Pokémon 3: The Movie arrived in 2001 as the third theatrical entry from the franchise's early film cycle, distributed in the West by Warner Bros. after its original Japanese release the prior year. It landed during the height of Pokémon's crossover into mainstream American pop culture, when trading cards, the television series, and the first two films had already built a dedicated audience eager for new theatrical material. Promotional trailers for the movie circulated widely through theaters and television spots, serving as a collector's category of their own, distinct from the feature print itself.
This cell comes from that promotional reel and centers on Ash Ketchum and Charizard, pairing the franchise's lead trainer with one of its most recognizable and sought-after creatures. Charizard's appearances carry outsized collector interest given its status as a flagship Pokémon across media. A trailer cell like this one exists to tease the film's scale and adventure before release, offering a glimpse meant to draw audiences into theaters rather than a scene pulled from the finished story itself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print trailer strip of Pokémon 3: The Movie (2001).
Gauge
35mm layout with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three full frames of picture.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations, with a dashed line and a speckled pattern in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
The word "SAFETY" is printed along the lower edge, reading backwards; no key numbers or other codes are visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue-cyan tint at the edges; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no fading or red shift seen.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the strip curves slightly on the panel and the soundtrack edge looks clean.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot of the same animated composition, consistent with an animated Pokémon title as on record.
Era check
Consistent with a 2001 release print: safety-base 35mm with an optical track and a dyed picture. The speckled pattern between the lower perforations is not clearly readable as Dolby Digital data.
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 000071114
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
