Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the marketing wave that carried the Pokémon phenomenon from television into theaters in the United States, distributed to build anticipation for the franchise's theatrical debut. Warner Bros. handled the release push domestically, riding the momentum of a cultural moment when the franchise was at its commercial peak, with trading cards, games, and the animated series all converging on young audiences at once. Trailer material from this period is comparatively scarce on 35mm, since promotional reels were often recycled or discarded once their theatrical run ended, making surviving strips a niche but meaningful category for collectors of early franchise ephemera.
This cell preserves a moment built around Charizard, one of the franchise's most sought-after and visually commanding creatures, paired here with Ash Ketchum, the series' central trainer and audience surrogate. A close-up designation points to a moment of emphasis within the trailer's pacing, a beat meant to spotlight Charizard specifically as a draw for ticket buyers. For collectors, this pairing of Ash and Charizard in promotional material captures the franchise at its introductory peak, when the creature's popularity was already driving merchandise and media.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer strip for Pokémon: The Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four-perforation frame pitch is implied by the perforation layout on both edges, and the strip shows three frames, the third cut off at the right edge.
Perforations
Perforations run along both edges at about four per frame, evenly spaced, with rounded-rectangle holes that look cleanly punched and uniform.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with two modulated tracks, and Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
The base reads light blue-tinted at the edges with a neutral clear centre; the 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 across the three frames.
Picture
Positive image, three consecutive frames from one continuous shot; nothing in the picture contradicts the film on record, which is a Pokémon trailer with animated artwork.
Era check
Optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks on a standard 35mm base is consistent with a late-1990s release print or trailer, matching 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 000069911
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
