Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived in theaters as Warner Bros. and Nintendo pressed their advantage while Pokémania still ran hot in America, a follow-up to the prior year's box office surprise. Marketed heavily through trailers on VHS tapes, television spots, and theatrical previews, it kept the franchise's momentum alive during a period when studios were racing to capitalize on the craze before it cooled. This promotional push, including the trailer reels struck for theater distribution, forms an important part of the franchise's early cinematic footprint, a record of how Pokémon was sold to audiences beyond the games and cards.
This 35mm trailer cell pairs Venonat, one of the original generation's early bug and poison types, with Squirtle, among the most recognizable starter Pokémon from the games and anime. Their joint appearance in a promotional reel reflects how trailers of this era stitched together brief glimpses of familiar creatures to entice ticket buyers already attached to specific favorites. Squirtle's starter status makes it a perennial collector draw, while Venonat's inclusion offers something rarer, a supporting face from the wider roster. Together they mark a small preserved fragment of the film's advertising campaign.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 Trailer (1999).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible 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; a DTS timecode line appears as a thin dashed line along the opposite edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image shows full colour saturation with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with animated content from the film on record.
Era check
The combination of variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital data blocks between perforations, and DTS timecode line is consistent with a late-1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1999 release date of the film 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
