Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of the franchise's explosive American debut. The trailer that preceded it was a cultural event in its own right, screened ahead of countless features to prime audiences for a phenomenon still finding its footing in theaters. It promised spectacle beyond the television series: Mewtwo's origin, a darker tone, and battles rendered for the big screen. For a generation discovering Pokémon through cartridges and playground trades, this trailer was often the first signal that the story had grown larger than its original medium.
This cell preserves Blastoise as a clone, a detail tied directly to Mewtwo's genetic battleground late in the film. Blastoise, among the most recognizable starter evolutions, carries enduring collector appeal on its own, and the clone distinction adds a layer of narrative weight tied to the movie's central conflict. As a trailer frame, the cell belonged to the machinery of anticipation, a single preserved instant meant to tease rather than explain. For collectors, it stands as a tangible fragment of that promotional moment, predating the feature itself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of the Pokémon: The First Movie (1999) trailer.
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes and no visible tears or torn edges.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track of two bands runs beside the picture; Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Neutral to slightly cool clear base with a pale blue-tinted margin; the dye image looks saturated and unfaded.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices on the three frames.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames repeat one held shot consecutively, and the animated style is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print or trailer: analogue optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks between perforations suits a 1999 35mm print.
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 in partnership with National Film Vault, 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.
CROWN SERIAL 000069755
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
