Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's bid to carry the franchise's television momentum onto the big screen, backed by a promotional campaign that saturated theaters and television alike. The trailer itself became a cultural marker of the era, introducing American audiences to Mewtwo's origin and the broader Pokémon mythology ahead of the film's wide release. For collectors, trailer material from this period holds particular interest as a snapshot of how the franchise was positioned for crossover success beyond its core fanbase.
This cell draws its value from Mew, the rare and foundational Pokémon whose mystery and connection to Mewtwo anchored much of the film's promotional intrigue. As a trailer cell rather than a frame from the finished feature, it represents the marketing apparatus built to generate anticipation, a single surviving fragment of the reel used to introduce audiences to this world. Pairing Mew with the wider cast of Pokémon in the same frame reflects the trailer's purpose: establishing scale and familiarity before the narrative proper unfolds.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout, with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds about four frames, the outer two partly cropped by the capture.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes and no visible tears or missing sprocket holes.
Soundtrack
Two wavy white variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, and speckled Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue-tinted base at the edges, with the dye image looking neutral and saturated rather than faded or red-shifted.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the animated Pokémon artwork matches the film on record.
Era check
Analog optical tracks plus Dolby Digital data blocks on a blue-tinted base are consistent with a late-1990s release print of the film on record.
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
