Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in 1999 courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept through American pop culture. The theatrical trailer that preceded it became its own cultural artifact, teasing audiences with glimpses of a franchise translating its television success to the big screen for the first time. These early promotional reels circulated through theaters nationwide, building anticipation for a release that would become one of the highest grossing anime films in American history and cement Pokémon's place in mainstream entertainment.
This cell preserves a strip from that promotional reel, centered on Mew, the legendary Psychic type whose mythology anchors the film's entire plot. Mew holds a singular status among the original 151, long rumored as a secret, nearly mythical entry in the games before becoming the narrative key to the movie itself. A trailer cell differs from a frame drawn for the finished feature; it comes from the separate reel built purely to sell the picture, making this piece a record of marketing history as much as animation. For collectors, Mew's presence here ties directly to the character's rarity and outsized importance to the franchise's early identity.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of Pokémon: The Movie (1999).
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, 35mm layout; the strip shows three frames, the third cut off at the right edge of the capture.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes, no torn, stretched or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, with a dashed line above them; Dolby Digital blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue-cyan tint to the clear base at the edges; the dye image reads neutral to cool with strong purple, no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices visible, only a small dust speck near the lower left of the picture.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one continuous shot of a pale cat-like animated character, consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Optical tracks with Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations suit a late-1990s 35mm release print, consistent with a 1999 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 000069978
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
