National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING

AUTHENTIC

CROWN CERTIFIED

Tap to enlarge

MOVIEPokémon 3: The Movie Trailer/Pikachu & Pichu Short Trailer

SCENEPikachu & Pichu - Title Card

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2001

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003363

FILM NOTES

Released in 2001 by Warner Bros. in North America under license from Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, this theatrical package paired the main feature trailer with the short "Pikachu & Pichu," a wordless companion piece that played before Pokémon 3 in Japanese and American cinemas alike. The era marked the height of Pokémon's crossover into mainstream family entertainment, with Pikachu firmly established as the franchise's commercial and emotional anchor. Trailer reels and short-subject cells from this period document the marketing machinery that kept the brand visible between feature installments.

This cell marks the title card for the Pikachu & Pichu short, the frame that announces the piece before its story begins. Houndoom and Houndour, a rare parent-and-offspring Pokémon pairing, appear alongside Meowth, the Team Rocket mainstay known for his speech and schemes. Their presence here points to a moment of interaction or confrontation worked into the short's opening stretch. Collectors prize title card cells for their role as the first image an audience sees, a clean entry point into the reel's identity, and for featuring Houndoom and Houndour together, an uncommon pairing in Pokémon film merchandise.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm release print of the Pokémon 3 / Pikachu & Pichu short trailer.

Gauge: 35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations: Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with rounded-rectangle holes and no visible tearing or stretching.
Soundtrack: A variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations, with Dolby Digital data blocks visible in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print: Only a small number reading "57" near the lower edge; no manufacturer text or "SAFETY FILM" print is legible in this capture.
Base & colour: Pale blue-green tinted base with a neutral to slightly warm dye image; no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history: None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible across the three frames.
Picture: Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one continuous shot and carry the "Pikachu & Pichu" title graphic, matching the film on record.
Era check: Optical track plus Dolby Digital blocks on a clear base is consistent with an early-2000s 35mm release print, matching a 2001 Pokémon short 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 000071138

Original Film Capture As received

The film strip as photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation

Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size