Pokemon: The First Movie arrived in the fall of 1999, riding the crest of Pokemania as it swept American theaters and toy shelves alike. Distributed by Warner Bros. after Nintendo's franchise exploded stateside, the film paired the anime's television roots with a theatrical budget, aiming to prove Pokemon could anchor a genuine box office event. Its trailer campaign became a cultural marker of that year, teasing audiences with glimpses of Mewtwo's origin story and the legendary Mew before the movie itself premiered, building anticipation among a generation encountering Pokemon on the big screen for the first time.
This cell preserves a moment from that trailer built around Mew, the rare and mythical Pokemon whose scarcity and mystery made it a centerpiece of both the games and the film's marketing. Trailer cells like this one served to entice, offering fragments rather than the full narrative, and Mew's presence here signals the mythic weight the character carried in 1999. For collectors, a Mew trailer cell holds appeal precisely because it captures that promotional moment, the character's first theatrical tease, rather than a scene from the finished feature itself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds approximately two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even; corners are rounded and punches appear clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a dual-stripe or single variable-area format; Dolby Digital, DTS, or SDDS elements are not clearly distinguishable at this capture resolution.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight cool-grey tint; the dye image renders in strong violet-purple and black tones consistent with a colour reversal or colour print stock.
Projection history
Horizontal white streaking lines are visible across the lower portion of the strip, consistent with projection wear or base abrasion.
Picture
Positive colour image; frames appear to run consecutively as a single continuous shot; the floral subject matter is consistent with nature or stylised imagery that could appear in a Pokémon theatrical trailer from 1999.
Era check
A variable-area optical track on 35mm colour print stock is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print, as digital soundtrack formats were supplementary and optical remained standard.
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
