Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1998 in Japan and hit American theaters in November 1999, distributed by Warner Bros. as Nintendo's Pokémon franchise crossed over from television and trading cards into a full theatrical event. The trailer that circulated ahead of release was a cultural marker in its own right, introducing wider audiences to Mewtwo, the franchise's original genetically engineered antagonist, and stoking anticipation for a story built around cloning, identity, and conflict among Pokémon. This early promotional material remains a touchstone for collectors tracing the franchise's crossover into mainstream American pop culture.
This cell preserves a moment of command, with Mewtwo positioned as the dominant force directing cloned Pokémon, here represented by Venusaur and Pidgeot. Mewtwo's presence draws strong collector interest as the movie's central figure, a character whose psychic power and manufactured origin defined the film's stakes. Pairing it with Venusaur and Pidgeot situates the frame within the clone army sequence central to the trailer's promise of large scale Pokémon conflict. As a trailer cell, it exists to tease narrative tension rather than resolve it, offering a glimpse meant to draw audiences toward the full theatrical release.
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 four frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, 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
Base appears with a slight blue-green tint consistent with a colour safety stock; dye image shows strong saturated colour with no visible fading
Projection history
Light horizontal abrasion lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate
Picture
Positive colour image; all four frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with animated content from the Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer (1999)
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, Kodak edge coding dated 1999, and colour dye saturation are all consistent with a 35mm theatrical release or trailer 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
