Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pikachu's Vacation screened as the companion short to Pokémon: The First Movie, released theatrically in 1999 by Warner Bros. in North America, following the Japanese original from Toho the prior year. Produced by OLM for the Pokémon franchise at the height of its cultural surge, the short offered a gentler, slice-of-life counterpoint to the feature's drama, following Pikachu and friends on a day of play while their trainers were occupied elsewhere. For many younger viewers of the era, this short was their introduction to the Pokémon cast outside the games, cementing character ensembles that would anchor merchandising and collecting for years to come.
This cell preserves a moment from that ensemble piece, gathering Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Togepi, and Vulpix together as named participants in the vacation's events. Squirtle and Bulbasaur, two of the franchise's original starter Pokémon, remain perennial collector favorites for their presence since the earliest games and episodes. Togepi and Vulpix round out the group as recognizable, well-loved designs from the same period. The sky setting named in the title places this group in an open, outdoor segment of the short, consistent with the vacation's roaming, episodic structure, where the characters move freely between simple, lighthearted scenes rather than following a single plot thread.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of Pokémon: Pikachu's Vacation (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three frames, the first partly trimmed at the left edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or stretched holes seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track of two tracks runs between the picture and the lower perforations, and a Dolby Digital block pattern sits in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a pale blue tint along both edges; the dye image looks neutral and saturated, with no obvious fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the strip shows a gentle curl and some faint surface texture on the edge bands.
Picture
Positive colour image; the last two frames are near-identical consecutive frames of one shot, the first a different pose, and the animated characters match a Pokémon title.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: analogue optical track beside Dolby Digital data blocks suits a 1999 theatrical print, and the blue-tinted base fits a print stock of that era.
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 in partnership with National Film Vault, 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.
CROWN SERIAL 000071047
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
