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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000003365 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEPokémon 3: The Movie Trailer/Pikachu & Pichu Short Trailer
SCENEPikachu & Pichu - Title Card
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003365

FILM NOTES

FILM NOTES

Released theatrically in 2001 by Warner Bros. and The Pokémon Company, Pokémon 3: The Movie arrived alongside the companion short Pikachu & Pichu, part of the franchise's practice of pairing feature releases with standalone animated pieces. This era marked the height of Pokémon's crossover into American theaters, with Nintendo's property riding a wave of merchandising and Saturday morning ubiquity. The short format gave Pikachu a stage separate from Ash and the main cast, letting the character carry a story alongside the newly introduced Pichu line, a moment that mattered for a franchise built on expanding its roster while keeping its original mascot central.

This cell preserves a title card moment for Pikachu & Pichu, the kind of frame studios used to announce a short before the feature proper began. Title cards like this one are prized by collectors because they mark a clean entry point into the material, free of narrative clutter, built instead around the names that defined the project. Pikachu remains the franchise's most recognized figure, and pairing the character with Pichu in the card itself signals the short's intent: a quieter, standalone companion piece distinct from the main film.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge
35mm, with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no visible tears or stretched holes.
Soundtrack
One variable-area optical track runs beside the picture; the Dolby Digital data blocks between the perforations also appear to be present on the sound edge.
Edge print
A small round mark with the code "00-OD" appears at the lower edge; no SAFETY FILM text or key numbers are legible.
Base & colour
Clear base with a light blue-teal tint at the edges; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no fading or red shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; the frames look clean.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the "Pikachu & Pichu" title text matches the short on record.
Era check
Consistent: the optical track plus digital data blocks and the clean colour print stock fit a 2001 35mm release print of the Pikachu & Pichu 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 000071140
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