Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived as Warner Bros. and 4Kids' follow-up to the franchise's blockbuster theatrical debut, riding the peak of Pokémania in America. Adapted from the Japanese original "Revelation Lugia," it expanded the mythology beyond Mewtwo, introducing a wider cast of Legendary Pokémon and the Legendary Bird trio while keeping Ash at the center of a global crisis. The film cemented the series as a recurring summer event and remains a touchstone for collectors who came of age during that first wave of Pokémon's crossover into mainstream American theaters.
This cell centers on Lugia, the film's titular guardian and one of the most sought-after Legendary Pokémon among collectors, given its rarity in animated appearances and its role as the balancing force of the movie's central conflict. As a solo frame, it isolates the character on its own terms, without competing figures or story context, letting the creature stand as the singular draw. For collectors of Pokémon-era film relics, a Lugia cell represents a direct link to the franchise's most mythic and widely recognized non-mainline character, prized simply for what it is.
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 two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both visible edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no torn or deformed edges visible.
Soundtrack
A dual bilateral variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appear to be Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks also present, consistent with a theatrical release print of this era.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote any text or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base appears to have a warm-to-neutral tint; the dye image shows rich purples, reds and browns with no obvious fading or colour shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from the same shot, and the animated style and colour palette are consistent with the Pokémon: The Movie 2000 release print on record.
Era check
The combination of dual bilateral variable-area optical track and Dolby Digital inter-perforation encoding is consistent with a 1999–2000 theatrical release print, matching the production period of Pokémon: The Movie 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
