Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in American theaters in November 1999, following the franchise's explosive television debut and the Pokémon trading card craze that had swept the country that year. Warner Bros. distributed the film domestically, pairing the feature with the Pikachu short "Pikachu's Vacation" and a wave of marketing that primed a generation of young audiences. Teaser and trailer materials circulated widely in the months before release, building anticipation for a story centered on the mysterious, genetically engineered Mew and its clone, Mewtwo.
This cell preserves a moment from that promotional reel, built around Mew itself, the rare and legendary Pokémon whose scarcity in the games made it a cultural touchstone long before the movie existed. Mew's presence here speaks to the mythology the trailer was selling: a creature few had seen, now given motion and screen time. Trailer and title card cells like this one hold appeal for collectors precisely because they mark the introduction of a character to film audiences, a single strip of early promotional history tied directly to Mew's name.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Kodak 2383 release print of the Pokémon: The Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, the 35mm layout; the strip holds three full frames side by side.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle shape, cleanly punched with no visible tears or broken edges.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations, and small Dolby Digital-style data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Reads as printed (mirrored): "2383 187 341 1 30 KODAK 28 1999 L", a Kodak 2383 print stock code with a 1999 year code.
Base & colour
Clear base with a pale blue-teal tint at the edges; 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; a faint vertical line near the middle of the centre frame may be a hairline mark.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one continuous shot, and the anime-style character art fits Pokémon: The Movie.
Era check
Consistent: Kodak 2383 is a release-print stock, the 1999 edge code matches the film's date, and the optical track with Dolby data blocks suits a late-1990s 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 000069981
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
