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 outing, riding the peak of Pokémon mania in the West. Adapted from the Japanese film Revelation Lugia, it pushed the anime's mythology beyond Ash and his rivals into the realm of legendary beasts, expanding the world for a generation of young collectors who were already deep into cards, games, and merchandise. Its box office success cemented Pokémon as a lasting theatrical property rather than a passing craze.
This cell bears the name Lugia, the guardian legendary whose presence anchors the film's entire plot and elevates it above a simple trainer story. As one of the earliest legendary Pokémon given a starring cinematic role, Lugia holds particular weight for collectors tracing the franchise's mythos back to its foundational era. A 35mm cell carrying this name preserves a physical fragment of that moment, a tangible link to the reel that introduced audiences to a creature whose scarcity and stature within the Pokémon universe still resonate decades later.
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 fully visible with partial frames above and below.
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 as a white modulated waveform band running along the bottom edge of the frame area, consistent with an analog stereo optical track; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are not clearly distinguishable at this size; DTS timecode line not visible in this capture; SDDS outer-edge tracks not visible in this capture.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-teal tint; the dye image shows deep blue and violet tones with white highlights, appearing saturated and not visibly faded.
Projection history
Several fine white linear scratches are visible running vertically through the frame area, consistent with evidence of a projected print.
Picture
Positive color image; the single frame visible shows imagery consistent with an animated theatrical release print matching the film on record.
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, saturated color dye image, and blue-tinted base stock are all consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the late 1990s to early 2000s era 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
