Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in November 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of Pokémania at its peak in the West. Adapted and expanded from the Japanese original with new footage for American audiences, it introduced Mewtwo's origin story to millions of kids and became a cultural touchstone of the era, grossing well beyond expectations and cementing the franchise's foothold in American theaters and toy aisles alike.
This cell preserves a piece of the Team Rocket trio, Jessie, James, and Meowth, the franchise's recurring comic antagonists whose schemes and banter provided levity throughout the series and its films. Their presence here, drawn from actual 35mm printed for theatrical release, ties directly to the movie's initial run rather than later home video. Collectors prize material featuring this group because they are fan favorites distinct from the main cast, offering a slice of the film's tone and humor even within a story centered on darker, more mythic themes involving Mewtwo.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds four frames.
Perforations
Four perforations per frame visible on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched corners look clean and rounded.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single bilateral variable-area track; a dotted or dashed line consistent with a DTS timecode track is also visible along the same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-grey tint consistent with a safety acetate or polyester base; dye image reads as warm with strong saturated colour, no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal lines are visible across the lower portion of the strip, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are visible.
Picture
Positive colour image; all four frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single animated shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, a DTS timecode strip, and saturated polyester-base colour stock is consistent with a mid-to-late 1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1999 release date 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
