Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999 through Warner Bros., distributing 4Kids Entertainment's adaptation of the Japanese feature Mewtwo Strikes Back. It landed at the height of Pokémania, when the franchise dominated toy aisles, television schedules, and playgrounds alike. The film's box office success proved that the Pokémon brand could carry a theatrical run, and the trailer campaign that preceded it became a cultural touchstone in its own right, promising audiences their first big-screen encounter with the creatures they had only known from cards and cartridges.
This cell comes from that trailer, the promotional reel built to stir anticipation before the feature itself played. It centers on Mew, the rare and mythical Pokémon whose mystique made it a prized figure among collectors from the start. Here Mew is caught in a moment of preparation before attacking, a beat chosen for the trailer precisely because it teases conflict and power without resolving it. For collectors, this moment captures Mew at its most enigmatic, poised on the edge of action.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds four frames, running consecutively across the panel.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle shape and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing holes seen.
Soundtrack
A twin variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, and the strip also carries Dolby Digital data blocks in the gaps between the perforations on the sound edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue cast at the edges; the dye image looks neutral to slightly warm in the dark areas, with no obvious fading.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; one frame shows a faint ring that is likely the phone camera's reflection.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames run consecutively as one shot, and the picture appears consistent with the Pokémon film on record, with the pink energy sphere and creature figure.
Era check
A twin optical track together with Dolby Digital blocks is consistent with a 35mm release trailer print from 1999.
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
