Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai arrived in 2008 as the tenth entry in the theatrical film franchise built around the global anime and gaming phenomenon, distributed through Shogakukan and Viz Media for Western audiences. Produced during a period when the movie series regularly paired Ash's ongoing journey with a Legendary Pokémon at the center of the plot, this installment centers on the mysterious and often misunderstood Darkrai alongside the space-time deity Dialga, raising the stakes of the franchise's mythology considerably.
This cell, Dialga Battling, places Darkrai within a sequence involving direct conflict with the towering Legendary Dialga, a pairing that anchors the film's central tension between a creature feared for causing nightmares and a being capable of reshaping time itself. Darkrai remains one of the more coveted figures among collectors owing to its ambiguous reputation on screen, and any strip tied to its confrontations carries weight for those assembling frames from the film's pivotal action. As a 35mm theatrical cell, it preserves a physical fragment of that projected battle sequence.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge of the strip, appearing as a dual bilateral waveform pattern.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears clear with a slight cool-neutral tint; dye image shows strong, saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from the same shot, and the animated character visible is consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
A dual bilateral variable-area optical track on a saturated colour positive print is consistent with a 2008 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, 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.
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
