Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the promotional push surrounding Warner Bros.' theatrical release of the first Pokémon feature film, a project born from the Nintendo and Game Freak franchise at the height of its cultural saturation. The trailer format itself was a critical piece of the marketing machine that turned a handheld game into a global phenomenon, giving audiences their first theatrical glimpse of Mewtwo and the wider cast before the film's wide release. For collectors, these promotional strips capture a moment when the franchise was transitioning from television and toy aisles into the realm of cinema.
This cell, Mewtwo's Invitation, centers on Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Pokémon whose brooding presence anchors the film's narrative and whose popularity among collectors remains especially strong given its central role in the plot. An invitation implies summons, a gathering drawn toward Mewtwo's design, fitting the character's role as instigator of the film's central conflict. Queen Rin's presence here ties the frame to the broader promotional ensemble assembled for the trailer, a reminder that this strip of film once announced the feature to audiences still unfamiliar with what awaited them.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of Pokémon: The Movie (1999), with optical and Dolby Digital sound.
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, so 35mm; the strip holds three full frames, with a sliver of a fourth at the left edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or damaged perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical soundtrack runs beside the picture; the lower perforation row also shows speckled blocks in the gaps between holes, which are consistent with Dolby Digital data.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue-tinted edge margins on a mostly clear base; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames repeat the same shot with no visible change between them. Cartoon art style is plausible for the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
The optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks suits a late-1990s 35mm release print, which is consistent with a 1999 Pokémon 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 000070040
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
