Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros., Nintendo, and 4Kids Entertainment, riding the crest of a cultural phenomenon that had already conquered television, trading cards, and handheld gaming. The trailer campaign preceding the film was engineered to pull in both devoted fans and newcomers, teasing the darker, more ambitious tone of Mewtwo's origin story. For many collectors, these early promotional frames mark the moment Pokémon proved its staying power beyond the small screen, transitioning into a full theatrical event that would dominate box offices that November.
This cell draws its significance from the pairing of originals against their cloned counterparts, specifically Charizard and Blastoise alongside their genetically engineered doubles. These two species rank among the most recognizable and sought after in the franchise, anchoring countless collections. A trailer cell such as this one exists to entice, offering a glimpse of conflict and duplication central to the film's premise, where cloned creatures challenge the very notion of identity. For archivists and enthusiasts alike, it preserves a promotional fragment from the moment Pokémon asserted itself as cinematic material.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print strip of the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three full frames side by side.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, with rounded-rectangle holes that look cleanly punched; the top-edge set is slightly offset from the bottom-edge set.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations; Dolby Digital blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations. No DTS timecode or SDDS tracks seen.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Pale blue-tinted base along both edges, with a neutral-to-warm dye image and no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible in the three frames.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames repeat essentially the same picture as one continuous shot, and the animated look fits the film on record.
Era check
The optical track combined with Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations is consistent with a late-1990s 35mm release print, which suits 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 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 000069762
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
