Pokémon: The Movie Trailer (1999) arrived as Warner Bros. and Nintendo prepared American audiences for Pokémon: The First Movie, a theatrical release that marked the franchise's leap from television and trading cards into mainstream cinema. The trailer served as an advance promotional reel, stirring anticipation ahead of the film's debut and introducing moviegoers to the stakes of Mewtwo's story. For a brand still proving its staying power, this marketing push was a significant moment, signaling that Pokémon had become a cultural force worth a feature-length treatment and a dedicated advertising campaign.
This cell preserves a piece of that promotional reel, centered on Mewtwo's Stadium, with Lugia and Pikachu named as the figures present. Lugia, the legendary sea and sky guardian from the second generation of games, was a major draw for collectors given its limited appearances in animation. Pikachu's presence alongside it suggests the franchise mascot sharing space with one of its most mythic counterparts. As a stand-off moment, the cell captures the tension promised by the trailer format itself, a brief assembly of footage meant to tease conflict and scale before the full story unfolds in theaters.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of the Pokémon: The Movie (1999) trailer.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three full frames plus a fourth, partly cut-off frame at the right end.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with rounded-rectangle holes and no visible tears or missing teeth.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track of two bands runs beside the picture, and the strip's speckled gaps between the perforations look like Dolby Digital data blocks.
Edge print
Reads (mirrored): "2383 187 341 1 30 KODAK 28 1999 L", with a small square mark at the right end.
Base & colour
Clear base with a pale blue-green tint; the dye image looks neutral and saturated, with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; a few faint specks sit on the base, and the fourth frame is clipped by the strip's end.
Picture
Positive image; the first three frames are near-identical consecutive frames of one shot, followed by a different blue frame, and the animated style fits the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a 1999 release print: Kodak 2383 print stock, a 1999 date code, an optical track and Dolby Digital data blocks all fit a 1999 theatrical trailer.
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 000070179
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
