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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001987 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEPokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
SCENEAlva - Gengar
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2016
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001987
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

FILM NOTES

Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel arrived in 2016 from OLM under The Pokémon Company's banner, the nineteenth entry in the long-running theatrical franchise. Released alongside the Sun and Moon era's approach, the film paired the mythical Volcanion with a human protagonist, Ash, in a story built around artificial constructs and a hidden magical kingdom. It stands as one of the series' more ambitious detours, folding steampunk-adjacent design into the familiar rhythms of Pokémon adventure cinema, and it remains a point of reference for fans tracking how the annual films evolved past their earlier, simpler formulas.

This cell pairs Alva, the film's antagonist, with Gengar, a Pokémon long prized by collectors for its mischievous reputation and enduring popularity across generations. Alva's presence marks him as a central figure in the plot's conflict, his ambitions tied closely to the mechanical themes suggested by the film's own subtitle. A cell holding both figures together speaks to a scene of consequence, the kind studios preserved on 35mm for archival and promotional use, offering collectors a physical trace of character interaction rather than a simple portrait.

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 one frame of picture
Perforations
Four per frame visible on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean
Soundtrack
A cyan-coloured band with what appears to be a variable-area optical track is visible below the picture frame along the bottom edge of the strip
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows strong, saturated colour with no visible fading
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks or cue marks are visible in this capture
Picture
Positive colour image; a single frame is visible and the animated characters and colour palette are consistent with the Pokémon animated film on record
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, saturated colour dye image and 35mm four-perforation format are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the 2016 era
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 000063847
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