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 theatrical debut, riding the peak of Pokémania in American theaters. Adapted from the Japanese original and built around the Legendary Bird trio and the guardian Lugia, it pulled young audiences back into cinemas with a promise of grander mythology beyond Pikachu and Ash's everyday adventures. The film cemented Pokémon as a lasting cinematic property rather than a one-off cash-in, and its imagery of Legendary Pokémon became iconic to a generation of collectors and fans who grew up with the trading cards and games.
This cell simply bears Lugia's name, the guardian deity of the sea and one of the most sought-after Legendary Pokémon in the franchise's early mythology. Lugia's presence in this film anchors its entire plot, making any surviving 35mm frame of the character a direct artifact of the movie's central figure. For collectors, a Lugia cell represents access to the creature at the heart of the story, prized independent of any specific scene, since the character alone carries the weight of the film's legend and box office draw.
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 three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; a separate narrow digital timecode or data line is also visible adjacent to 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 shows a warm amber-orange cast across all three frames with no obvious fading; dye saturation appears intact.
Projection history
Fine vertical lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with projection wear on a release print; no splices or cue marks are visible.
Picture
Positive image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the animated character visible is consistent with the Pokémon franchise film on record.
Era check
The combination of dual bilateral variable-area optical track, DTS timecode stripe, and warm-base color print stock is consistent with a 1990s–early 2000s theatrical release print, 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
