Pokémon 3: The Movie arrived in the spring of 2001, the third theatrical feature built from the Pokémon anime and part of the franchise's early peak in American theaters. Distributed through Warner Bros. in the United States following 4Kids' localization efforts, it continued the run established by the first two films, pairing a self-contained story of psychic power and loss with the built-in audience the television series had cultivated. Trailers for the film circulated widely on VHS tapes and in theaters, serving as promotional artifacts in their own right, separate from the finished movie and often preserving shots or pacing unique to the marketing campaign rather than the film itself.
This cell comes from that promotional material and centers on Ash Ketchum and Charizard together, a pairing collectors prize above nearly any other in the franchise's visual history. Charizard represents the peak of Ash's early journey, a once-stubborn Pokémon turned loyal powerhouse, and its pairing with Ash in flight evokes partnership and trust rather than battle. As a trailer cell, it carries the particular appeal of advertising ephemera, a frame chosen to sell anticipation, not narrative detail, making it a window into how the film was pitched to audiences in 2001.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive release trailer print of Pokémon 3: The Movie (2001).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both the top and bottom edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes and no visible tears.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track with two tracks runs beside the picture; no Dolby Digital blocks, DTS timecode or SDDS tracks are visible in this capture.
Edge print
A small number reading "57" appears along the bottom edge; no manufacturer text or "SAFETY FILM" print is visible in this capture.
Base & colour
The base is a pale blue-green tint at the edges with a neutral grey perforation margin; the dye image looks saturated and unfaded.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on these three frames.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot and are consistent with the animated Pokémon material of the film on record.
Era check
The positive print on a tinted base with an optical track fits a 35mm release trailer print from around 2001, though no edge code confirms the stock.
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 000071118
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
