Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999, riding the first wave of Pokémania as Warner Bros. and Nintendo capitalized on a franchise that had overtaken playgrounds and Saturday morning television alike. The teaser campaign preceding it was itself a cultural event, promising audiences their first look at Mewtwo, a bioengineered Pokémon whose existence had only been hinted at in the games and anime. For a generation of young collectors, this trailer was the first trusted preview of a feature film built around their favorite characters, making any surviving theatrical promotional material from this release a tangible piece of that original anticipation.
This cell preserves a moment from that trailer in which Mewtwo asserts authority over cloned Pokémon, here represented by Gyarados and Scyther. Mewtwo stands as the film's central figure, a clone created from Mew's DNA whose arc of rebellion and command drives the movie's plot, making it one of the most sought-after characters from the franchise's early theatrical era. A trailer cell like this one functions as a fragment of promotional history, built to entice audiences before the full story unfolds. The presence of cloned Pokémon alongside Mewtwo underscores the authority and menace central to this early chapter of the saga.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of the Pokémon: The First Movie trailer.
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, consistent with 35mm; the strip holds a single frame.
Perforations
Four perforations on the top edge and four on the bottom, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded corners; the bottom row alternates with speckled Dolby data blocks.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with speckled Dolby Digital data blocks sitting in the gaps between the perforations on the bottom edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear pale-blue base with a neutral dye image; no red shift or fading seen.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices on this frame.
Picture
Positive colour image, a single frame so no consecutive run to judge; the animated characters are consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Optical tracks plus Dolby Digital blocks fit a late-1990s 35mm release print or trailer, which suits a 1999 title.
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 000069867
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
