Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived from Warner Bros. and Nintendo/4Kids as the franchise's second theatrical feature, riding the peak of Pokémania in the United States. Built around the legendary bird trio and the guardian of the seas, it expanded the animated universe beyond Ash and Pikachu's television adventures into a mythic, elemental struggle, cementing Pokémon as a genuine box office draw rather than a passing fad. For a generation of young viewers, this film was their introduction to the deeper lore of Legendary Pokémon.
This cell centers on Lugia, the psychic and flying-type guardian whose presence anchors the film's entire plot. As one of the earliest and most iconic Legendary Pokémon in the franchise, Lugia carries outsized significance for collectors, representing both the character's screen debut and the era when Pokémon merchandise and ephemera exploded in value and demand. A 35mm cell bearing this name preserves a physical fragment of that theatrical run, a tangible link to the movie's original release rather than any later reissue or home video incarnation.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds one frame in the picture area.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even; perforation edges appear cleanly punched with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, accompanied by what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip and a DTS timecode line running parallel, consistent with a multi-format release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-brown tint across the frame area, consistent with an aged or slightly yellowed acetate or polyester base; dye image appears present but muted.
Projection history
Light horizontal streaking is visible across the frame area, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive image; a single frame is visible showing drawn animation content; the animated style is consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
The combination of variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital data blocks, and DTS timecode line 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
