Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's bid to carry a television phenomenon onto the big screen, pairing Mewtwo Strikes Back with the short Pikachu's Vacation. Riding the height of Pokémania in North America, the release was preceded by a wave of promotional trailer prints distributed to theaters, part of the marketing machinery that introduced a generation to the franchise's cinematic ambitions. These trailer reels are now scarce artifacts of that early, frenzied rollout, predating the feature's wide release and standing as some of the earliest theatrical film elements tied to the Pokémon brand in America.
This cell comes from that promotional reel, centered on Pikachu, the franchise's signature character and its most recognizable ambassador. A trailer cell draws from the preview reel used to build anticipation ahead of a film's release, distinct from the finished feature print. The described moment, Pikachu jumping, points to an energetic beat meant to showcase the character's liveliness for audiences deciding whether to see the film. For collectors, Pikachu material from this trailer holds particular appeal, marking a foundational piece of the character's theatrical history.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1998).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations span each frame along both edges, and the strip holds four complete frames plus slivers of a fifth at each end.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes; none look torn, missing or distorted.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, and the Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
The clear base reads cyan-blue at the edges and the dye image looks neutral and saturated, with no red shift or fading.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the strip looks clean on this light panel.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames run consecutively as one continuous shot, and the yellow character on a blue sky matches the film on record.
Era check
Dolby Digital blocks plus an optical analogue track on a 35mm print fit a late-1990s release print, so the soundtrack format suits a 1998 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
