Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
"Pikachu's Vacation" screened theatrically in 1999 as a short preceding "Pokémon: The First Movie," produced by OLM under Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's banner and distributed in North America by Warner Bros. It depicts Pikachu and a gathering of other Pokémon left to their own devices at a lakeside resort while their trainers attend to other business, a rare interlude in the franchise built entirely around Pokémon behavior without human dialogue driving the scene. For a brand defined by trainer-centered storytelling, this short carved out space for its mascot to simply exist among peers, which gave it lasting appeal among collectors who value character-first material from the era.
This cell preserves a moment shared by Pikachu and Squirtle, two of the franchise's most recognizable and widely collected figures, paired here without any trainer present. Their appearance together points to the ensemble nature of the short, where interactions between Pokémon carried the narrative weight usually reserved for human characters. A 35mm cell from this footage represents a physical artifact of that early theatrical run, a tangible frame from one of the first times Pikachu's world was shown functioning independently, making it a notable piece for collectors tracing the character's screen history.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive release print of Pokémon: Pikachu's Vacation (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangular, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing holes seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations, appearing as two parallel tracks; no Dolby Digital blocks, DTS line or SDDS tracks seen.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue-tinted base margins with a neutral clear base; the dye image looks saturated, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices on the picture, though a faint curve from the strip lying on the panel is visible.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the animated style is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: a 35mm optical soundtrack and positive dye image fit a 1999 animated feature, though the strip's gauge and soundtrack are not unique to this title.
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 000071050
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
