Pokémon: The Movie Trailer (1999) arrived as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's early effort to carry the Pokémon phenomenon from television and trading cards onto the big screen, part of the promotional push surrounding Pokémon: The First Movie. The craze was at its American peak that year, and trailer prints like this one were struck in limited numbers for theatrical promotion, making surviving 35mm fragments from this campaign scarce relics of the franchise's first cinematic push.
This cell preserves a moment of Pikachu in mid jump, the character at the center of the Pokémon brand and the figure most responsible for its crossover appeal beyond dedicated fans. A jumping pose suggests energy and movement, qualities trailers relied on to signal excitement and draw audiences into theaters before the feature itself existed in most markets. As a trailer cell rather than a frame from the finished film, it belongs to the promotional material that introduced Pikachu to moviegoers, a small piece of the marketing campaign that helped launch Pokémon into American cinemas.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Kodak 2383 release print of the Pokémon: The Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations span each frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, with cleanly punched rounded-rectangle holes and no visible tears or missing perfs.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with Dolby Digital data blocks visible in the gaps between the perforations on the sound edge.
Edge print
Reads as mirrored text: "2383 187 341 1 30 KODAK 28 1999 L", with a small square mark at the end of the line.
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue-cyan tint at the edges and sound area; the dye image looks saturated and neutral with no visible fading.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the frames look clean and unmarked.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one continuous shot, and the cartoon-style content is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
Kodak 2383 print stock with a 1999 date code, optical plus Dolby Digital tracks, and cyan-tinted base all fit a 1999 theatrical release 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 000069922
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
