Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the promotional machinery surrounding Warner Bros.' theatrical release of the first Pokémon feature film, itself an adaptation of the Nintendo and Game Freak property that had already swept through television and toy aisles. The trailer served as an early strike in the franchise's push into American cinemas, a moment when Pokémon transitioned from a handheld game and Saturday morning cartoon into a genuine multimedia event. For collectors of franchise ephemera, 35mm trailer material from this period captures the promotional apparatus of a cultural phenomenon still finding its footing in theatrical distribution.
This cell carries Mew, the rare and mythical Pokémon whose scarcity within the games made it a prized figure among players and viewers alike. As a title card, the frame functions as text and emblem rather than narrative action, the kind of promotional signpost meant to announce the film's stakes before the story unfolds. Mew's presence here ties directly to the movie's plot, which centers on the search for this elusive creature, making the pairing of character and title card a fitting introduction to the feature's central mystery.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, the 35mm layout; the strip holds three frames, with the right-hand frame fading to dark.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes; no torn or distorted perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A dashed blue line with two variable-area optical tracks runs beside the picture; Dolby Digital blocks between the lower perforations are not clearly resolved at this size.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue-tinted base along the edges with a neutral, intact dye image; no fading or red shift seen in the picture area.
Projection history
Dark purple blotches overlay the picture in all three frames; no clear scratches or splices are seen at this size, so these may be cue marks or marks on the strip.
Picture
Positive image, three consecutive frames of one shot with the figure fading out to dark; the animated style is plausible for the film on record.
Era check
The optical track, light blue-tinted base and positive dye image are consistent with a late-1990s 35mm release print of the film on record.
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 000069992
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
