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's bid to translate a global gaming and television phenomenon onto the big screen. Produced by OLM and adapted for American audiences, it became a box office event, introducing a generation to Pokémon through the story of Mewtwo, a genetically engineered creature grappling with questions of identity and purpose. The film's success cemented the franchise's place in American pop culture and remains a touchstone for collectors of animation and 1990s media history.
This cell centers on Mewtwo alone, the film's central figure and one of the most sought after characters in Pokémon collecting due to its role as antagonist turned reluctant hero. A single character cell without surrounding cast suggests a moment built around Mewtwo's isolation, fitting the character's narrative arc as a being created without kin or belonging. For collectors, an isolated Mewtwo cell holds particular value, representing the emotional core of the film distilled into one figure, separate from the ensemble of Pokémon and trainers who populate the wider story.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby SR theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds one frame in the picture area.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges visible; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, appearing as two white wavy lines consistent with a dual bilateral or stereo variable-area format; a narrow blue stripe is visible immediately adjacent to the picture, consistent with a Dolby SR encoded print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-amber tint; dye image reads as a cool lavender-purple dominant palette with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive image; a single consecutive frame is shown and the animated character visible is consistent with the Pokémon franchise as recorded.
Era check
The dual variable-area optical track with apparent Dolby SR blue stripe is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie, which was distributed in that format.
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
