Tap to enlarge
Pokemon: The Movie 2000 arrived from Warner Bros. and 4Kids Entertainment as the second theatrical entry in the franchise, riding the peak of Pokemania in the West. Adapted from the Japanese original Mewtwo Strikes Back follow-up, it expanded the mythology into the legendary birds and the Beast of the Sea, giving American audiences a wider mythic canvas beyond Pikachu and the core cast. Its box office success cemented Pokemon as a genuine cinema property rather than a television spinoff novelty, and the film remains a touchstone for collectors tracing the franchise's early theatrical run.
This cell carries the name Articuno, one of the three legendary birds central to the film's plot, a creature prized by collectors for its rarity within both the games and the animated canon. As a legendary rather than a companion character, its presence in a 35mm frame marks a moment tied directly to the film's central conflict rather than everyday narrative business. Cells naming legendary birds are sought after precisely because their screen time is limited, making any surviving frame a scarce physical link to a pivotal sequence in the movie's structure.
