Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived from Warner Bros. and 4Kids Entertainment as the franchise's second theatrical feature, riding the peak of Pokémania in the West. Adapted from the Japanese original "Revelation Lugia," it pushed the anime's mythology beyond Pikachu and the core cast into legendary territory, introducing audiences to Lugia as guardian of the seas. The film's marketing push, including this promotional reel, played a large part in sustaining the property's momentum in theaters after the first movie's success, positioning the sequel as a bigger, more mythic entry in the series.
This 35mm trailer cell preserves a piece of that promotional campaign, built to announce Lugia's arrival to audiences unfamiliar with the character. Trailers of this kind exist to tease scale and mystery, and Lugia's introduction here carries that function directly, the legendary Pokémon presented as the film's central draw. Collectors prize Lugia material for its rarity relative to the more common core cast, and for its tie to the character's singular status as the movie's namesake guardian, a figure whose emergence anchors the picture's promise.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 Trailer (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 torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as a narrow dual-band strip; a blue-tinted digital timecode or data line is also visible 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 shows a cool blue-teal tint; the dye image reads in blue and grey-violet tones consistent with a colour release print.
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single animated shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of an animated feature matching the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, a DTS timecode stripe, and a blue-base colour print stock is consistent with a 35mm 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
