Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999, distributed by Warner Bros. after Nintendo and the Pokémon Company's merchandising juggernaut had already swept through television and toy aisles worldwide. Built around the animated feature Mewtwo Strikes Back, the release marked the franchise's leap to the big screen during the height of "Pokémania," pairing the main film with the Pikachu's Vacation short. The trailer campaign that preceded it is remembered by collectors as a snapshot of that cultural peak, printed and circulated on 35mm ahead of the main attraction.
This cell comes from that trailer reel, centered on Meowth, James, and Jessie, Team Rocket's familiar trio whose comic schemes provided the series' recurring levity. Their vehicles were a running gag throughout the show, and a Viking ship conveyance fits that tradition of eccentric, theatrical transport built for spectacle and mischief. Trailer cells like this one hold appeal for collectors precisely because they predate the feature itself, capturing promotional material crafted to sell anticipation rather than narrative, a moment manufactured purely to tease audiences waiting for the full film.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive release print of the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout: four perforations per frame on both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame along both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle shape, cleanly punched with no tears or missing holes visible.
Soundtrack
Two white variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, plus a dashed line above them; no Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a faint blue-cyan edge tint; 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 image looks clean and even across all three frames.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the animated style fits the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a 1999 release print: an optical stereo track, a positive colour image on clear base, and no digital data blocks.
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 000069833
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
