SCENEAsh, Pikachu, Squirtle and Bulbasaur - Transition Cell
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR1999
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000002769
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the United States in November 1999, distributed by Warner Bros. after Nintendo and Pikachu Project 4°C brought the Japanese production stateside. It landed at the height of Pokémania, when the franchise dominated playgrounds, television schedules, and toy aisles, and its theatrical trailer became part of that marketing blitz, airing ahead of the feature to build anticipation for Ash's first big-screen outing. For collectors, trailer reels from this period mark a specific moment when Pokémon crossed from television phenomenon into cinema event, making surviving 35mm material a tangible piece of that transition.
This cell comes from the trailer itself, a promotional strip meant to preview the film's scope rather than a scene from the finished movie. It gathers Ash Ketchum alongside Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Scyther, pairing the franchise's central trainer and his signature partner with two fan-favorite starter Pokémon and the more unusual inclusion of Scyther. As a transition cell, it likely served to move the trailer between beats, making it a document of how the film's ensemble was introduced to early audiences.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout, with four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes; the lower edge perforations sit between the soundtrack and the blue-tinted margin.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations, with a dashed line above it and a speckled pattern between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Pale blue-tinted margins with an otherwise clear, neutral base; the dye image looks saturated and unfaded.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on these three frames.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames repeat the same shot consecutively, and the animated artwork is consistent with a Pokémon film trailer.
Era check
The two-track optical soundtrack on a 35mm positive is consistent with a 1999 release trailer print, and the animation matches the film on record.
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 000069770
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
