Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of the franchise's first great wave of American popularity. It adapted the Japanese feature Mewtwo Strikes Back and paired it with the short Pikachu's Vacation, giving a generation of young fans their first theatrical taste of the Pokémon universe. The trailer that preceded it was a cultural event in its own right, teasing the film's mythology to audiences already steeped in the games and television series. It promised spectacle built around two of the franchise's most mysterious creatures, setting expectations for a story rooted in origin and imitation.
This cell preserves a moment belonging to Mew, the rare and ancient Pokémon whose existence sets the film's plot in motion. Mew's scarcity within Pokémon lore makes it a natural focal point for collectors, as the character represents both genetic origin and quiet legend within the series mythos. A trailer cell such as this captures film history at its promotional stage, the frame used to entice audiences rather than to tell the story itself. Holding a piece tied specifically to Mew connects a collector to the franchise's foundational myth, the single Pokémon from which the plot's central conflict is said to descend.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release trailer print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames, with the left and right ends cut through partial frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle punches, evenly spaced and cleanly cut, with no torn or missing perforations seen in this capture.
Soundtrack
A twin variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with Dolby Digital data blocks visible in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations; no DTS timecode line or SDDS tracks are visible.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
The base reads as a pale blue-green tint at the edges and neutral through the picture; the dye image looks saturated and is not visibly faded or red-shifted.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the frames look clean, with no visible projection wear.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one continuous shot of a pink-purple cat-like creature, consistent with Pokémon: The First Movie material.
Era check
A twin optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations is consistent with a late-1990s 35mm release trailer print, matching the 1999 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 000069795
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
