Pokemon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 through Warner Bros. and Nintendo's licensing machine, riding the crest of Pokemania as the franchise pushed from handheld games and television into theatrical release. It was a cultural event as much as a film, drawing families and devoted young collectors of the trading cards and toys into cinemas for the first time to see this world rendered at feature scale. The trailer campaign that preceded it played a large role in building that anticipation, distributed widely to prime audiences for the summer opening and to establish the film's central conflict and characters ahead of release.
This 35mm cell comes from that trailer, built around Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokemon whose creation and search for identity form the emotional core of the film. As the story's central figure rather than a supporting creature, Mewtwo carries particular weight for collectors, representing the franchise's rare foray into darker, more philosophical territory. A trailer cell such as this one serves an introductory function, offering an early frame of the character as originally presented to audiences deciding whether to see the film, preserved here as a fragment of that promotional moment.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokemon: The First Movie Trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm; the strip shows four perforations per frame on both edges and holds one full frame with partial frames above and below.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even; perforation edges look cleanly punched with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along the lower portion of the strip beside the picture area, showing the characteristic waveform pattern of an analog optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-teal tint consistent with modern safety stock; the dye image reads as a cool-blue dominant frame with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; the single full frame shows a title card consistent with a theatrical trailer title frame for the film on record.
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, blue-tinted safety base, and positive print format are all consistent with a 1999 US theatrical release 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, 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.
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
