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 second theatrical entry in the franchise, riding the full force of Pokémania's American peak. Built around the Legendary Birds and the balance of the elements, it broadened the series' mythology beyond Mewtwo, pulling younger audiences and longtime collectors alike into a wider Pokémon cosmology. Its box office success cemented the franchise's staying power at the movies and gave fans their first extended look at creatures previously known only from games and trading cards.
This cell holds Zapdos, one of the three Legendary Birds whose rarity and elemental power make it a perennial favorite among Pokémon collectors. As a piece of 35mm film, it represents an actual frame excised from a theatrical print, a physical fragment of the movie's original run rather than a reproduction. For collectors, a Zapdos cell ties directly to the film's central premise, the awakening and clash of the Legendary Birds, making it a tangible artifact from one of the franchise's defining cinematic moments.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds four 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 along one edge, accompanied by what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip in the inter-perforation area and a DTS timecode line, consistent with a multi-format theatrical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote any text or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base carries a slight blue-cyan tint; the dye image reads warm golden-amber, consistent with a colour print stock in stable condition.
Projection history
Light vertical lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; the four frames run consecutively as a single continuous shot, and the animated style matches the theatrical release of the film on record.
Era check
The combination of variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode line, and colour positive stock on a blue-base safety film is consistent with a late-1990s to early-2000s 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
