Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived from Warner Bros. and The Pokémon Company at the height of Pokémania, a follow-up to the franchise's blockbuster debut feature and proof that the craze had box office staying power beyond its first outing. Built around the Legendary birds and the balance of nature, it brought Ash and his companions into a larger mythic story while still courting the young audience that had made the games and series a cultural phenomenon. For collectors, it marks the peak of the franchise's early theatrical run, a snapshot of a moment when Pikachu's image was inescapable in American pop culture.
This cell pairs Pikachu with Maren, a human character tied to the film's island setting and its themes of coexistence between people and Pokémon. Her appearance alongside Pikachu points to one of the quieter, character-driven passages of the story, a moment of connection rather than spectacle. Cells featuring named side characters like Maren are scarcer than those built around Ash or the Legendary birds, making this a notable find for collectors assembling a fuller picture of the film's cast beyond its marquee figures.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm layout: four perforations per frame on both edges, with three frames in the strip, each showing a full-height picture area.
Perforations
Four per frame along both the top and bottom edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes, no tears or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track runs between the picture and the lower perforations, as two parallel tracks; Dolby Digital blocks sit in the gaps between the lower perforations.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Light blue tint on the base edges; the dye image looks neutral with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible on these three frames.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames run consecutively as one near-static shot, and the character design matches the Pokémon animation of the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a release print: analogue optical tracks plus Dolby Digital data between perforations fit a 2000-era theatrical 35mm print on a positive stock.
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 000071309
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
