Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the marketing push surrounding Pokémon: The First Movie, the Warner Bros. theatrical release that brought the franchise to American cinemas at the height of Pokémania. The trailer served as an advance look at the film's story, introducing audiences to Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon at the center of the plot, and previewing the clone army conflict that formed the movie's central drama. For collectors, these promotional reels hold a particular place, capturing the moment before the feature's release when anticipation was being built frame by frame.
This cell, Mewtwo Commands The Clones!, places Mewtwo in a position of authority over the cloned Pokémon under its control, with Gyarados, Blastoise, and Scyther named as the creatures following its direction. Mewtwo remains one of the franchise's most sought-after characters, prized for its role as the film's antagonist and its lasting popularity among collectors. A trailer cell like this one represents a promotional artifact rather than a scene from the finished feature, preserving a piece of the marketing campaign that introduced this confrontation to audiences before the movie itself appeared in theaters.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of the Pokémon: The Movie (1999) trailer.
Gauge
35mm: four-perforation frame pitch on both edges, with one strip holding three frames, the first showing a blue energy burst and the next two near-identical frames.
Perforations
Four perforations per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing holes seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track of two white waveform lines sits beside the picture, with a dashed line above it, and the outer edge shows a speckled brown band of grainy data-like texture between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue edge tint and a neutral, saturated dye image; no fading or red shift seen.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the edges and picture area look clean.
Picture
Positive image; the two right frames are consecutive and near-identical, the left frame is a different blue burst, and the artwork is consistent with a Pokémon film.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: optical analogue track plus a dye-based positive image on 35mm stock fits 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 000069924
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
