Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in November 1999 through Warner Bros., riding the crest of a cultural phenomenon that had swept American children's media that year. Produced by 4Kids Entertainment and OLM, the film brought the animated series to theaters with new footage and the "Mewtwo Strikes Back" storyline, grossing well over eighty million dollars domestically. For many young audiences it was a first theatrical experience tied to a show they already loved, and the marketing push, including trailers distributed on 35mm to theaters nationwide, became part of the larger merchandising wave that defined Pokémon's early American presence.
This cell comes from a trailer reel, a promotional strip meant to announce the film before its release and stir anticipation in theaters. Mewtwo stands as the production's central figure, a genetically engineered Pokémon whose arc of isolation and power drove the feature's emotional weight. Trailer material featuring Mewtwo is sought by collectors for its role in introducing the character's gravity to wide audiences ahead of the film itself. A card bearing Mewtwo's presence marks a pivotal advertising beat, the moment the antagonist was positioned as the story's defining force.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release-print trailer for Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds four frames, all running across the width of the picture.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes; no torn, missing or distorted perforations seen.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks beside the picture, with Dolby Digital data blocks in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations; no DTS or SDDS visible.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base tinted light blue at the edges, with a neutral-to-cool blue dye image and no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No lines, scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; four consecutive frames of one shot showing a glowing 'MEWTWO' title card, consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Optical tracks combined with Dolby Digital data blocks fit a late-1990s 35mm release print, matching a 1999 theatrical 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
