Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived in theaters courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo's licensing machine at the height of Pokémania, when the franchise was translating its handheld and television success into theatrical events for a generation of young fans. As a follow-up to the original Pokémon film, it carried real commercial weight, and promotional material from the period, including trailers struck to 35mm for theatrical distribution, circulated widely as part of that marketing push. These trailer reels are scarce survivors of a very specific moment in the brand's history, predating the shift to digital distribution entirely.
This cell preserves a moment from that trailer centered on Zapdos, one of the three Legendary birds whose mythology anchors the film's plot. Zapdos draws collector interest as a cornerstone Legendary, central to the "Pokémon: The Movie 2000" narrative. A trailer cell like this one captures a promotional excerpt meant to entice early audiences, isolating a single frame of footage built to showcase the creature's presence ahead of the film's wider release.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release trailer print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm: four-perforation frame pitch is not countable on this strip, but both edges carry perforations, and three frames are visible, showing a 35mm layout with an optical track.
Perforations
Perforations run along both edges, roughly four per frame, rounded-rectangle, evenly spaced and cleanly punched, with no torn or missing holes seen.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations; Dolby Digital blocks sit between the lower perforations, and a dashed timecode line runs above.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
The base is clear with a light blue edge tint, and the dye image looks neutral with strong yellow, white and purple tones and no obvious fading.
Projection history
A fine hairline scratch crosses the lower right of the third frame; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one shot of a lightning burst. The Pokémon-style electric imagery is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
Two-track optical track, Dolby Digital blocks between perforations and a timecode line are consistent with a release print from around 2000.
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 000071226
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
