Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999, riding the crest of Pokémania as Nintendo's franchise expanded from handheld games and television into a theatrical feature distributed by Warner Bros. The film introduced Mewtwo to a generation of young audiences and became a cultural touchstone, cementing Pokémon's place in late-90s pop culture and opening the door for a long-running series of animated films that followed.
This cell preserves a piece of the trailer reel announcing that feature, the title card itself, the moment on film where the name of the movie is presented to the audience ahead of the story to come. As a promotional strip rather than a scene from the narrative, it belongs to the materials used to build anticipation in theaters, part of the machinery of release rather than the finished film. For collectors, these reels hold value as physical remnants of a marketing campaign tied to a defining franchise entry, a tactile artifact from the exact season when Pokémon crossed into theatrical history.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame appear on both edges, and the strip holds four frames, with the outer two cropped by the strip's curve.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track of two wavy parallel white lines runs along the lower edge, and grey Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue clear base at both edges; the dye image looks neutral, with deep blues and a yellow logo and no visible fading.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames repeat one title card and match the film on record, reading 'Pokémon The First Movie' over a blue starburst.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: an analog optical track paired with Dolby Digital data blocks suits a 1999 theatrical trailer on 35mm.
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
