Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo's growing American media push, bringing Pikachu and company to theaters at the height of Pokémania. The trailer campaign that preceded it was a crucial piece of the film's rollout, stoking anticipation among a fanbase that had only known these creatures through handheld games and a television series. For many young audiences, this was their first glimpse of the Pokémon universe rendered on the big screen, which made trailer material a hot commodity in its own right, circulating well before the film's actual release date.
This cell centers on Blastoise alongside its cloned counterpart, a pairing that speaks directly to the film's central premise of genetic duplication and the ethical questions Mewtwo's creation raised. Blastoise, one of the original starter evolutions from the first generation of Pokémon, carries deep nostalgic weight for collectors who grew up with the franchise's earliest games and cards. Pairing the original against its clone within a single trailer frame underscores the doubling theme that ran throughout the marketing and the movie itself, making this a desirable artifact for anyone building out early Pokémon film history.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive release trailer print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle shape, cleanly punched with no tears or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations, appearing as two parallel waveform tracks; Dolby Digital blocks, DTS timecode and SDDS are not seen.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear, slightly cool blue-grey base; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on the three frames or the track area.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the animated style is plausible for the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s 35mm release print: a stereo optical track and a positive colour image on a clear base fit 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 000069893
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
