National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING

AUTHENTIC

CROWN CERTIFIED

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

SCENEPikachu & Pichu - Title Card

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2001

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003371

FILM NOTES

Pokémon 3: The Movie arrived in theaters in 2001 through Warner Bros. and 4Kids Entertainment, the third theatrical outing built on the franchise's early, explosive popularity. Preceding it in release was the Pikachu & Pichu short, a bonus feature that played before the main attraction and gave audiences additional screen time with fan favorite characters outside the central plot. This pairing of trailer and short reflects how Pokémon's theatrical releases were packaged as events, with supplementary material adding value for young audiences and collectors alike, cementing the franchise's place in early 2000s pop culture.

This cell comes from the title card for the Pikachu & Pichu short, a piece of film meant to announce the feature to come. Title cards hold a particular appeal for collectors since they mark a clean entry point into a reel, a frame built for introduction rather than narrative action. Pikachu, the franchise's enduring mascot, appears alongside Pichu, its smaller evolutionary relative, a pairing that speaks to the short's premise of companionship between the two. For collectors, this cell represents the opening gesture of a beloved supplementary piece, a marker of where the short itself begins.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge: 35mm: four-perforation frame pitch is evident on both edges, and the strip holds three frames, the third being a lightly coloured line-art title-card frame.
Perforations: Four perforations per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, with clean rounded-rectangle punches and no visible tears or missing holes along the strip.
Soundtrack: A two-track variable-area optical soundtrack runs between the picture and the lower perforations, with a grey speckled Dolby-style pattern in the gaps between those lower perforations.
Edge print: The lower edge reads "SAFETY" and "CL", appearing reversed; no key numbers or other codes are visible in this capture.
Base & colour: The base shows a pale blue-green edge tint, with a purple-toned dye image and no obvious fading or red shift visible.
Projection history: No scratches, cue marks or splices are seen at this size; the only marks are glossy-base reflections on the second frame, which are not wear.
Picture: Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as one shot and carry the Pikachu & Pichu title, matching the film on record.
Era check: Consistent with an early-2000s release print: optical track plus Dolby-style data pattern on safety base fits a 2001 theatrical 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 000071146

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