Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's first attempt to carry the franchise's television momentum into theaters. Its trailer campaign was central to that push, building anticipation for a story centered on Mewtwo and the mythical Mew before general audiences had any real sense of who either creature was. For a generation raised on the games and the animated series, this promotional material marked a bridge between small screen familiarity and big screen ambition, making trailer material from this era a notable piece of the franchise's early theatrical history.
This cell comes from that trailer footage and centers on Mew, the rare and elusive Pokémon whose mystique drove much of the film's marketing and plot. Mew's scarcity within the Pokémon universe makes any appearance a point of interest for collectors, especially in early promotional material where the character was still being introduced to a wide audience. The named moment, Mew dodging, speaks to the character's established reputation for evasiveness and quickness, a trait fans already associated with it. As trailer footage, this cell captures a piece of the film's advance publicity rather than the finished feature itself.
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 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 the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single variable-area mono or stereo track; a narrow secondary band consistent with a Dolby SR or stereo track is also present.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; the dye image reads with strong blue-violet and dark tones consistent with an unexpired colour print stock.
Projection history
No visible splices; faint longitudinal lines are present on some frames consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; the four frames run consecutively as a single continuous shot and the animated style is consistent with the Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer (1999) on record.
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack format, colour print stock base tint, and perforation style 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
