Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the marketing rollout for Pokémon: The First Movie, released theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros. in partnership with Nintendo and 4Kids Entertainment. It served as audiences' earliest glimpse of the franchise's leap from television to the big screen, introducing a generation to the stakes of Mewtwo's creation and the broader mythology beyond the games and cartoon. For many fans this trailer marked a genuine cultural moment, the point where Pokémon's reach expanded dramatically, and 35mm promotional material from this release is scarce, tying directly to the franchise's theatrical debut.
This cell draws from that promotional reel and centers on Mewtwo and Mew, the two Pokémon whose connection anchors the film's entire narrative. Mewtwo, the genetically engineered clone, and Mew, the ancient original, represent the movie's core tension between artificial creation and natural origin. A trailer cell like this one exists to tease that relationship before the full story unfolds, making it a piece of promotional history rather than a frame from the finished feature. Collectors value these early appearances for their role in building anticipation around one of Pokémon's most significant pairings.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print trailer for Pokémon: The Movie (1999), carrying analog optical and Dolby Digital sound.
Gauge
35mm: four perforations span each frame along both edges, and the strip holds two full frames plus the edges of a third.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or stretched holes visible.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track with a purple dye tint runs beside the picture, and speckled Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a faint blue-cyan tint along the edges; the dye image looks neutral to cool, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
A few small dark specks near the picture area and optical track; no lines, scratches, cue marks or splices seen.
Picture
Positive image; the two frames look like consecutive frames of one shot, and the numerals 150 and 151 match a Pokémon trailer.
Era check
Consistent with a 1999 release print: analog optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks suits late-1990s 35mm, and the picture matches the film on record.
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 000071037
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
