Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived in American theaters from Warner Bros. and 4Kids Entertainment as the follow-up to the franchise's blockbuster film debut, riding the peak of Pokémania in the United States. Subtitled The Power of One, it introduced Western audiences to Lawrence III, the eccentric collector antagonist, and expanded the mythology beyond Mewtwo into the Legendary Birds and Lugia. The film's marketing push, including trailers distributed to theaters on 35mm, was part of a massive cross-promotional campaign that cemented Pokémon as a dominant force in children's entertainment at the turn of the millennium.
This cell comes from a trailer reel, the promotional film strip cut and distributed ahead of release to build anticipation in theaters nationwide. Lawrence III's Flying Palace refers to the airship belonging to the collector character, a vessel central to his pursuit of rare Pokémon and his role in the film's climax. For collectors, Lawrence III represents a distinctive non-canon antagonist unique to this film, and his palace is one of the more visually ambitious set pieces of the era's animation. A trailer cell carries the added appeal of advertising history, a physical artifact from the campaign that introduced this character to American audiences.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release trailer print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm, with four perforations per frame along both edges; the strip holds three full frames, with partial frames visible at the ends.
Perforations
Four per frame on both the top and bottom edges, evenly spaced, rounded-rectangle shape, cleanly punched with no visible tears or missing holes.
Soundtrack
A two-track variable-area optical track runs beside the picture, and a dotted Dolby Digital data pattern sits in the gaps between the bottom-edge perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue-tinted base along both edges, with a neutral clear base around the picture and a vivid purple, violet and pink dye image showing no obvious fading.
Projection history
No scratches, cue marks or splices seen at this size; only a faint hairline mark near the top perforations and a few dust specks.
Picture
Positive image. The three frames repeat the same composition, reading as consecutive frames of one held shot, and nothing in them contradicts a Pokémon trailer.
Era check
The optical track plus Dolby Digital data blocks on a blue-tinted base fits a release print from around 2000, matching the film on record.
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 000071248
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
