Released in 2000 by Warner Bros. in North America following its Japanese debut the previous year, Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived at the height of the franchise's first great wave of popularity. As the second theatrical feature built around the property, it expanded the series' ambitions beyond the television format, bringing Pokémon to American multiplexes on the strength of a cross-promotional campaign that remains a touchstone of late-nineties and millennial children's media marketing.
This cell comes from the film's trailer reel, the promotional footage distributed to theaters to build anticipation ahead of release. It centers on Lawrence III, the collector antagonist whose obsession with capturing legendary Pokémon drives the story, here associated with his airborne base of operations, the flying palace. For collectors, Lawrence III represents a lesser-seen figure in Pokémon's cast, a human villain rather than a creature, and material tied to his signature vessel carries particular interest for those assembling a complete run of the film's early promotional artifacts.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive release trailer print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, with three frames visible on the strip.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes and no visible tears or missing teeth.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs beside the picture as two or three white waveform bands, with a dashed line above it and no Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear to light-blue base with neutral-to-slightly-cool dye image; no red shift or fading seen at this size.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen; a dark ring on the third frame is a camera reflection and is ignored.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as one shot of a red lattice structure against blue sky with white clouds; the film on record cannot be confirmed from the picture alone.
Era check
A variable-area optical track on a colour positive 35mm base is consistent with a 2000-era theatrical trailer print, though a trailer would normally also show digital sound data.
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 000071240
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
