Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived from Warner Bros. and Nintendo's partnership with 4Kids Entertainment, riding the first wave of Pokémania as it crossed from television into American theaters. Released in the summer of 2000, it capitalized on a franchise at its commercial peak, pairing the animated feature with a promotional push that included trading cards, tie-in merchandise, and theatrical trailers designed to draw families and devoted fans alike. The film's box office success cemented Pokémon as a viable theatrical property, and surviving promotional material from this release remains a touchstone for collectors tracing the brand's early cinematic ambitions.
This cell preserves a frame from the theatrical trailer, built around Lugia, the legendary Pokémon central to the film's plot and marketing. As a trailer piece, its purpose was to entice audiences before the feature itself, offering an early glimpse of a character whose rarity and mythic status within the Pokémon universe made it a natural choice for promotional emphasis. For collectors, Lugia's presence here ties directly to the character's enduring popularity and its role as the film's signature draw, making this a sought-after artifact from the franchise's theatrical debut.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 trailer.
Gauge
Four perforations per frame along both edges, the 35mm layout; the strip holds three full frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, rounded-rectangle holes, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with no tearing visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations; Dolby Digital blocks sit between the lower perforations, with a thin blue-violet line above.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Clear base with a faint blue-cyan tint along both edges; the dye image looks saturated and neutral, with no obvious fade.
Projection history
One short green vertical mark sits in the gap between frames one and two; no other scratches, splices or cue marks seen at this size.
Picture
Positive image; three consecutive frames of one static shot, showing a white winged creature on an orange-gold sky, which fits a Pokémon trailer.
Era check
Consistent with a 2000-era release print: optical analogue track beside Dolby Digital blocks matches the late-1990s and early-2000s theatrical format.
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 000071271
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
