Released in 1999 by Warner Bros. in North America under license from Nintendo and Toho, Pokémon: The First Movie brought the Pokémon phenomenon to American theaters at the height of its cultural saturation. Built around Mewtwo's origin story and paired with the short Pikachu's Vacation, the film became a box office success and a defining artifact of the franchise's early expansion into Western media. Its trailer campaign introduced wide audiences to the property's cinematic ambitions beyond television and trading cards, marking a transitional moment when Pokémon moved from a handheld game into a global entertainment brand with theatrical reach.
This piece preserves a 35mm frame from that trailer, specifically the logo title card announcing the film itself. Such a cell represents the moment a trailer establishes its subject, the instant where promotional footage resolves into the film's identity for the audience. Logo and title card frames are sought by collectors because they anchor a reel to its exact release and campaign, offering a tangible piece of the marketing rollout rather than a character study. For Pokémon's debut feature, this card marks the franchise's formal arrival on the big screen.
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, two of them cut off at the strip ends.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes and no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the perforations on the lower edge, with two thin white optical tracks running beside the picture.
Edge print
Blue edge print along the top reads, upside down, "2383 207 084 0 10 KODAK LZ 1997", with a small square mark at the end of the line.
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue tint at the edges and a neutral, saturated dye image in the picture area; no fading or red shift seen.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames repeat the same Pokémon: The First Movie title card on a blue starburst, consistent with the film on record.
Era check
Kodak 2383 print stock with Dolby Digital blocks and a two-track optical stripe is consistent with a 1999 release trailer print.
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
