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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000003379 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEPokémon 3: The Movie Trailer/Pikachu & Pichu Short Trailer
SCENECleffa, Igglybuff, Smoochum and Furret
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003379

FILM NOTES

Pokémon 3: The Movie arrived in theaters in 2001 through Warner Bros., distributing 4Kids Entertainment's localization of the third Pokémon feature film from Japan. It continued the franchise's theatrical momentum following the success of the first two films, pairing the main feature with a short, Pikachu & Pichu, a format that had become a signature of the series' releases. These trailer and short reels circulated widely in theaters as a bridge between the television show's popularity and its expanding cinematic ambitions, making them a documented piece of the Pokémon franchise's early theatrical history in the United States.

This cell preserves a moment featuring Cleffa, Igglybuff, Smoochum, and Furret, a grouping of Baby Pokémon and an evolved companion that reflects the era's emphasis on introducing younger, pre-evolution designs to audiences alongside familiar favorites. Cleffa, Igglybuff, and Smoochum belong to the generation of baby Pokémon designs rolled out in the late 1990s, while Furret rounds out the grouping as a more established species. Collectors seek these characters for their scarcity in film promotional material, since baby Pokémon rarely anchored trailer or short content. As a trailer or short-reel fragment, this cell represents a physical artifact of the promotional materials distributed to theaters at the time.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm release print trailer strip for 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 edges, rectangular with rounded corners, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no tears or missing holes seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track with two tracks runs along one edge, and the Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the perforations on the other.
Edge print
"FUJICOLOR" reads backwards along the lower edge with a partial "CL" code; no other key numbers or safety-film text are legible.
Base & colour
The base shows a pale cyan-blue edge tint with a neutral clear picture area, and the dye image looks saturated with no visible fade or red shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices appear within the three frames.
Picture
Positive image, three consecutive frames of one near-identical shot, and the animated style is consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
Fujicolor stock with an optical track plus Dolby Digital data blocks fits a 35mm release print from around 2001.
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 000071154
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