CrownGrading Pro
Crown Portal
Submit cards Submissions Start your submissions Submission walkthrough Grading process Pre-Grade estimator Film authentication Programs Crown Ascension Crown Royal Tier Resources About Crown CrownStandard Knowledge Center CrownVault Contact Crown Portal
Ready to grade your cards? Submit Cards →
Crown Grading

Crown Grading

OFFICIAL MOTION PICTURE FILM AUTHENTICATION
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell 000068765 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEPokémon: The First Movie Trailer
SCENEMew Close-Up
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR1999
CERTIFICATE ID000068765

FILM NOTES

Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's joint bid to prove that the pocket monster phenomenon could command the big screen, not just television and trading cards. Backed by an enormous marketing push, the trailer itself became a cultural artifact, previewing Mewtwo's origin story to an audience already primed by years of anime episodes and merchandise. The film's box office success cemented Pokémon as a lasting franchise rather than a passing fad, and promotional material from this release remains highly sought after as a marker of that transition from TV series to theatrical event.

This cell preserves a trailer moment built around Mew, the rare and mythical Pokémon whose scarcity within the games and show made it an object of fascination long before the movie explained its connection to Mewtwo. Paired here with Mega Mewtwo Y, the frame points to the mirrored lineage between original and clone, a relationship central to the film's plot and its enduring appeal to collectors drawn to origin imagery and early franchise promotion.

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, which is the 35mm layout; the strip holds four frames, with a fifth slightly cropped at the left edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both the top and bottom edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or damaged holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track, seemingly two tracks, runs between the picture and the lower perforations; the data pattern in the gaps between the lower perforations looks like Dolby Digital blocks.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue-teal edge tint; the dye image is vivid purple and magenta with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the oval spot on the third frame is camera reflection, not wear.
Picture
Positive colour image; the four frames run consecutively as one shot of the same purple subject, and the animated style matches the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a 1999 35mm release print, since a dual optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks was the standard late-1990s theatrical sound layout.
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