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OFFICIAL MOTION PICTURE FILM AUTHENTICATION
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell 000068710 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEPokémon: The First Movie Trailer
SCENEAsh & Pokemon
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR1999
CERTIFICATE ID000068710

FILM NOTES

Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the fall of 1999, riding the franchise's explosive crossover from Japanese card game and Game Boy cartridge into a full-blown American theatrical event. Warner Bros. distributed the film domestically, and its trailer campaign introduced countless non-fans to Ash Ketchum, Pikachu, and the Pokémon universe on the big screen for the first time. The movie's success marked a pivotal moment in late-nineties pop culture, cementing Pokémon as more than a passing fad and setting the template for the franchise's long run of animated features that followed.

This 35mm cell preserves a moment from that trailer, built around Ash and his Pokémon, the central pairing that anchors the entire series. Trailer cells like this one capture the promotional material used to build anticipation ahead of release, distinct from the finished film itself, and they appeal to collectors precisely because they document the marketing push that introduced a generation to these characters. For anyone assembling a record of Pokémon's theatrical debut, a piece tied directly to Ash and his companions represents a foundational artifact of that introduction.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).

Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with the rounded-rectangle shape expected of a 35mm print.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with Dolby Digital data blocks visible in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Blue edge print reads, as shown on the strip, "2383 207 084 0 10 K·ODAK 17 1999"; it appears reversed, so the strip is emulsion-up.
Base & colour
Light blue-tinted base; the dye image looks neutral with full colour, and no fading or red shift is visible.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the only mark is the camera reflection ring on the right frame, which is ignored.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the animated Pokémon artwork is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a 1999 release print: Kodak 2383 print stock, a 1999 date code, and a combined optical and Dolby Digital soundtrack.
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 Capture As received
The film strip as photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size