MOVIEPokémon: The Movie 2000 Trailer/Pikachu’s Rescue Adventure Clip
SCENEPikachu and Friends
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2000
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000003491
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived in theaters courtesy of Warner Bros. and Nintendo's licensing machine at the height of Pokémania, when the franchise's leap from Game Boy screens to the multiplex was still a novel event. As the second theatrical feature following the surprise success of the first Pokémon movie, it carried the weight of proving the series could sustain a film franchise beyond a single outing. Trailer and clip reels from this period circulated widely to theaters and promotional events, making surviving 35mm fragments a tangible link to that marketing push.
This cell, called Pikachu and Friends, gathers the franchise's most recognizable mascot alongside Squirtle, Psyduck, Venonat, and Marill, a roster that reflects the broader ensemble appeal the series relied on even as Pikachu anchored the marquee. Such a grouping suggests a promotional or clip-reel moment meant to showcase the variety of creatures audiences could expect, rather than a single narrative beat. For collectors, a cell naming this many characters together is notable simply for the density of recognizable figures it preserves, offering a compact record of the ensemble cast that made the early films appealing to a wide audience.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print or trailer strip of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three full frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with no tears or missing holes seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs beside the picture as two parallel tracks; a dashed line sits above it and speckled tone blocks sit in the lower margin.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue-tinted base at the edges with neutral, saturated dye colours in the image; no fading or red shift seen.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices visible across the three frames.
Picture
Positive colour image; three consecutive frames of one shot, and the Pokémon characters shown are consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The two-track variable-area optical soundtrack, clean saturated dyes and 35mm layout are consistent with a year-2000 release print or trailer of this film.
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 000071266
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
