Released in the summer of 2000, Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived at the peak of the franchise's first great wave of American popularity, distributed by Warner Bros. as the second theatrical feature spun out of the wildly successful television series and card game phenomenon. Promotional trailers like this one were essential tools in that rollout, appearing in theaters and on television months ahead of release to stoke anticipation among a young, devoted audience and their families. The film itself, centered on the Legendary Birds and the balance of nature, cemented Pokémon as a genuine box office draw beyond Japan.
This piece preserves a title card from that very trailer, the graphic moment where the film's name is presented to the audience before any footage unfolds. Such cards mark the formal introduction of a release, the studio's opening statement of identity and scale. For collectors, trailer title cards occupy a distinct niche separate from feature film cells, valued as artifacts of marketing history and as tangible fragments of the promotional campaign that first announced the movie to eager fans.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical trailer release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced, appearing cleanly punched with no visible torn or deformed holes
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the same edge
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with modern safety stock; dye image reads as a strong, saturated positive with no visible fading or colour shift
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks or cue marks are visible in this capture
Picture
Positive image; all three frames show the same title-card logo, consistent with a title or trailer leader sequence matching the film on record
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, apparent Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, cyan-tinted polyester safety base, and saturated dye image is consistent with a theatrical release or trailer print from the late 1990s to early 2000s
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
