Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in theaters in November 1999 following its 1998 Japanese debut, brought to American audiences by Warner Bros. and Nintendo at the height of Pokémon's first great wave of popularity. The trailer campaign built anticipation for a story that pushed beyond the games and television series into original mythology, centering on Mewtwo, a genetically engineered Pokémon wrestling with questions of purpose and identity. For a generation of young fans, this was their first theatrical Pokémon experience, and the marketing around it remains a touchstone of that era's collectibles.
This cell captures a promotional moment built around Mewtwo's command over cloned Pokémon, with Venusaur and Gyarados standing among the ranks under its control. Mewtwo remains one of the franchise's most sought-after characters, prized for its central role in the film's conflict and its lasting popularity beyond it. A trailer cell like this one preserves an early public glimpse of the story, produced for advertising rather than the finished feature itself, making it a piece of the film's promotional history rather than the narrative proper. For collectors, it represents the moment audiences first sensed Mewtwo's authority and the scale of what the movie promised.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer (1999)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image shows rich saturated colour with no visible fading
Projection history
Light vertical scratch lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a projected print
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot matching the animated Pokémon film on record
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, saturated colour dye image, 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
