Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's first attempt to bring the franchise to American theaters, riding the peak wave of Pokémania. The promotional trailer that preceded it was a critical marketing tool, teasing audiences with glimpses of Mewtwo, the film's central antagonist, before the feature ever hit screens. For collectors, these early promotional strips capture a moment when the property's cinematic ambitions were still unproven, making the trailer material a distinct artifact from the film itself.
This cell draws its meaning from its name: Mewtwo Commands The Clones. Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon at the heart of the movie's plot, is shown here in a position of authority, and Venusaur's presence points to one of the cloned Pokémon under that command. Collectors prize Mewtwo cells for the character's central role in the film's mythology and its enduring popularity. As a trailer excerpt, this piece belongs to the promotional lineage rather than the finished feature, preserving a moment built specifically to entice early audiences into theaters.
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 with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track analog optical stripe; Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks are also visible in the gaps between the perforations on that same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight cyan-green tint consistent with a color print stock; the dye image appears neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has been run through a projector.
Picture
Positive color image; the two frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated content is consistent with the Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer (1999) on record.
Era check
The combination of analog variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, cyan-base color print stock, and positive image is 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
