Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Released in the summer of 2000, Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived at the height of the franchise's first great wave of American popularity, distributed by Warner Bros. after Nintendo and Pikachu conquered playgrounds and Saturday morning schedules alike. Following on from the original film's success, this second theatrical entry pushed the animation studio OLM further into feature production, expanding the Pokémon world beyond television with new legendary creatures and a larger mythology. For a generation of young viewers, it was a communal theater event, and the strip of celluloid that survives from its prints now stands as a physical relic of that cultural peak.
This cell preserves a frame of Slowking, one of the more unusual and beloved Pokémon designs, prized by collectors for its regal, oddball presence within the series. Slowking's appearances are comparatively rare on film, making any surviving frame a point of interest for those assembling a complete visual record of the movie's roster. Owning this piece means holding a tangible fragment of the animation reel itself, a single link in the physical chain of the film's original theatrical run.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
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 corners are rounded and cleanly cut.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with an analog stereo print; Dolby Digital data blocks appear present in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at this size.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-grey tint typical of polyester stock; dye image reads as cool-neutral with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive color image; a single consecutive frame is present and the animated imagery is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of analog variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks and polyester base is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s to early 2000s, matching the 2000 release date of the film 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, 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
