National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Released in 1999, Pokémon: The First Movie arrived at the height of a global phenomenon that had swept through television, trading cards, and video games. For a generation of young fans, it was the moment their favorite franchise made the leap to the big screen. Its theatrical trailer served as the first taste of that experience, building anticipation and capturing the excitement of seeing familiar creatures rendered for cinema. Decades later, it remains a touchstone of late-1990s pop culture.

This cell features Golem, one of the sturdy, boulder-like Pokémon fans knew well from the era. Owning a physical frame from the trailer means holding an actual piece of film that once ran through a projector, a tangible fragment of that celebrated moment in animation history.