A charming production cel of Pikachu produced by OLM from episode 214 "Mantine Overboard!", which first aired in Japan in 1999 as part of the Gold and Silver arc that extended the franchise into its second major chapter.
The episode follows Ash and his companions rushing through Ogi City to catch a ferry, and this cel captures Pikachu mid-run during that sequence, a brief but charged moment in the episode. At 00:19, this is an early shot in the episode, one of those establishing moments where the animators needed the character to read clearly and immediately, no mean task when the subject is already one of the most recognisable silhouettes in popular culture. The cel is painted to the reverse of the acetate in the standard production manner, with the inked outlines on the front surface remaining clean and well-defined. Peg registration holes are visible along the top edge. The field size of 26.5 by 23 centimetres is a fairly generous working area for a character this small. The cel is presented here on a printed presentation background.
What Pokémon achieved between 1997 and the end of the decade cannot be overstated. The franchise arrived in the West at a velocity that caught broadcasters and retailers entirely off guard, and Pikachu became, almost overnight, one of the most commercially significant characters in the history of animation. Behind that success was a production pipeline that had to sustain an extraordinary schedule, and original cels from the earliest years of the OLM run represent the hand-painted acetate phase before digital production methods began to take over.
Original Pikachu cels from the early OLM era remain highly sought after by collectors. Now is the chance to catch a Pikachu of your own. Dimensions: 32 cm x 25 cm (12.60" x 9.84")
Estimate: £5,000 - £10,000
View online: https://propstoreauction.com/lot-details/index/catalog/519/lot/204995/639-Pikachu-Original-Production-Cel-from-Mantine-Overboard-on-Fine-Art-Gicl-e-Background-POK-MON-TV-SERIES-1997-PRESENT
