Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived on the heels of the franchise's explosive American debut, riding the momentum Warner Bros. and Nintendo built through the original film and the still-surging television craze. Released in the summer of 2000, it pushed the Pokémon universe further into mainstream theatrical territory, pairing the property's merchandising juggernaut with an ambitious mythology built around Lugia and the balance of the elements. For a generation of young viewers, this was event cinema, marketed with the kind of trailer campaigns that made 35mm promotional material a genuine piece of the theatrical rollout rather than an afterthought.
This cell preserves a title card from that trailer, the moment where the film's name is announced on screen ahead of the footage meant to sell audiences on the second big-screen outing. Title cards like this one function as the handshake between studio and audience, a clean announcement of brand and event before any character or scene is shown. For collectors, a piece from the theatrical trailer rather than the feature itself carries its own appeal, marking the promotional apparatus that built anticipation for one of the defining kids' franchises of the era.
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 approximately four frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, 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
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably
Base & colour
Base shows a slight cyan-teal tint consistent with estar or acetate safety stock; dye image appears neutral with strong yellow and blue saturation
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or prominent scratches are visible in this capture
Picture
Positive image; frames run consecutively showing the same title-card composition, consistent with a trailer title sequence matching the film on record
Era check
The variable-area optical track, cyan-tinted safety base, and dye saturation are all consistent with a 35mm theatrical release or trailer print from circa 2000
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
