Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the promotional push surrounding Pokémon: The First Movie, released domestically by Warner Bros. after Nintendo and the Pokémon Company's franchise had already become a cultural phenomenon through the television series and trading card craze. The trailer cells from this release mark a pivotal moment when Pokémon transitioned from a television and handheld game property into a full theatrical presence, introducing American audiences to Mewtwo and the broader cinematic ambitions of the franchise. These trailer frames are early artifacts of that crossover, predating the film's wide release and capturing the marketing machinery built to sell Pokémon as a cinema event.
This cell, called Ash and Pikachu Falling, centers on the franchise's defining duo. Ash Ketchum, the series protagonist, and Pikachu, its mascot and emotional anchor, are the characters most sought after by collectors building out early Pokémon film material. A falling moment suggests a point of peril or urgency within the trailer's assembled footage, the kind of dramatic beat trailers rely on to signal stakes and draw audiences into the feature. As a trailer cell, it belongs to promotional reels meant for theaters, distinct from the finished film itself, preserving a piece of how the movie was first presented to the public.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release-print strip from the 1999 Pokémon: The Movie trailer.
Gauge
35mm layout, with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three full frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both the top and bottom edges, evenly spaced, with rounded-rectangle holes that look cleanly punched.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical soundtrack runs between the picture and the lower perforations. Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
The base shows a pale blue-cyan tint at the edges and 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; the only mark is a ring reflection on the frames, which is the phone camera.
Picture
Positive image, three consecutive frames from one shot, showing animated Pokémon characters, which is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations fits a late-1990s 35mm release print, which suits 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 000070056
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
