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. Built around Mewtwo's origin and the clash between cloned and natural Pokémon, the film became a cultural marker for a generation raised on the franchise, drawing enormous box office numbers and cementing Pokémon as a cross-media juggernaut. Its release marked one of the earliest instances of a video game and animated series property crossing so successfully into theatrical distribution, and it remains a touchstone for collectors tracing the franchise's early cinematic footprint.
This 35mm cell carries Pikachu, the franchise's central and most recognizable figure, whose presence anchors any piece of Pokémon memorabilia with immediate recognition and demand. Psyduck's inclusion places this moment within the ensemble's more comic, grounded register, the kind of pairing that gave the film its lighter beats amid larger stakes. Cells like this, drawn from the physical print itself, function as tangible fragments of the theatrical release, prized by collectors for their direct link to the movie as it was projected in 1999.
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 two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track analog stripe.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows saturated yellows and browns with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with the animated feature on record.
Era check
A single variable-area optical track alongside a 35mm positive print is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print of this title, which carried analog optical audio.
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
