Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo capitalized on the franchise's explosive American debut, pairing the feature with a Pikachu short and a merchandising blitz that made it one of the defining theatrical events of the Pokémon craze. The trailer campaign that preceded it was essential to building anticipation, teasing the film's central mythology to an audience already primed by the television series and trading cards. These trailer strips are now sought after as artifacts of that first wave of Pokémon mania in theaters.
This cell comes from that trailer reel and bears Mew's name, placing it at the heart of the film's origin story, since Mew's genetic material is the basis for Mewtwo, the movie's central figure. As one of the franchise's rarest and most mythologized creatures, Mew draws steady collector interest whenever its likeness appears on film. A trailer cell carrying its name marks an early public glimpse of that mythology, preserved from the promotional reel rather than the feature itself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm, with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds four frames, each partly cropped by the curve of the capture.
Perforations
Four perforations per frame on both the top and bottom edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle in shape and cleanly punched with no visible tears.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track of two wavy white lines runs along the lower edge, and Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Neutral to slightly cool clear base with a pale blue tint at the edges; the dye image looks saturated with no obvious fading.
Projection history
No lines, scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and nothing in them contradicts the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: an optical track paired with Dolby Digital data between the perforations fits a 1999 35mm theatrical print.
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
