Warner Bros. released Pokémon: The First Movie in American theaters in November 1999, riding the crest of the franchise's explosive arrival in the West. The trailer that preceded it was a cultural event in its own right, arriving in cinemas and on television months ahead of the feature to stoke a demand that was already reaching saturation among young audiences and collectors of the era's ephemera. For many fans this was their first glimpse of Pokémon rendered at feature scale, a signal that the property had moved beyond television and trading cards into full theatrical spectacle.
This cell preserves a promotional moment built around a gathering of four Pokémon: Hitmonlee, Venusaur, Sandslash, and Scyther. Each carries its own following among collectors, representing distinct design lineages and roles within the original roster, and their appearance together speaks to the trailer's purpose of showcasing the breadth and variety of the Pokémon world to newcomers and devoted fans alike. As a trailer cell rather than a scene from the finished film, it belongs to the marketing history of the franchise, a physical fragment of the campaign that introduced Pokémon to the movie-going public.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer strip of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three full frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with no visible tears or distortion.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture; Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations, with a thin dashed line above the optical tracks.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Pale blue-tinted clear base with a neutral to slightly warm perforation margin; dye image looks saturated, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on these three frames.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames are near-identical, consecutive frames of one shot, and the cartoon Pokémon artwork matches the film on record.
Era check
Optical track with Dolby Digital blocks between perforations suits a late-1990s 35mm release trailer, so the sound format is consistent with a 1999 print.
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 000069886
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
