Released in 1999 by Warner Bros. in North America under license from Nintendo and Pikachu Project, this trailer introduced American audiences to Pokémon: The First Movie ahead of its theatrical run. The property had already become a cultural phenomenon through the television series and trading cards, and the film's marketing push was a significant moment in positioning Pokémon as a theatrical franchise. Promotional 35mm material from this campaign circulates far less than footage from the feature itself, making trailer-era cells a distinct category for collectors tracing the brand's earliest cinematic exposure.
This cell preserves a moment called Ash and Pikachu Falling, pairing the franchise's young trainer protagonist with his signature partner, the character most responsible for Pokémon's global recognition. A falling moment suggests peril or urgency, a beat likely drawn from the film's climactic or action-driven sequences used to entice early audiences. As trailer material rather than finished-film footage, this cell belongs to the promotional lineage of the release, valued by collectors for documenting how the studio chose to present its central duo to a new theatrical audience.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of the Pokémon: The Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations span each frame along both edges, and the strip holds three full frames, with a fourth cut off at the right edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing holes seen.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks sit beside the picture, with a dashed line above them and Dolby Digital data blocks in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue-tinted base at the edges with a neutral clear margin; the dye image shows saturated reds, purples and yellows with no obvious fading.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the ring on the middle frame is a camera reflection and is ignored.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one continuous shot, and the cartoon style fits the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s 35mm release print, since an analogue optical track combined with Dolby Digital data blocks was the standard format for that period.
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 000070060
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
