Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's bid to translate the era's biggest television phenomenon into a theatrical event, and the trailer circulating that year primed audiences with glimpses of a story built around Mewtwo and the elusive original, Mew. The film's box office success proved the franchise could anchor a feature release, making promotional material from this window a marker of Pokémon's crossover into mainstream American cinema.
This cell comes from that trailer reel, a preview strip meant to tease the feature without giving away its full plot. Mew, one of the most sought after figures in the Pokémon mythos due to its rarity within the games and its central role in the film's premise, appears here in a moment of evasive movement, dodging some unseen threat or pursuit. For collectors, Mew trailer material holds particular appeal since the character's screen time even in promotional form was scarce, making this a scarce glimpse of the franchise's most mysterious original.
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; spacing appears even and the punched edges look 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 narrow Dolby Digital data-block strip also appears to be present in the inter-perforation zone on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight blue-green tint typical of safety acetate or polyester stock; the dye image reads with a dominant violet-purple cast, which appears to be the intended image palette rather than a colour shift.
Projection history
Light longitudinal scratching is visible along the lower edge of the picture area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot with no visible cut between them, and the animated character visible is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, apparent Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and blue-green tinted safety base is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print production 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
