Crown Grading
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FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's bid to translate a television and gaming phenomenon into a theatrical event, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept American youth culture. Built around 4Kids Entertainment's dubbing pipeline and paired with a Pikachu short subject, the release became a genuine box office surprise, proving the franchise could command theater attendance rather than just Saturday mornings and trading card aisles. For a generation of collectors, this was the moment Pokémon graduated from screen to spectacle.
This cell comes from the theatrical trailer, the reel cut together to build anticipation before the feature itself premiered. Mewtwo stands as the film's central figure, the engineered Pokémon whose origin and conflict drive the entire narrative, making this a foundational character appearance rather than a background frame. Trailer cells hold particular appeal for collectors since they represent the marketing artifact itself, the strip of film meant to sell the story before audiences ever saw the finished picture. A Mewtwo cell from this release anchors directly to the character most identified with the movie's legacy.
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 along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
- Edge print
- Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
- Base & colour
- The base shows a cool blue-neutral tint; the dye image appears stable with no visible fading or red shift.
- Projection history
- No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
- Picture
- Positive colour image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character style is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
- Era check
- The combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital data blocks in the perforation gaps is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print, as that dual-format configuration was standard for major studio releases of that period.
