Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
"Pikachu's Vacation" played as the short accompanying "Pokémon: The First Movie" during its 1999 theatrical run, giving Warner Bros. audiences an extra dose of Pikachu ahead of the main feature. Produced by OLM for the Pokémon franchise at the height of its first wave of American popularity, the short follows a group of Pokémon left to their own devices at a lakeside retreat while their trainers attend to other matters. It served as a crowd warmer and a merchandising touchstone, reinforcing Pikachu's status as the franchise's central mascot during a period when Pokémon dominated toy aisles, trading cards, and Saturday morning schedules alike.
This 35mm cell preserves a moment shared by Pikachu and Squirtle, two of the franchise's most recognizable and widely collected characters. Pikachu remains the series' enduring emblem, while Squirtle carries its own devoted following as one of the original starter Pokémon. A pairing like this, drawn from a vacation story built around downtime and companionship between Pokémon without human trainers present, reflects the short's central appeal: ordinary camaraderie among creatures usually seen in battle. For collectors, a frame naming both characters together marks a specific, identifiable beat within that narrative of shared leisure.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of Pokémon: Pikachu's Vacation (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, with three full frames visible on this strip.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes; no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with Dolby Digital data blocks visible in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue border tint; the dye image looks neutral to warm, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; the frames look clean with no scratches, cue marks or splices.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the animated Pokémon artwork matches the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: optical track plus Dolby Digital data blocks fit a 1999 theatrical 35mm print.
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 000071053
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
