culture well beyond video games and trading cards.
This cell centers on Pikachu, the franchise's mascot and the character most collectors seek above all others. The moment described, Pikachu crying, points to one of the more emotionally weighted beats in the film, a departure from the character's usual cheerful energy. Cells like this carry particular value because they capture the mascot outside its default expression, offering a rarer emotional register tied to the story rather than to merchandising. For collectors, an isolated frame of this nature represents both a piece of the film's narrative arc and a scarce variation on Pikachu's screen presence.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
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 strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area lines; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, indicating a hybrid optical/Dolby Digital soundtrack configuration.
Base appears with a slight blue-green tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image reads as warm yellow-dominant, consistent with the subject matter, with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all four frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the animated character visible is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
The Kodak 2387 print stock, the 1999 edge date code, and the hybrid variable-area plus Dolby Digital soundtrack are all consistent with a 1999 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
