Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
"Pikachu's Vacation" screened as the short preceding "Pokémon: The First Movie" during its 1999 theatrical run, a Warner Bros. release that introduced American audiences to the franchise's cinematic ambitions at the height of Pokémania. Produced by OLM for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, the short gave Pikachu a standalone adventure away from Ash and the main cast, following a group of Pokémon left to their own devices at a resort while their trainers attended the main event. For many young viewers it was their first encounter with Pokémon existing independently on screen, a glimpse of the characters as personalities rather than battle assets, and it remains a touchstone for early franchise merchandise and memorabilia from this era.
This cell preserves a shared frame of Pikachu and Squirtle, two of the roster assembled for that vacation story. Pikachu, the franchise's central mascot, anchors nearly all collector interest in material from this period, while Squirtle's inclusion situates the cell within the ensemble cast gathered for this particular outing rather than the main feature. A 35mm film cell of this pairing offers a physical trace of the actual theatrical print, a tangible artifact from a release that many fans associate with their introduction to the series on the big screen, pairing two recognizable starters from the earliest generation of the property.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of Pokémon: Pikachu's Vacation (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three full frames, with the picture area running at a quarter-turn to the strip.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes; no torn, missing or stretched perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track (two parallel tracks) runs beside the picture, and small Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue tint on the base margins, neutral and clear within the perforation bands; the dye image looks saturated with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices visible on the three frames or the track area.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the animated look matches the film on record.
Era check
The optical track with Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations is consistent with a late-1990s 35mm release print of a 1999 film.
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 000071052
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
