Sources: Wikidata. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Pokémon: The Movie 2000 arrived in American theaters from Warner Bros. in the summer of 2000, riding the crest of Pokémania at its commercial peak. Built from the Japanese feature Mewtwo Strikes Back's successor, this second film expanded the franchise's reach into a global theatrical event, pairing Ash's ongoing journey with a story built around Lugia and the balance of the elements. For many collectors and former kids, it stands as a snapshot of the franchise's first, brightest wave, a theatrical artifact from a moment when Pokémon ruled playgrounds and box offices alike.
This cell carries the name Melody, the young girl from the Shamouti Island segment of the film who plays a quiet but pivotal role alongside Ash and friends in the water festival narrative central to the story. Maren, the voice behind her, gives this frame its personal thread for collectors tracing voice cast history. As a cell bearing a named character rather than a generic background frame, it holds particular interest for those building sets around named human figures from the film's ensemble, a smaller and more sought-after category than Pokémon-only cells.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm release print of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
Gauge
35mm: four perforations per frame along both edges, and the strip holds three frames, shown here with the image running sideways along the strip.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and cleanly punched with rounded-rectangle holes and no torn or missing perforations seen.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track with two tracks runs beside the picture, and Dolby Digital data blocks sit in the gaps between the lower-edge perforations.
Edge print
Reads mirrored along the top edge: 'KODAK 2383' followed by a number and a small purple square marker, quoted as 'KODAK 2383 29 1999' once flipped.
Base & colour
Clear base with a pale blue tint along the edges; the dye image looks neutral with strong purples and no obvious fading or colour shift.
Projection history
None seen at this size; no scratches, cue marks or splices are visible across the three frames.
Picture
Positive image, the three frames run consecutively as one near-identical shot, and the anime-style artwork is plausible for the film on record.
Era check
Consistent with a release print: Kodak 2383 is a print stock from this period, and the optical track plus Dolby Digital data suit a 2000 theatrical release.
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 000071335
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
