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, Creatures, and Game Freak's supervision and distributed through Shogakukan and Toho in Japan, with the Pokémon Company handling the wider rollout. It marked a mid-decade high point for the series' film arm, pairing a new legendary creature story with the franchise's established emotional core: the bond between Ash and Pikachu. For collectors of Japanese animation memorabilia, these releases represent a peak era of theatrical Pokémon merchandising and film production, tying cinema history to a global media phenomenon still expanding today.
This cell centers Pikachu, the franchise's defining mascot and the character most responsible for its worldwide recognition. A moment marked simply as smiling speaks to the character's core function in these films: warmth, reassurance, and the emotional throughline connecting audiences to Ash's journey. Such a cell would likely serve as a promotional or character-study frame, the kind used to represent tone rather than plot, letting Pikachu's presence alone signal the film's spirit. For collectors, this is prized not for narrative context but for capturing Pikachu at his most iconic and immediately recognizable.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean.
Soundtrack
A cyan-coloured stripe is visible along one edge at the lower frame, consistent with a magnetic or optical stripe, but fine track detail is not resolvable at this size.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-cream tint; dye image shows saturated yellows and blues with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are seen in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the two frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character visible is consistent with the Pokémon franchise as recorded.
Era check
The saturated dye image, four-perforation 35mm layout, and apparent optical or magnetic stripe are consistent with a theatrical release print from the mid-2000s period 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
