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, released at the height of Pokémania in the United States. It carried the weight of expanding the mythology beyond Mewtwo, introducing the Legendary birds and the Chosen One narrative to a mass audience still riding the first film's momentum. For collectors of early Pokémon cinema, this entry marks a key moment when the series proved its theatrical run was not a fluke, cementing its place in turn-of-the-millennium pop culture and setting the template for the animated features that followed.
This cell isolates Zapdos, one of the three Legendary birds central to the film's plot and among the most sought-after Pokémon in the franchise's iconography. As a single-subject 35mm piece, it likely comes from a scene, promotional strip, or transitional frame built around the character's presence, without a companion figure sharing the moment. For collectors, Zapdos represents raw elemental power and rarity, both narratively and as a physical artifact. Owning a piece tied specifically to this bird ties directly into the electric, high-stakes mythology the movie built its identity around.
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 four frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the bottom edge, appearing as two bilateral variable-area tracks with a visible DTS timecode stripe running alongside them.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any manufacturer text, key numbers, or SAFETY FILM legend.
Base & colour
The clear base shows a blue-violet tint consistent with a colour dye image; the dye appears saturated with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal lines are visible across the frame area consistent with a projected print; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all four frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the vivid blue-and-white graphic content is consistent with the animated feature on record.
Era check
The bilateral variable-area optical track combined with a DTS timecode stripe and blue-tinted polyester-base stock are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s to early 2000s, matching the 2000 release date 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
