Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pikachu's Vacation premiered in Japan in 1998 as the companion short to Pokemon: The Movie 2000, arriving in North America in 1999 alongside its feature. Produced within the original animation pipeline at OLM under Nintendo and The Pokemon Company's supervision, the short offered a quieter counterpoint to the main feature's stakes, following Pikachu and friends left to their own devices during a break from their trainers. For collectors of early Pokemon cinema, this short holds a particular charm as one of the few 35mm productions built entirely around Pokemon behaving as themselves, without human dialogue steering the action.
This cell preserves a moment built around Psyduck, Togepi, and Vulpix engaged in a tug of war, a scene that captures the short's spirit of small creatures amusing themselves through simple play. Psyduck remains a favorite among collectors for its perpetually bewildered reputation, Togepi for its status as a beloved companion piece to Misty's era of the anime, and Vulpix for its earlier, gentler design before later regional variants reshaped its identity. A cell like this represents a single frame drawn for theatrical exhibition, a physical artifact of hand production from a period when animation still passed through celluloid before reaching the screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital theatrical release print of Pikachu's Vacation (1999).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both visible edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no torn edges visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track wavy pattern; a band consistent with a Dolby Digital data block is also visible between the perforations on that same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base carries a warm amber-golden cast consistent with a colour dye image in good saturation; no obvious red shift or fading is apparent.
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines consistent with projection wear are visible running through the picture area.
Picture
Positive colour image; the two frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated characters visible are consistent with the Pokémon animated feature listed on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital data blocks between perforations, and a warm colour dye base is consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the late 1990s, 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
