Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept American pop culture. Built from a Japanese theatrical feature and padded with the original "Pikachu's Vacation" short for Western audiences, the film became a cultural event, drawing families and collectors of the trading card craze into theaters en masse. Its marketing campaign, including the trailer this cell derives from, primed audiences for the franchise's first true cinematic outing and cemented Mewtwo as a central figure in the Pokémon mythos from the outset.
This cell preserves a moment from that promotional reel centered on Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose creation and inner conflict drive the film's narrative. As a trailer piece, it belongs to the materials built to generate anticipation ahead of release, distinct from the finished feature's own printed elements. Mewtwo's design and philosophical weight made it an immediate collector favorite, a character defined by power and isolation rather than the franchise's usual charm. A close-up designation signals a moment meant to hold the character alone, without supporting cast, emphasizing Mewtwo's singular presence in the campaign.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer strip of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, so 35mm; the strip holds three full frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, with rounded-corner holes that look cleanly punched and uniform.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, and the strip carries Dolby Digital data blocks in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a faint cyan-blue edge tint; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; edges and frame lines look clean.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the animated artwork is consistent with an anime film such as the one on record.
Era check
Analog optical tracks plus Dolby Digital blocks on a 35mm print fit a late-1990s release print, so this is consistent with 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 000069813
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
