Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in theaters in November 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, following a promotional run that began in 1999 with teaser trailers designed to build anticipation for the franchise's leap to the big screen. As Pokémania swept the United States, these early trailers served as some of the first moving-picture glimpses American audiences had of the characters beyond the television series, making them historically significant artifacts of the franchise's theatrical debut and the broader collectible card and toy boom surrounding it.
This piece preserves a moment from that trailer material featuring Meowth, the wisecracking, upright-walking Pokémon aligned with Team Rocket, a favorite among collectors for his rare ability to speak human language and his comedic role within the trio. The Viking boat setting places this within Team Rocket's schemes, a recurring device in the series where the group adopts elaborate disguises and vehicles for their pursuits. As a trailer cell, it represents Warner Bros.'s early marketing push, capturing a single frame meant to entice audiences before the film's wide release.
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 two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the bottom edge, appearing as a dual-track (bilateral) variable-area format; Dolby Digital data blocks are also visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the bottom edge, indicating a hybrid optical/Dolby Digital soundtrack area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight cyan-teal tint consistent with modern safety stock; the dye image reads as neutral with no visible colour shift or fading.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot and the animated character visible is consistent with the Pokémon franchise as recorded.
Era check
The hybrid variable-area optical plus Dolby Digital inter-perforation data block soundtrack configuration is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print, as this combination was standard for 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
