Warner Bros. released Pokémon: The First Movie in November 1999, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept through American culture via the Game Boy titles, the trading card phenomenon, and the daily afternoon cartoon. The film adapted Japanese source material for Western audiences and became a genuine box office event, proving that a property born from handheld games and syndicated television could command theatrical numbers. Its trailer campaign was part of that machine, priming a young fanbase for a big-screen outing built around Mewtwo and the franchise's core cast, and this promotional material remains a snapshot of that crossover moment.
This cell brings together Ash Ketchum with three of the franchise's most recognized creatures, Pikachu, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, the trio most closely tied to the earliest games and the show's original starter roster. As a trailer piece, it belongs to the promise-and-preview stage of a film's marketing, meant to establish tone and lineup before audiences ever sat down for the feature. For collectors, grouping these four names together is the appeal: protagonist and companions assembled in a single strip, a compact record of the franchise's founding ensemble at the height of its first theatrical push.
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 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 missing perforations.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single bilateral variable-area track; a band of what appears to be Dolby Digital data blocks is also visible in the inter-perforation zone on the same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote any text or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a slight cool-neutral tint; the dye image reads as saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal abrasion lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the animated content is consistent with the Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer (1999) on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with apparent Dolby Digital data blocks in the perforation zone is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print, as that dual-format encoding was standard for major studio releases of that period.
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
