Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in US theaters in November 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of Pokémania at its commercial peak. Built around 4Kids' English dub of the Japanese feature, the film introduced Mewtwo to mainstream American audiences and became a cultural touchstone for a generation raised on the trading cards and the television series. Trailer reels from this release are scarce survivors of that promotional push, cut from 35mm prints distributed to theaters to build anticipation ahead of the film's run.
This cell comes from that trailer footage, isolating Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose origin story anchors the entire movie. Mewtwo's standing among collectors rests on its role as the film's central figure, a character built for drama and conflict rather than simple charm. A close-up in trailer material signals a moment meant to carry weight, chosen specifically to showcase the character ahead of release. Such pieces appeal to collectors seeking the earliest promotional artifacts tied to the franchise's theatrical debut.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer for Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three full frames plus a partial frame at each end.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle holes that look cleanly punched with no visible tears or missing holes.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track, appearing as two white waveform lines, runs beside the picture along one edge, with a speckled grey band between the perforations on that side. No Dolby Digital blocks visible.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue-cyan tinted base with a neutral-to-cool dye image; no obvious fading or red shift is visible.
Projection history
None seen at this size beyond a single round reflection on one frame, which is the camera reflected in the glossy base.
Picture
Positive image; the frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot and show an anime-style character, which is plausible for the Pokémon trailer on record.
Era check
The 35mm gauge with a variable-area optical track is consistent with a late-1990s release-print trailer, though the speckled band is not enough on its own to settle the sound format.
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
