Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999, released by Warner Bros. after Nintendo and 4Kids brought the franchise's anime engine to the big screen at the height of Pokémania. Built around the rivalry between Mewtwo and Mew, it served as both a feature film and an extended commercial for the toy and card empire behind it, cementing Pokémon's crossover from Saturday morning television into mainstream American pop culture during its brief but total takeover of playgrounds and store shelves.
This piece comes from the trailer reel, the promotional preview cut ahead of the film's release, meant to stir anticipation rather than tell the story outright. Mew is the rarest and most mythologized of the original 151, the psychic ancestor said to contain the DNA of every Pokémon, and its presence anchors the film's central conflict. For collectors, a trailer cell bearing Mew alone carries weight beyond the feature itself, tied to the marketing push that turned this creature into the era's most sought after icon.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible torn or deformed perforations.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track analog optical stripe.
Base shows a cyan-teal tint consistent with color print stock; dye image appears neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
Faint horizontal lines are visible across the lower portion of the frame area, consistent with a projected print.
Picture
Positive color image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames of a single shot, consistent with a theatrical trailer print for the film on record.
Era check
The Kodak 2383 print stock, the 1999 key number date, and the analog variable-area optical track are all consistent with a 1999 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
