Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew arrived in 2006 as the eighth theatrical feature from the franchise, produced by OLM under Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's supervision and distributed for a global audience already devoted to the series. It marked a turning point in the film line, introducing Lucario to the wider public ahead of its game debut and pairing that newcomer with Mew, one of the franchise's oldest and most mythologized creatures. The film's blend of ancient ruin, forest, and tree-of-beginning mythology gave the eighth entry a weightier tone than earlier outings, and it remains a favorite among fans tracking the series' mid-2000s creative peak.
This 35mm cell brings together Mew, Meowth, and Pikachu, three characters whose pairing across generations makes it a natural draw for collectors. Mew represents the franchise's founding mystery, Pikachu its enduring mascot, and Meowth its comic thread through Team Rocket, so a frame uniting all three speaks to the film's effort to gather old and new. As a physical artifact from the reel, it preserves a single instant of shared screen time between figures who rarely appear together, offering a tangible link to that eighth film's ensemble spirit.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds two frames
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no visible torn or deformed holes
Soundtrack
A cyan-tinted band occupies the area below the picture area on the lower frame, consistent in appearance with a Dolby Digital or optical soundtrack zone, though fine detail is not fully resolvable in this capture
Edge print
Number '297' embossed or printed on the lower border; additional edge text not legible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-cream tint; dye image reads as a positive colour image with saturated greens, no obvious fading or red shift visible
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen in this capture
Picture
Positive colour image; the two frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the animated characters and lush green environment are consistent with the film on record
Era check
The four-perforation 35mm format, positive colour print, and presence of a soundtrack strip in the inter-perforation area are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the mid-2000s era 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
