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 in the summer of 2000, riding the crest of the franchise's first great wave of American popularity. As a follow-up to the original Pokémon: The First Movie, it pushed the mythology further into legendary territory, built around Lugia and the Legendary Birds. For a generation of young audiences, this was a theatrical event, and 35mm cells from its release remain a tangible link to that peak moment of Pokémania merchandising and fandom.
This cell centers on Lugia alone, the guardian legendary whose presence anchors the film's entire plot. Collectors prize Lugia frames because the character rarely appears in ordinary story beats, instead surfacing at pivotal, mythic junctures that define the movie's stakes. A single-subject cell like this, isolating Lugia without surrounding cast, suggests a moment meant to showcase the creature itself, the kind of image often used in promotional material, title sequences, or key story beats emphasizing its singular importance to the narrative.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital optical release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
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 with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A bilateral variable-area optical track runs along one edge; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the perforation inter-gaps on the lower strip, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base shows a slight cool-blue tint typical of late-1990s polyester safety stock; dye layers appear stable and neutral.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks or cue dots in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; two consecutive frames from what appears to be a single shot; animated content is consistent with Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Era check
The combination of polyester base, bilateral variable-area optical track, and Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the year 2000.
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
