Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the marketing push surrounding Pokémon: The First Movie, released theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros. in partnership with Nintendo and 4Kids Entertainment. The Pokémon franchise had exploded across toys, trading cards, and television that year, and this theatrical trailer served as an early signal to audiences that the phenomenon was moving to the big screen. For a property built on serialized storytelling, a trailer like this one holds a particular place in the archive, capturing the promotional language used to introduce the film before its wide release.
This cell carries Ash, the franchise's central human protagonist, in a close-up moment drawn from that promotional reel. Ash's presence anchors the series for collectors, as he is the recurring figure through which the Pokémon world is introduced to viewers. A trailer cell like this one represents the film's advance presentation, assembled to build anticipation ahead of release, distinct from footage drawn from the feature itself. Close-up moments of Ash from this era are sought after as early artifacts of the franchise's theatrical debut.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of 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 torn or damaged holes seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs as two white waveform lines beside the picture, with a dashed line above it; the gaps between the lower perforations hold a speckled grey pattern.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Neutral to slightly cool clear base with a pale blue tint at the margins; the dye image looks saturated, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on these three frames.
Picture
Positive colour image, three consecutive near-identical frames from one shot, and the animated artwork is consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
The optical track plus the speckled between-perforation pattern, which reads as Dolby Digital data blocks, is consistent with a 1999 35mm release print.
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 000070068
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
