Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived in theaters as Warner Bros. and Nintendo capitalized on the height of Pokémania, following the franchise's explosive stateside debut in 1999. Subtitled The Power of One, it expanded the anime's mythology to the big screen with a story built around legendary birds and the balance of nature. Promotional trailers circulated on 35mm reels ahead of the film's summer release, giving theater chains a standardized way to build anticipation. These preview strips are now scarce survivors of a theatrical distribution era that has largely vanished, making any physical trailer footage a notable artifact of the franchise's early cinematic push.
This cell presents a Poké Ball logo card, a graphic element used in trailers to anchor the Pokémon brand visually before footage or title treatments follow. The Poké Ball is the franchise's most recognized symbol, representing capture, adventure, and the core mechanic that defines the series across games, cards, and animation. As a logo card rather than a character or scene cell, it marks a transitional beat in the trailer's structure, the kind of design asset collectors seek for its graphic simplicity and its direct tie to the franchise's identity during this pivotal theatrical moment.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release-print trailer strip of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm: four perforations span each frame along both edges, and the strip holds three complete frames plus a partial frame at the right edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle punches, evenly spaced and cleanly cut; the strip tilts on the panel, so the spacing looks uneven toward the right.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track sits beside the picture, with a Morse-like dash line above it and Dolby Digital data blocks in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a pale blue-cyan tint along both edges; the dye image reads neutral in the red, white and black picture area, with no obvious fading.
Projection history
Fine white specks dot the black picture area; no splices, cue marks or long scratches are seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one shot of a red-and-white ball on black, which matches a Pokémon trailer on record.
Era check
The optical track with Dolby Digital blocks between the perforations is consistent with a 2000-era 35mm release print, and the positive image fits a trailer print.
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 000071247
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
