Pokemon: The First Movie arrived in theaters in November 1999, released by Warner Bros. after Nintendo and 4Kids brought the franchise's anime arm stateside on the heels of the video game and trading card boom. The trailer that circulated ahead of it was a crucial piece of that marketing wave, built to convert casual fans of the show into opening weekend audiences. As one of the earliest widely distributed Pokemon theatrical products on 35mm, surviving trailer material carries real historical weight for collectors of the franchise's launch era in America.
This cell preserves a piece of that promotional reel featuring Gyarados, one of the more formidable and visually striking Pokemon from the original roster, long prized by collectors for its rarity as a card pull and its outsized presence in the games. Its appearance in the theatrical trailer signals the film's intent to showcase powerful, recognizable creatures to draw in audiences beyond the Saturday morning crowd. A trailer cell like this represents a fragment of that advertising campaign, a single surviving frame from the reel that once ran before feature presentations nationwide.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokemon: The First Movie Trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame 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 soundtrack track is visible running along the left edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers, manufacturer text, or SAFETY FILM legend.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight cool-blue tint; the dye image reads as saturated with no obvious fading or red shift visible.
Projection history
Horizontal white scratches and abrasion lines are visible in the lower portion of the strip, consistent with a projected print.
Picture
Positive colour image; the two frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single animated shot, consistent with a theatrical trailer print for the film on record.
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, saturated colour dye image, and four-perforation 35mm 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
