Pokemon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 from Warner Bros. and Nintendo's growing media empire, riding the crest of Pokemania as it swept American theaters and toy aisles alike. The trailer campaign that preceded it was a cultural event in its own right, teasing audiences with glimpses of Mewtwo's origin story and the promise of a battle between clone and original. For collectors of animation and franchise memorabilia, this era marks the moment a Japanese card game and television phenomenon fully crossed into Hollywood spectacle, backed by a marketing push few children's properties had seen before.
This cell preserves Mew, the rare and mythical Pokemon whose scarcity within the games and lore made it a natural centerpiece for promotional material. As the genetic template for Mewtwo, Mew carries mythological weight in the franchise's foundational narrative, and its appearance in trailer reels signals the mystery and rarity that drove early fan obsession. A trailer cell like this one exists to entice, a single frame excerpted from footage meant to build anticipation before release. For collectors, holding a piece of that theatrical teaser material connects directly to the moment audiences first glimpsed the character on the big screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower portion of the strip beside the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area tracks; a thin dotted line consistent with a DTS timecode stripe is also visible adjacent to the optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-blue tint consistent with a safety stock; dye image reads as neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; both frames appear to be from the same continuous shot and the character and title card visible are consistent with the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer on record.
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical track combined with a DTS timecode stripe and the cool-tinted safety base are all consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print of this title.
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
