Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in theaters in November 1999, released by Warner Bros. in North America after production by OLM and Pikachu Project 4°C in Japan under Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's growing media empire. It marked the franchise's leap from television phenomenon to global box office event, capitalizing on the height of Pokémania and introducing Mewtwo to a generation of young viewers. The film's success cemented Pokémon as a cross-media juggernaut, spanning games, cards, television, and cinema, and its theatrical run remains a touchstone for collectors of nineties animation and merchandising history.
This cell preserves Jessie, James, and Meowth, the trio whose comic antagonism became inseparable from the franchise's identity from its earliest episodes onward. Team Rocket's presence in a film reel holds particular appeal, since their scenes often blend slapstick with the larger narrative stakes, offering a tonal counterpoint within the movie's darker Mewtwo storyline. A 35mm cell featuring this group appeals to collectors who prize the comic relief characters as much as the heroes, recognizing their enduring popularity in fandom and merchandise circles alike.
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, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track analog waveform; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, indicating a hybrid analog/Dolby Digital optical soundtrack.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue tint consistent with a safety polyester stock; the dye image reads as warm and saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or significant scratches are visible; the surface appears consistent with a lightly projected print.
Picture
Positive color image; all four 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 hybrid variable-area optical plus Dolby Digital soundtrack configuration and polyester safety base are consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie.
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
