SCENEMewtwo Preparing To Attack!/Ash and Friends - Transition Cell
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR1999
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003018
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The First Movie arrived in the United States in November 1999 through Warner Bros., riding the crest of Pokémania at its absolute peak. Produced by OLM and adapted for Western audiences with new footage, it introduced Mewtwo and Mew to a generation already steeped in the games, cards, and television series. The accompanying teaser trailer that circulated in theaters and on home video that year was itself a cultural artifact, building anticipation for a film that would become the highest grossing anime release in American history.
This cell captures a transitional beat from that promotional reel, pairing the looming threat of Mewtwo with the familiar grouping of Ash and his companions, Pikachu and Squirtle among them, alongside Mew. Trailer cells like this one occupy a distinct niche for collectors, since they were produced in limited supply to support marketing rather than the feature itself, making surviving frames scarcer than typical production stock. The pairing of the genetic antagonist with the series' established cast and the mythical Mew speaks directly to the film's central conflict, offering a piece of the promotional machinery that introduced Mewtwo to American audiences.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer strip of Pokémon: The Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations span each frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or stretched holes visible.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, and a Dolby Digital data pattern sits in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Pale blue-tinted base at the edges with neutral clear perforation areas; the dye image shows saturated blues and magentas, with no fading or red shift visible.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the frames look clean.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the cartoon look is consistent with the animated film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a 1999 release print: combined analogue optical and Dolby Digital soundtrack on a 35mm positive print matches late-1990s theatrical trailers.
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 000070019
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
