Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999, distributed by Warner Bros. after Nintendo and Pikachu Project 4°C brought the Japanese animated feature to a Western audience riding the height of Pokémon's cultural takeover. The trailer campaign that preceded it was essential to building anticipation, teasing the long awaited leap from television to the big screen and the showdown between Mew and its clone, Mewtwo. These promotional reels circulated in theaters months ahead of release, making surviving frames a window into how the franchise sold itself at its commercial peak.
This cell comes from that trailer footage, preserving a moment built around Mew, the rare and mythical Pokémon whose scarcity in the games made it a prized discovery for a generation of players. Mew dodging an attack points to the film's early emphasis on its elusive, playful nature before the darker themes of Mewtwo's creation take hold. A trailer cell like this captures the marketing push itself, the brief glimpse meant to hook audiences, and it holds appeal for collectors drawn to Mew's legendary status and to the historical record of how the movie was introduced to the public.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer strip of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, which matches 35mm; the strip holds about three and a half frames, with one full frame and partial frames at each end.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes; no torn, missing or distorted perforations seen.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, and the gaps between the lower-edge perforations hold speckled blocks consistent with Dolby Digital data; no DTS line or SDDS tracks visible.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a light-blue tint at the edges; the picture dye image looks neutral to cool, with no red shift or fading seen at this size.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen; a few small dark specks sit within the picture area, and the strip is slightly curved on the panel.
Picture
Positive image; the frames run consecutively as one shot with only small movement between them, and the animated look suits the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: dual optical analogue tracks plus Dolby Digital blocks fit 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
