Crown Grading
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FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Warner Bros. released Pokémon: The First Movie in November 1999, riding the crest of the franchise's explosive arrival in the West. Adapted from the Japanese animated feature Mewtwo Strikes Back, the film introduced American audiences to the genetically engineered Mewtwo and marked the first theatrical crossover of a video game and trading card phenomenon into mainstream cinema. For a generation raised on the games and cards, this was an event picture, and the promotional material circulated widely, making trailer ephemera from this release a sought-after category for collectors tracking the franchise's earliest theatrical push.
This cell, from a trailer reel, centers on Mewtwo, the film's central antagonist and one of the most recognizable creations in the Pokémon universe. A trailer cell exists to announce and entice, condensing anticipation into a single frame pulled from promotional footage rather than the finished feature. The phrase "Mewtwo Attacks!" names the moment directly: an act of aggression framed as a selling point, meant to signal conflict and stakes to audiences encountering this character for the first time on the big screen.
Consistent with a 35mm release print of the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer (1999).
- Gauge
- 35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, with three full frames and two partial frames at the strip ends in this capture.
- Perforations
- Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle shape, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing perforations seen.
- Soundtrack
- Two variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, and a band of Dolby Digital data blocks sits between the perforations on the sound edge.
- Edge print
- Not visible in this capture
- Base & colour
- Clear base with a cyan-blue edge tint; the dye image looks neutral with warm yellow-orange tones in the frames and no obvious fading.
- Projection history
- No lines, scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size.
- Picture
- Positive image; the frames run consecutively as one shot, and the pale Mewtwo-type character with a blue energy sphere matches the film on record.
- Era check
- Consistent with a late-1990s release print, since analogue optical tracks plus Dolby Digital data between the perforations were standard on 35mm prints of that period.
