Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the promotional push surrounding the first Pokémon feature film, released domestically by Warner Bros. in the United States following Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's massive success with the games and television series. Trailers of this kind served as early collector targets for fans eager to own a physical piece of the franchise's theatrical debut, a moment when Pokémon transitioned from handheld screens into mainstream cinema and cemented its place in late nineties pop culture.
This cell captures a scene built around two of the franchise's most recognizable creatures, Gyarados and Suicune. Gyarados, long prized by collectors for its dramatic design and reputation as one of the series' most formidable Water-types, anchors the moment named here, its emergence suggesting a pivotal or spectacle-driven beat meant to entice early audiences. Suicune, one of the legendary beasts tied to the franchise's mythology, lends additional weight to the scene's significance. As a trailer cell, this piece represents the promotional language of the film rather than the finished feature itself, offering a glimpse into how Pokémon's early cinematic identity was marketed to the public.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Kodak 2383 release-print trailer strip for Pokémon: The Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three frames, two near-identical and a third showing a changed image.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes that look evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical soundtrack runs between the picture and the lower perforations, with Dolby Digital data blocks visible in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Upper edge reads, mirrored, "2383 187 341 1 30 KODAK 28 1999 L"; no other edge text is legible.
Base & colour
Clear base with a faint cyan-blue edge tint; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no obvious fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the strip looks clean and flat on the panel.
Picture
Positive image. Three consecutive frames from one continuous shot, the first two nearly identical and the third changed. Anime-style artwork fits an animated trailer for the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a 1999 release print: Kodak 2383 print stock, a 1999 date code, an optical track and Dolby Digital blocks were standard for theatrical prints of that year.
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 000069945
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
