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 entry in the franchise, produced by OLM under Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's supervision and released domestically through Toho before Warner Bros. and later Viz handled its English-language distribution. It marked the animated debut of Lucario, a character whose aura-based abilities and tragic backstory expanded the emotional range of the film series beyond its earlier monster-of-the-week structure. By this point the franchise had settled into an annual rhythm, pairing new legendary creatures with established cast members to anchor audiences already fluent in the show's mythology.
This cell centers on Pikachu, the franchise's original mascot and the character most responsible for its crossover into mainstream culture. A moment described simply as battling situates Pikachu in the kind of active, combative sequence that defines much of the series' pacing, the visual shorthand for conflict that recurs across every film in the line. For collectors, single-character battle cells like this one hold particular value: they isolate the mascot in motion without requiring the surrounding cast, making them attractive as standalone pieces of animation history from a film era when hand-inked 35mm cells were still part of production.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2006)
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds two frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no visible tearing or distortion
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge of the picture area, appearing as two modulated lines consistent with a stereo optical track; a cyan-coloured band between the track and the lower perforations is also present, consistent with a Dolby SR or similar encoded optical format
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows strong yellow and deep blue-black tones with no visible fading or red shift
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen
Picture
Positive colour image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character and lightning-effect imagery are consistent with the Pokémon animated film on record
Era check
The stereo variable-area optical track with cyan encoding band, the neutral polyester-type base, and the saturated dye image are all consistent with a 2006-era theatrical release print
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
