Pokémon: The Movie Trailer arrived in 1999 as part of the promotional wave surrounding Pokémon's explosive crossover into American theaters, produced under the Warner Bros. and Nintendo/4Kids partnership that brought the franchise to Western audiences. This was the era when Pokémon mania peaked, with trailers and teaser reels circulating in theaters ahead of the first feature film, building anticipation for a series that would become a defining piece of childhood media for a generation. These early promotional materials, including trailer cells struck on 35mm, carry historical weight as artifacts of that first theatrical push.
This cell brings together four figures central to the anime's early run: Brock and Misty, Ash's original traveling companions, Nurse Joy, the recurring caretaker found in nearly every town, and Togepi, Misty's egg-hatched companion who became a mascot-level favorite. A grouping like this, drawn from trailer material rather than the finished feature, reflects the promotional language of the period, introducing the show's ensemble and its sense of community. For collectors, this combination holds appeal as an early, promotional-era snapshot of the franchise's foundational cast.
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 three frames laid sideways on the panel.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track (two tracks) runs beside the picture, and Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the perforations on the opposite edge.
Edge print
Only speckled blue banding runs along both outer edges; no readable manufacturer text, 'SAFETY FILM' or key numbers are visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base looks clear to faintly blue-grey with a neutral, saturated dye image; no red shift or fading is evident.
Projection history
No lines, scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the frames look clean.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames repeat essentially the same shot, so they run consecutively, and the animated look fits the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
The optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks on a clear-base positive is consistent with a late-1990s 35mm release print, so it fits a 1999 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 000071041
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
