National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING

AUTHENTIC

CROWN CERTIFIED

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MOVIEPokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel

SCENEGengar & Alva

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2016

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001983

Film Record Public record

Directed by: Kunihiko Yuyama
Studio: OLM, Inc. · 82 min

Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.

FILM NOTES

Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel arrived in 2016 as the nineteenth entry in the long running theatrical franchise produced by OLM for Toho and later distributed abroad through Pokémon Company International. Coming a year after the twentieth anniversary buildup of the series, it paired Ash with the Mythical Pokémon Volcanion and introduced a human supporting cast built around technology and artificial life, reflecting the franchise's continuing effort to widen its emotional register beyond simple monster battling for a generation of viewers who had grown up alongside the series.

This cell pairs Gengar, one of the original 151 and among the most recognizable Pokémon in the property's history, with Alva, a character introduced specifically for this film as an inventor tied to its story of constructed beings and hidden motives. A frame naming both together points to a scene of shared screen time between them, the kind of pairing collectors seek out because it fixes a specific narrative beat rather than a generic appearance. Such cells preserve a single instant of celluloid from theatrical prints, valued for anchoring a character moment within the film's actual runtime.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016)

Gauge: 35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds two frames
Perforations: Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no visible torn or deformed holes
Soundtrack: A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area
Edge print: Not visible in this capture
Base & colour: Base appears neutral to very slightly cool; dye image shows strong, saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift
Projection history: No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture
Picture: Positive colour image; the two frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the animated characters are consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record
Era check: A variable-area optical track on a saturated colour positive print is consistent with a 2016 theatrical release print of this title

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 000063843

Original Film Capture As received

The film strip as photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation

Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size