Crown Grading
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FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999, distributed by Warner Bros. after Nintendo's creature-collecting franchise had already conquered television, trading cards, and handheld gaming across the globe. Its promotional trailer circulated in advance to theaters as a teaser for the animated feature, built from selected footage meant to stir anticipation among a fan base still riding the height of Pokémon mania. As one of the earliest American-market trailers for the franchise's theatrical debut, this strip of 35mm film holds a place in the broader story of how the brand made its leap from screens at home to the big screen.
This cell preserves a moment from that trailer identified as Pikachu Crying, placing the franchise's central mascot at an emotional point within the preview's assembled highlights. Pikachu's presence alone makes this a desirable piece, as the character remains the most recognized face of the entire Pokémon property. A trailer cell differs from a film cell proper in that it comes from promotional material cut specifically to sell the picture before release, giving it a distinct place in the collecting hierarchy. The named sorrowful moment reflects the emotional register the marketing team chose to include, suggesting the film's trailer promised more than simple adventure.
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer for Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
- Gauge
- Four perforations per frame on both edges, the 35mm layout, with the strip holding four frames, the first and last cropped by the strip's ends.
- Perforations
- Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes that look evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing perforations seen.
- Soundtrack
- A pair of variable-area optical tracks runs beside the picture, with Dolby Digital data blocks in the gaps between the perforations on the soundtrack edge; no DTS timecode or SDDS seen.
- Edge print
- Not visible in this capture
- Base & colour
- Clear base with a neutral to slightly cool cast against the blue-grey panel, and the yellow and orange dyes look saturated rather than faded or red-shifted.
- Projection history
- No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the one oval ring on a single frame is camera reflection and is ignored.
- Picture
- Positive image, frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the yellow character with red cheeks and lightning-bolt tail fits a Pokémon trailer.
- Era check
- Consistent with a late-1990s 35mm release print, since Dolby Digital blocks between perforations with analogue optical tracks fit a 1999 trailer.
