Released in 1999, this trailer reel circulated ahead of Pokémon: The First Movie, the franchise's leap from Japanese television phenomenon to American theatrical event. Warner Bros. handled distribution stateside, riding the crest of Pokémania as it swept toy aisles, playgrounds, and Saturday morning programming alike. The film's promotional run was a cultural marker of its moment, introducing audiences to Mewtwo's origin story while trading on the established charm of the animated series regulars. Trailers like this one were essential tools of that rollout, built to tease rather than reveal, offering fragments of character and incident to a public already primed for anticipation.
This cell carries the designation Jessie Close-Up, pairing the beloved Team Rocket antagonist with Molly Hale and Melody, both tied to the film's broader narrative world. A close-up framing of Jessie in trailer material is a natural draw for collectors, as her presence anchors much of the franchise's comic identity even within a promotional context built for brevity. Trailer cells like this one preserve the marketing apparatus of the release itself, a physical artifact of how the film was first presented to audiences before the feature ever reached projection.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of the Pokémon: The Movie trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds four frames side by side.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, with rounded-rectangle holes that look cleanly punched and uniform.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track with two tracks runs beside the picture; Dolby Digital blocks appear between the lower-edge perforations, with no DTS or SDDS visible.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a faint blue-cyan edge tint; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on the four frames.
Picture
Positive image; frames run consecutively as one animated shot, and the cel-style artwork is consistent with a Pokémon trailer.
Era check
Consistent with a late-1990s release print: optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks between perforations, a combination used on 35mm prints of 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 000070171
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
