Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999 through Warner Bros., riding the crest of Pokémania as the franchise expanded from handheld games and a television series into a full theatrical feature. Produced in Japan and distributed stateside with added footage, it marked the brand's first major cinematic push and became a cultural touchstone for a generation of young fans. The trailer that preceded its release played a key role in building anticipation, introducing moviegoers to the stakes and scale promised by the feature while reinforcing the core cast that had already become household names through the series.
This cell preserves a moment from that promotional reel, gathering Ash Ketchum alongside Pikachu, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, the central trainer and his foundational team as recognized by longtime fans. Pairing the human lead with this trio speaks to the found-family dynamic at the heart of the franchise, each creature representing an early, formative bond. For collectors, a trailer cell holds particular interest as a piece of pre-release promotional history, a physical fragment of the campaign that introduced the film to American audiences before its wider cultural wave took hold.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three full frames with a sliver of a fourth at the left end.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with rounded-rectangle holes and no torn, missing or stretched perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with a dashed line above it, and Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a faint pale blue-green cast along the edges; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the strip looks clean on the light panel.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the animated cartoon style is plausible for the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print, since the analogue optical track plus Dolby Digital data between the perforations is the standard format for 1999 theatrical prints.
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 000069788
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
