The Powerpuff Girls Movie came to theaters in 2002, an expansion of Craig McCracken's Cartoon Network series into a full theatrical feature from Warner Bros. The show had already built a devoted following through the late 1990s, and the film served as an origin story, tracing how Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup came into being and became Townsville's protectors. For fans, it marked a rare moment when a beloved television property earned a genuine big screen treatment, complete with its own marketing push, including teaser and trailer materials distributed to promote the release.
This cell comes from the trailer reel, preserving a pairing of Blossom and Bubbles, two thirds of the trio at the heart of the franchise. Blossom, the self-appointed leader, and Bubbles, the gentlest of the group, are frequently sought together by collectors who focus on character dynamics rather than solo appearances. Trailer cells like this one circulated specifically to build anticipation ahead of release, making them artifacts of promotion as much as of the finished film. Pairing these two figures speaks to the ensemble chemistry that drove the property's appeal.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer strip of The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002).
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, which reads as 35mm; the strip holds three frames, all fully visible.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs inside the lower perforations, with Dolby Digital data blocks visible in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Faint reversed text near the top right edge, partly legible as "SAFETY"; no key numbers or other codes are legible in this capture.
Base & colour
Light blue-tinted base at the edges with a neutral, saturated dye image; no fading or red shift seen.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the frames look clean.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the cartoon style matches The Powerpuff Girls Movie trailer on record.
Era check
Consistent with a 2002 release print, since the optical track plus Dolby Digital data blocks and safety-base edge print fit stock of that period.
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 in partnership with National Film Vault, 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.
CROWN SERIAL 000071095
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
