Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of the franchise's explosive American debut. The film brought Pokémon from television screens to theaters at the height of nationwide mania, introducing audiences to Mewtwo while leaning on established favorites to anchor the marketing push. Trailers for the film circulated widely that year, building anticipation across a fanbase still new to the brand but already fiercely devoted, making this a key artifact of the franchise's earliest theatrical crossover moment.
This cell comes from the trailer itself, the promotional reel built to stir excitement ahead of release rather than to carry the film's actual plot. Charizard appears here, one of the franchise's most recognizable and sought-after creatures, prized by collectors for its stature as a flagship design. The phrase Charizard Attacks! points to a moment of action and spectacle chosen deliberately for promotional impact, the kind of beat studios select to demonstrate power and draw crowds. For collectors, a trailer cell featuring Charizard represents an early, promotional-era touchstone tied directly to the character's rise to iconic status.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive print strip from the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout: perforations on both edges, four per frame, with four frames visible on the strip.
Perforations
Four per frame along both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes; no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
Two white variable-area optical tracks run between the picture and the lower perforations; Dolby Digital blocks, DTS timecode and SDDS tracks are not visible in this capture.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Pale blue-teal tint on the outer edge margins; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no obvious fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No lines, scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames run consecutively as one continuous shot, and the animated style is plausible for the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Dual optical tracks beside the picture on a 35mm positive are consistent with a late-1990s release print, though the strip alone does not confirm a specific print type.
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
