Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the promotional push surrounding Pokémon: The First Movie, released theatrically by Warner Bros. in North America under license from Nintendo and Toho's original Japanese production. The franchise had exploded across television, trading cards, and handheld games, and this trailer served as one of the earliest theatrical teasers introducing American audiences to the film's central conflict. Early promotional material from this period is scarce in 35mm, as most prints were destroyed or recycled after distribution, making surviving trailer cells valuable artifacts of the franchise's theatrical debut.
This cell preserves a moment from that trailer centered on Mew, the rare and mythical Pokémon whose presence anchors the film's plot and mythology. Mew's scarcity within the Pokémon universe, both narratively and as a collectible subject, drives strong interest among collectors seeking imagery tied to the character's earliest cinematic appearances. The described moment, Mew preparing to attack, speaks to the tension and anticipation the trailer was built to convey, previewing the confrontation at the heart of the film. As a trailer cell, it represents promotional rather than narrative continuity, a fragment meant to entice rather than complete a scene.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print trailer for Pokémon: The Movie (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds a single frame, with a second frame's edge just visible at the bottom.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle holes that look cleanly punched with no tears or torn edges.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track of two white bands runs beside the picture, with a dashed line above it; no Dolby Digital blocks are visible between the perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue-grey tint along the edges; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; only a few tiny specks on the base.
Picture
Positive colour image, a single frame so consecutive run cannot be judged; a purple glowing oval with a small pale creature in a dark interior fits the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
The two-track optical stereo track and the saturated positive dye image are consistent with a 1999 35mm release trailer 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 000070159
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
