Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in late 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of a cultural wave that had already swept through trading cards, handheld games, and a hit television series. The theatrical trailer circulated widely in the months before release, introducing American audiences to Mewtwo's origin story while reassuring them that familiar faces would anchor the experience. For many collectors, this trailer represents the franchise's first true theatrical push, a moment when Pokémon crossed from Saturday morning programming into multiplex marketing campaigns.
This cell gathers Ash Ketchum alongside Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Scyther, and Gyarados, a roster spanning the franchise's earliest and most recognizable creatures. Ash remains the series' constant, the trainer through whom audiences experience every encounter, while Pikachu stands as the mascot most responsible for the brand's reach. The inclusion of Scyther and Gyarados alongside the starter trio suggests a trailer cell built to showcase variety and scale, promising audiences a wider world beyond the television roster. As a piece of trailer material, this frame functioned to entice rather than narrate, assembling familiar characters to signal continuity between show and film.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive release-print strip of the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout, four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds four frames, with the first and last cut off at the sides.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with rounded-rectangle holes and no visible tears or missing perforations.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations, with two parallel tracks showing a stereo modulation pattern; no Dolby Digital blocks or DTS line visible.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue tint at the edges; the dye image looks neutral with saturated colours and no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on the frames.
Picture
Positive colour image; the four frames repeat one near-identical shot and run consecutively, and the animated Pokémon characters match the film on record.
Era check
A stereo optical track on a blue-edged 35mm base with a positive animated image is consistent with a 1999 release print of this 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
