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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000003164 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEPokémon: The Movie Trailer
SCENEPokémon - Title Card
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR1999
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003164

FILM NOTES

Pokémon: The Movie Trailer (1999) arrived as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's promotional push for the franchise's theatrical debut, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept American pop culture. The trailer circulated in advance of Pokémon: The First Movie, introducing cinema audiences to Pikachu, Ash, and the wider roster beyond the television series and trading cards. For many collectors, this early marketing material represents a snapshot of the exact moment the brand crossed from Saturday morning programming into a full theatrical event, a transition few properties of that era managed so successfully.

This particular cell preserves the title card, the portion of a trailer reel where the film's name is presented to the audience, setting the tone before any footage of characters or story unfolds. Title cards from 35mm promotional prints are often sought after precisely because they mark the threshold of the viewing experience, the first frame a theater audience would have seen announcing the picture to come. As a physical artifact tied to the 1999 release push, it stands as a tangible piece of the marketing history surrounding Pokémon's arrival in American cinemas.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm release print trailer strip for Pokémon: The First Movie (1999).

Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds four complete frames, all in the same picture area.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle shape, cleanly punched with no visible tears or missing holes.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track of two bilaterally modulated tracks runs beside the picture; Dolby Digital data blocks are not visible between the lower-edge perforations, which show a speckled grey pattern.
Edge print
Purple edge print reads, mirrored, "2383 187 341 1 30 KODAK 28 1999 L", with a small square mark at the end.
Base & colour
Clear pale-blue tinted base with a neutral dye image; the blue and yellow of the title art look saturated, with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the strip looks clean, with no evidence of heavy projection in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; the four frames repeat the same title card consecutively as one shot, and the logo reads "Pokémon The First Movie", matching the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a 1999 release print: edge print names Kodak 2383 print stock with a 1999 date code, and the optical track plus a speckled Dolby Digital-style area suit late-1990s prints.
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 000070165
Original Film Capture As received
The film strip as photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size