Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the marketing push surrounding Pokémon's explosive crossover from Game Boy screens to American theaters, released in the wake of the franchise's television debut and the frenzy that followed. Warner Bros. handled distribution of the first feature film domestically, and promotional 35mm trailer prints like this one circulated through theater chains to build anticipation among a generation discovering the series for the first time. These reels are scarce survivors of a cultural moment when Pokémon mania was at its peak, making any surviving fragment of the promotional campaign a meaningful artifact of that transitional year.
This cell brings together four of the franchise's most recognizable original creatures: Pikachu, the mascot whose image anchored the entire property, alongside Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Vulpix, each a fan favorite from the original roster introduced to American audiences through the games and show. Their joint appearance here reflects the ensemble approach trailers took to showcase the breadth of creatures awaiting moviegoers, a single frame meant to telegraph the world's variety and charm. For collectors, a grouping of these particular characters from an early trailer print carries the appeal of franchise origin material, tying directly to the moment Pokémon crossed into mainstream American cinema.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer strip for Pokémon: The Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames visible in full.
Perforations
Four per frame along both edges, rounded-rectangle holes that look evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks run beside the picture, with a Dolby Digital-style data pattern visible in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Pale blue-tinted base at the edges; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on the three frames.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames repeat one near-identical shot, and the cartoon character art is consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: dual optical tracks plus Dolby Digital data between the perforations, and a saturated dye image on a tinted base.
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 000070028
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
