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 a theatrical event aimed squarely at young audiences and the adults buying the tickets. As the second animated feature in the series, it followed the original film's surprisingly strong box office and helped cement the idea that Pokémon could sustain an annual theatrical presence. Trailers from this period circulated widely, building anticipation across a fanbase eager for new footage ahead of release.
This cell comes from the promotional reel itself, a 35mm trailer frame rather than a scene from the finished film. Team Rocket, the recurring trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth, built their reputation on comic relief and scheming subplots that ran parallel to the main adventure, making them a favorite subject for collectors drawn to the franchise's lighter, more theatrical side. Their appearance here situates the cell as part of the marketing campaign meant to tease the film, a glimpse offered to audiences before the feature's wider release.
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, and the strip holds three frames, one of them a solid yellow frame.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, with cleanly punched rounded-rectangle holes and no tears or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track with two tracks runs beside the picture, with dotted timing marks above it and no Dolby Digital blocks visible between the perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a pale blue tint along the edges; the dye image looks neutral and saturated, with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size; a faint round halo on the right-hand frame is a camera reflection, not wear.
Picture
Positive image; the second and third frames show the same shot, following a solid yellow frame, and the animated characters are consistent with the Pokémon film on record.
Era check
A two-track optical soundtrack on a positive print with animation-style colour is consistent with a 2000 theatrical trailer print of Pokémon: The Movie 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 000071252
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
