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OFFICIAL MOTION PICTURE FILM AUTHENTICATION
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell 000068741 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEPokémon: The First Movie Trailer
SCENEClones Charizard & Blastoise
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR1999
CERTIFICATE ID000068741

FILM NOTES

FILM NOTES

Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 through Warner Bros., riding the crest of the franchise's first great wave of American popularity. Adapted and expanded from Japanese source material by 4Kids Entertainment and Nintendo's licensing machine, the picture introduced Mewtwo to a mainstream audience and became a genuine cultural event, pulling children and collectors alike into theaters. Its promotional trailer campaign was instrumental in building anticipation, circulating in advance of release to stoke demand across a fanbase already primed by the trading card game and television series.

This cell preserves a strip from that trailer, a reel of 35mm film built to generate excitement rather than tell the full story. Its subject is the cloning of Charizard and Blastoise, two of the franchise's most recognizable and sought-after creatures, both final evolutions prized by collectors for their power and popularity. Their appearance here ties directly into the film's central conceit, Mewtwo's artificial replication of famous Pokémon, a plot device that drove much of the movie's marketing and remains a touchstone for fans of this era.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, the 35mm layout; the strip holds four frames, the leftmost and rightmost partly cut off at the strip ends.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched; the lower edge shows a speckled band between holes.
Soundtrack
Two white variable-area optical tracks run along the lower edge, and a speckled band of data-like blocks sits between the lower perforations, consistent with Dolby Digital data.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base looks pale blue, backlit; the dye image is saturated, with blues, oranges and reds and no obvious fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No lines, scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size.
Picture
Positive colour image; the four frames repeat near-identical artwork as one continuous held shot; nothing contradicts the film on record, though the frames alone do not confirm it.
Era check
Dual optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations is consistent with a 1999 35mm release print, though it does not identify the title.
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