Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the promotional run building toward the theatrical release of Pokémon: The First Movie, distributed in the West by Warner Bros. after originating with Toho and Shogakukan in Japan. The campaign surrounding it was enormous, reflecting the franchise's peak cultural moment, when Pokémon mania was reshaping toy aisles, television schedules, and box office expectations alike. Trailer reels from this period are prized by collectors as artifacts of that launch window, capturing the marketing machinery that introduced Mewtwo to a mainstream audience before the film itself ever played.
This cell, Mewtwo's Invitation, centers on the moment tied to Mewtwo's summons, a pivotal narrative hook that drew trainers into the film's central conflict. Queen Rin and Lawrence III appear here as named figures connected to that gathering, their presence marking them as part of the story's wider cast drawn into Mewtwo's design. As a trailer cell, this frame belonged to the promotional reel meant to entice audiences ahead of release, making it a fragment of early franchise history rather than the finished feature itself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of the Pokémon: The Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm layout: four perforations per frame along both edges, with three full frames visible on this strip.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle shape and cleanly punched, with no torn or damaged holes seen.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical soundtrack runs beside the picture; the gaps between the lower perforations hold a speckled block pattern, which may be Dolby Digital data.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a pale blue edge tint; the dye image looks neutral and saturated, with no obvious fading or colour shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible across the three frames.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the animated style fits an animated Pokémon trailer.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: optical analogue track plus Dolby Digital data blocks and a positive colour image on 35mm stock.
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 000070039
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
