Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999 through Warner Bros., distributed on behalf of Nintendo and Kids WB at the height of Pokémon's initial surge through American pop culture. The trailer that preceded it played a key role in that rollout, built to convert a television phenomenon into a theatrical event for a generation of young fans and their families. As one of the earliest Pokémon properties to reach American film prints, this trailer material holds a foundational place in that crossover, marking the moment the franchise proved it could command the big screen alongside its established place on home television.
This cell gathers Ash Ketchum with his core roster, Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Scyther, Gyarados, and Nidoqueen, a lineup that reads as a roll call of the franchise's most recognizable early faces. Ash remains the series' central trainer and audience surrogate, while Pikachu stands as the property's defining mascot, sought by collectors above nearly any other figure in this era of material. The pairing of trainer and team in a single trailer cell speaks to the promotional instinct to show scale and variety at a glance, a single frame doing the work of introducing an entire cast to prospective moviegoers before the feature itself had even begun.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive release print of Pokémon: The First Movie Trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle shape and cleanly punched, with no visible tearing or damage.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations; no Dolby Digital blocks, DTS timecode or SDDS tracks are visible.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue edge tint; the dye image looks neutral to slightly cool, with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on the three frames.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames repeat one continuous shot, and the animated characters are consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
A two-track optical track on a clear-base positive print is consistent with a 1999 35mm release print, though Dolby Digital data between the lower perforations is not visible here.
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 000069772
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
