Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept American theaters. Adapted from the Japanese original with added footage for Western audiences, the film served as many kids' first big-screen anime experience, pairing Mewtwo's origin story with a Pikachu short. Its theatrical run was a cultural event, cementing Pokémon's place beyond television and trading cards into mainstream movie history, and its promotional trailer reels remain sought-after artifacts of that moment.
This cell comes from the trailer reel, the footage cut together to build anticipation before the feature itself arrived in theaters. It centers on Mew, the rare and mythical Pokémon whose DNA forms the basis of Mewtwo's creation and whose scarcity within the games and show made it an object of fascination for fans. Trailer cells carry a particular appeal for collectors, capturing a film's first public introduction rather than a moment from the finished print, and a cell built around Mew ties directly to the mystery that drove audiences toward the theater in 1999.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds four complete frames plus a sliver of a fifth at the right.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle punches that look cleanly cut, with no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations, with Dolby Digital data blocks visible in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a slight blue-cyan edge tint; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
A few tiny specks on the frames and a faint dark mark on the second frame; no splices, cue marks or long scratches seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames run consecutively as one continuous shot, and the animated character design is consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Dolby Digital blocks plus an optical track on a positive print fit a late-1990s theatrical release print, as expected for a 1999 trailer.
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
