National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999, distributed by Warner Bros. and produced by OLM, Inc. for Nintendo and Game Freak. Released at the height of the franchise's cultural saturation, it became the highest-grossing anime film in American history at the time and marked a rare occasion when a video game property commanded genuine theatrical attention. The film remains a document of a specific cultural moment that has not been replicated.

This cell, titled Team Rocket, captures Jessie, James, and Meowth suspended or falling through a darkened interior space, blue architectural forms visible above them. Across four consecutive frames the trio shifts slightly in position, preserving a brief but complete sequence of movement from a single cut within the film.