Pokémon 3: The Movie, released by Warner Bros. in 2001 under the Pokémon USA banner, arrived as the third theatrical entry in the franchise's early feature run, following the massive success of the first two films. Promoted through theatrical trailers distributed to exhibitors on 35mm, it carried the series into its next chapter, built around Unknown, the Spell of the Unown, and the legendary beast Entei. The film's marketing push reflected how central trailer prints were to theatrical runs of the era, circulating in advance of release to build anticipation among audiences already devoted to the franchise.
This cell preserves a moment from that promotional reel centered on Entei, one of the three Legendary Beasts and a figure prized by collectors for its rarity in the games and its elevated role as a central antagonist-protector in this film. An attacking pose places the Legendary squarely at the heart of the trailer's appeal, the kind of footage meant to signal scale and stakes to audiences deciding whether to see the film. As a trailer cell, it represents the marketing apparatus of early Pokémon cinema rather than a scene from the finished feature itself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print trailer for Pokémon 3: The Movie (2001).
Gauge
35mm: four perforations span each frame along both edges, and the strip holds three frames, each shown in a tall narrow picture area.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, with rounded-rectangle holes that look cleanly punched and uniform.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs along the lower edge beside the picture, and a dashed line of data runs between it and the perforations; no data blocks between the perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
The base shows a pale blue-green tint along the edges, and the dye image looks saturated in blues and purples with no obvious fading.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; the edges and picture area look clean.
Picture
Positive image, three consecutive frames from one continuous shot; the colours and animated look are plausible for the film on record, though nothing confirms it.
Era check
A variable-area optical track on 35mm colour stock is consistent with an early-2000s release print, which fits a 2001 trailer.
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 000071130
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
