Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived in theaters courtesy of Warner Bros. and 4Kids Entertainment, riding the crest of the franchise's first great American wave. Released in the summer of 2000 as a follow-up to the previous year's blockbuster debut, it expanded the mythology with the Legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, alongside the elusive Lugia. For a generation of young viewers, this was appointment cinema, a cultural event tied inseparably to trading cards, Saturday morning television, and playground conversation. The film's box office success cemented Pokémon as more than a passing trend, and its theatrical run remains a touchstone for collectors who came of age alongside the series.
This 35mm cell bears the name Ancient Mew Card, a reference to the promotional card given to theatergoers upon the film's original release, itself inscribed in a constructed hieroglyphic script telling of Mew's origins. Mew stands among the most sought-after Pokémon in the franchise, prized for its rarity and its foundational place in the series' lore as the ancestor of all Pokémon. A cell tied to this promotional artifact connects directly to the theatrical distribution campaign itself, the kind of tie-in material that turned a single moviegoing trip into a lasting keepsake, bridging film and collectible card culture in one object.
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 appear clean throughout the strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible as a white wavy line running along one edge, with what appears to be a second parallel track beside it, consistent with a stereo optical pair; a thin colored line consistent with a Dolby Digital or DTS timecode stripe is also visible adjacent to the optical tracks.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a color print stock; the dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
Light horizontal scratches are visible running parallel to the film length on the picture area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive color image; all four frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the imagery is consistent with an animated theatrical release print matching the film on record.
Era check
The stereo variable-area optical track, cyan-tinted print stock, and perforation style 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
