Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo's rapidly expanding pocket-monster franchise, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept from Japan into American theaters. The trailer campaign that preceded it was a cultural event in its own right, introducing mainstream audiences to a darker, more philosophical entry than the television series had suggested, one built around cloning, identity, and conflict rather than simple adventure.
This cell isolates Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose origin and inner turmoil anchor the film's emotional weight, making him a natural focal point for collectors drawn to the franchise's more serious ambitions. As a trailer cell, this frame belonged to the promotional apparatus built to tease that story before release, a single fragment cut for advance screenings and theatrical previews. For collectors, it represents an early glimpse of Mewtwo positioned to audiences, a piece of the marketing history surrounding the character's introduction to Western viewers.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds four 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 one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical print; a dense dotted line separates it from the picture.
Edge print
The text reads mirrored as 'MEWTWO' repeated across the frame edge area; no manufacturer key numbers or SAFETY FILM text are legible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base shows a cool blue-tinted cast overall; the dye image reads with strong blue saturation and dark shadow areas, appearing neither faded nor red-shifted.
Projection history
Light horizontal banding is visible in the optical track area, consistent with evidence of projection; no splices or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the title card content is consistent with the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer on record.
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, blue-tinted polyester base, and dye saturation are all consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the late 1990s.
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
