Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived as Warner Bros. and Nintendo's second theatrical push to keep the franchise's fever alive after its explosive American debut, released in the summer of 2000 at the height of Pokémania. Built around the legendary bird trio and centered on the sea guardian Lugia, the film leaned into mythology and spectacle rather than simple monster battles, aiming to widen the story beyond Ash and Pikachu into something closer to a creation myth. For a generation of young viewers it was event cinema, sold through toy tie-ins, soundtrack singles, and saturation marketing that made it one of the defining kid-culture moments of that year.
This cell carries Lugia alone, the guardian of the seas and one of the most sought-after Pokémon designs of the era, prized by collectors for its rarity and its stature within the film's mythology. A frame isolating this character speaks to Lugia's central role in the picture, the figure whose presence anchors the balance between the three legendary birds and the human story around them. Owning a piece tied directly to Lugia connects a collector to the franchise's first attempt at true mythic weight on the big screen.
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; spacing appears even; edges of the perforations appear cleanly punched with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs along the lower edge beside the perforations, consistent with a Dolby Stereo or SR optical track; a Dolby Digital data block strip also appears present in the perforation gap area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a blue-tinted cast consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image reads in blue and white tones with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are visible.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot; the abstract blue and white imagery is consistent with the animated style of the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a colour positive print stock with blue base tint, variable-area optical soundtrack, and apparent Dolby Digital data blocks is consistent with a 1999-2000 theatrical release print.
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
