Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo's promotional machine, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept American theaters. The trailer itself was a cultural event in miniature, screened ahead of countless features to prime a generation for Mewtwo's cinematic debut. It marked the franchise's leap from handheld screens and Saturday morning cartoons into a full theatrical release, a moment that signaled just how far the brand had traveled in only a few years, and how seriously its studio partners now treated it as a box office contender.
This cell gathers an unusual roster for a single strip of trailer film, pairing the mythical Mew with a cross-section of the franchise's early roster: Gyarados, Hitmonlee, Ninetales, Rapidash, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pikachu, Nidoqueen, and Vaporeon. Mew's presence alone draws attention, given its rarity and mystique within the original 151. A trailer cell like this one functions as advance advertising, a condensed sampler meant to showcase scope and variety to audiences deciding whether to buy a ticket. For collectors, the appeal lies in that ensemble quality, a single frame standing in for the whole pantheon of the era.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release-print trailer strip of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three full frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-corner rectangular holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or damaged holes seen.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks run between the picture and the lower perforations; Dolby Digital data blocks sit between the lower perforations, and no DTS timecode or SDDS is visible.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear to slightly cool base with a pale blue-green tint at the outer edges; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no obvious fading.
Projection history
A few tiny yellowish specks sit in the Dolby data area; no scratches, cue marks or splices are seen at this size.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames repeat the same shot as consecutive frames, and the animated characters are consistent with the film on record.
Era check
Dolby Digital blocks plus a two-track optical analogue track on colour positive stock are consistent with a late-1990s 35mm release print or 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 000069823
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
