.jpg)
Pokémon: The First Movie, the rather uncreatively named first Pokémon movie hit US theatres in November of 1999. This English adaptation of a Japanese anime broke the record for highest opening weekend for an animated film (a record that would be again broken two weeks later by Pixar's Toy Story 2), opening with over $50 million for the five-day weekend, and grossing over $160 million worldwide, marking another triumph for the Pokémon franchise.
Pokémon: The First Movie includes two segments: the first is the 20-minute short "Pikachu's Vacation" (not much of note here except for bouncing Pokémon) and the main feature, "Mewtwo Strikes Back".
The film opens with a rather dark premise of scientists attempting to create the "world's most powerful Pokémon", who is Mewtwo, cloned from the DNA of the legendary Pokémon Mew. Learning that he is but a mere copy, Mewtwo is enraged, and destroys the entire island. Mewtwo is taken by the villainous Team Rocket leader Giovanni, who uses the clone to defeat opponents in his gym. Still unhappy with his life and angered by humans, Mewtwo escapes, swearing revenge on humankind for their treatment towards Pokémon, and determined to prove his superiority to the world.
Our protagonists, Ash Ketchum, his Pikachu, and traveling buddies Misty and Brock are invited to a feast by the "world's greatest Pokémon master". Enduring a severe storm, they make it to the mysterious island venue along with a trio of other able Pokémon trainers, only to discover that this self-proclaimed "Pokémon master" is none other than Mewtwo himself- and the party was nothing more than a trap. Mewtwo challenges the trainers to deadly Pokémon battles, claiming their own Pokémon for his prize, and cloning them as well. When Mew itself appears, however, all the Pokémon are pitted against one another, and only Ash can stop the battle of Pokémon versus super-clones.
Pokémon: The First Movie is much bigger in scope than the TV series. The story, music and animation are all a notch better than the standard Cartoon Network fare. Although nothing really stands out in the writing, it's bound to generate some chuckles though clever references to the anime, video games, and even real-life icons like the Minnesota Vikings. Although the story is slight and very run-of-the-mill, it serves its purpose and manages to incorporate some strong morals as well. Themes like racism, differences, and violence are handled surprisingly well.
The voice cast in the movie mostly consists of the TV actors, none of which lend anything spectacular to the characters (although props to the talented Ikue Otani for giving Pikachu a lot of emotion). The antagonist, Mewtwo is given a human voice (rather than just standard Pokémon noises), giving us an insight into it's motives. The animation is bright, colorful and great too look at, and judiciously uses CGI effects which give the movie a much grander feel. Towards the end of the movie, we see a very human side of the franchise, injecting unexpected emotion into a mostly commercial-minded movie.
Pokémon: The First Movie is one of the better Pokémon movies. That said, it's not as amazing as you'd expect. I'd find it hard to recommend this to non-fans, most of whom will struggle to understand the Pokémon mechanics. But as complete children's entertainment, and a celebration of a fifteen year old franchise that's still booming, Pokémon: The First Movie does its purpose well, and gives us a healthy dose of values as a bonus. For fans, it's a fun filled, nostalgia-laden extravaganza.
RATING: ★★★1/2
Related Review: Pokémon The Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice (Movie 15)
Check out Episode 42 of The Animation Addicts Podcast with The Rotoscopers where I discuss Pokémon: The First Movie!