Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokemon: The Movie 2000 arrived from Warner Bros. and Nintendo/4Kids in the summer of 2000, riding the peak wave of Pokemania in the West. As the second theatrical entry following the original Mewtwo Strikes Back, it pushed the franchise further into mainstream American cinemas, pairing Ash Ketchum's journey with the Legendary Birds saga and the collector card boom that defined the era. For many kids of the time, this was their first true theatrical Pokemon experience, making surviving 35mm material from the release a tangible artifact of that cultural moment.
This cell features Magikarp, the perennially underestimated Water-type whose reputation as a near-useless creature made it a fan favorite through irony and nostalgia. Collectors seek Magikarp material precisely because of that lighthearted status within the franchise, a recognizable name even to casual fans. Appearing in a film built around legendary and powerful creatures, a Magikarp frame offers contrast, a small reminder of the everyday roster surrounding the story's grander stakes. As a single 35mm cell, it stands as a physical fragment of the actual release print once projected in theaters.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone beside it, and a DTS timecode line also discernible in that region.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers clearly.
Base & colour
The base shows a predominantly blue-violet tint consistent with a colour dye image; no obvious fading or red shift is apparent.
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines are visible running the length of the strip, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated character content is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and a DTS timecode line is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s to early 2000s, matching the 2000 release date 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 000063343
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
