Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as Warner Bros. and Nintendo built American anticipation for the franchise's theatrical debut, following Pokemania's explosive spread through television, trading cards, and handheld games. The trailer format itself became a collectible category of its own, offering a preview reel cut for theaters before the feature existed in its final form, a promotional artifact distinct from the movie it advertised.
This cell gathers the franchise's central traveling party: Ash Ketchum, the series' young trainer protagonist, alongside Misty and Brock, his steady companions, with Pikachu, Ash's signature partner and the franchise's most recognized face. Squirtle and Starmie round out the water-capable Pokémon fitting the swim to the surface moment named here, a scene of the group rising together after submersion, a beat collectors prize for uniting so many principal figures in one shared action. Trailer cells like this one hold appeal precisely because they predate the finished film, capturing early promotional material tied to a defining pop culture release.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print trailer strip of Pokémon: The 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, with clean rounded-rectangle punches and no visible tears or damaged holes.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track sits between the picture and the lower perforations; Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations show only speckled grey texture, not clearly readable data.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a light cyan-blue tint along the edges; the dye image looks saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the animated look fits an animated trailer for the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: optical analog track with the speckled data area between perforations fits 1999 Dolby Digital release stock.
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 000069967
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
