Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo's licensing machine, riding the crest of Pokémania at its American peak. The film brought the franchise's first and most formidable creation, Mewtwo, to the multiplex, pairing him with the familiar Mewtwo Strikes Back narrative that had already captivated audiences in Japan. For many young American viewers this was an introduction to the franchise on the big screen, and the marketing campaign, including trailers like this one, became part of the cultural saturation of that summer. The movie's box office success cemented Pokémon's place in theatrical animation history and made Mewtwo an enduring symbol of the brand.
This cell preserves a trailer frame built around Mewtwo alone, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose creation and purpose drive the film's central conflict. As a trailer image, it belongs to the promotional apparatus meant to tease audiences before the feature itself, built to let a single figure carry the weight of anticipation. Mewtwo's solo presence here reflects his standing as the film's defining character, the one whose existence and inner struggle anchor the story's stakes. Collectors prize material centered on him precisely because he represents the franchise's most ambitious early attempt at depth, menace, and tragedy, qualities trailers of the era worked hard to hint at.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations span each frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with Dolby Digital data blocks in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations; no DTS timecode or SDDS seen.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Pale blue-tinted base along the edges; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the strip looks clean, with no evident projection wear.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the character seen is consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print, since an optical track combined with Dolby Digital blocks matches the Dolby-era format of a 1999 theatrical 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 000069819
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
