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 follow up to the franchise's blockbuster debut, riding the peak of Pokémania in American theaters. Adapted from the Japanese feature Revelation Lugia, it introduced Lugia as a legendary guardian of the seas and skies, expanding the mythology beyond Mewtwo and cementing the movies as yearly theatrical events tied to the trading card and television juggernaut.
This cell brings together Charizard, one of the most sought after and iconic Pokémon among collectors for its dragon like presence and enduring popularity, alongside Lugia, the film's central legendary figure representing balance and calm. Squirtle and Bulbasaur, the beloved starter Pokémon familiar to every fan, round out the grouping, suggesting an ensemble moment where the ordinary and the legendary share the frame. A 35mm cell like this preserves a physical fragment of the theatrical print itself, a tangible artifact from the movie's original release rather than a reproduction.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical 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 holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the bottom edge, showing two bilateral variable-area waveforms consistent with a stereo optical track; a separate digital timecode or data line appears immediately above the optical track, consistent with a DTS timecode stripe.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base appears neutral to very slightly cool; the dye image shows saturated blues and golds with no visible fading or red 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 a single shot and the animated characters and style are consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area stereo optical track with a DTS timecode stripe is consistent with a 1999–2000 theatrical release print, as DTS was in wide use for major studio releases of that period.
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
