Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the fall of 1999, a Warner Bros. theatrical release that brought Nintendo's juggernaut franchise to American screens at the height of Pokémania. Produced in Japan and localized for Western audiences, it paired the origin story of Mewtwo with a bonus Pikachu short, cementing the brand's crossover from television and trading cards into mainstream cinema. The trailer that preceded it was part of a massive marketing push, one of the most widely seen previews of its year, stoking anticipation among children and collectors alike for a character few had properly seen outside artwork and promotional teasers.
This cell preserves a moment from that trailer centered on Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose mystery and power drove the film's appeal. As a trailer cell, it belongs to the promotional reel rather than the feature itself, a fragment meant to tease rather than narrate, offering audiences their first theatrical glimpse of the character ahead of release. Collectors prize Mewtwo material for his central role in the franchise's early mythology and his rarity compared to more common Pikachu ephemera. A close-up designation marks this as a moment of direct focus on the character himself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
Four perforations per frame on both edges, consistent with 35mm; the strip holds three full frames plus a partial frame at each end.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes and no visible tears or damage.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with Dolby Digital data blocks visible in the gaps between the perforations on the sound edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light cyan-blue tint across the clear base; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
One faint thin vertical line appears in the upper part of the third frame; no splices or cue marks are seen at this size.
Picture
Positive colour image; the frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the cel-animated look is consistent with the animated film on record.
Era check
Two-track optical plus Dolby Digital data between the perforations fits a late-1990s 35mm release print, consistent with a 1999 trailer.
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
