Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo brought the Pokémon phenomenon to American theaters, following the anime's explosive television debut. Produced with 4Kids Entertainment overseeing localization, the film became a cultural touchstone for a generation raised on Game Boys and trading cards, grossing well beyond expectations and cementing Pikachu and Ash Ketchum as household names. It stands as a snapshot of peak Pokémania, when the franchise moved from screens into playgrounds worldwide.
This cell centers on Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, the franchise's defining duo, whose bond drives much of the series' emotional core. The moment named here, Pikachu Falling, points to a pivotal juncture in the story where the partnership between trainer and Pokémon faces real stakes. Collectors seek frames like this because they mark character-defining beats rather than incidental footage, offering a tangible link to a scene audiences remember. A 35mm cell preserves that instant as it passed through the projector, a physical artifact of a moment the film built its emotional weight around.
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 visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a two-track variable-area format; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, indicating a hybrid optical/Dolby Digital soundtrack configuration.
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 slight warm-neutral tint consistent with colour print stock; dye saturation appears rich with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines are visible running the length of the strip, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are visible.
Picture
Positive colour image; the four frames show two consecutive frames of one shot followed by two consecutive frames of a second shot; the animated style and character design are consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The hybrid variable-area optical plus Dolby Digital inter-perforation data block soundtrack configuration is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching the 1999 release date 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
