Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the marketing push surrounding Pokémon's explosive crossover from handheld game to global media phenomenon. Warner Bros. handled the theatrical release of the feature film in North America, and the promotional trailer reels circulated in advance to build anticipation among audiences who had already embraced the franchise through television and merchandise. These trailer prints are a time capsule of that transitional moment, when Pokémon mania was reaching its commercial peak and studios were betting heavily on the character roster's appeal to a generation of young collectors and their families.
This cell centers on Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose psychic power and brooding origin story made it one of the franchise's most compelling figures, a character built specifically for the feature film rather than the games. The word "Invitation" speaks to Mewtwo's role as instigator, the one who summons trainers to a confrontation that drives the film's plot. As a trailer cell, it represents the anticipatory phase of the movie's life, a piece of promotional material designed to pull audiences toward the theater, making it a favorite among collectors who prize Mewtwo's early screen presence.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release-print trailer strip for Pokémon: The Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per 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 tears or missing holes seen.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, with Dolby Digital data blocks in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Pale blue-tinted base along the edges; the dye image looks neutral to slightly green-warm, with no obvious fading seen.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible across the three frames.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the animated style is plausible for the film on record, though no title or text confirms it.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: a two-track optical track alongside Dolby Digital data blocks suits a 1999 theatrical 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 000070036
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
