Pokémon movie

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A Pokémon movie is a movie, released in Japanese theaters in July, centering on Pokémon and following, as the main anime, Ash Ketchum and his friends. Typically, the movies' animation is done by Team Koitabashi of OLM (Mewtwo Returns being the only one taken by another, Team Wasaki), and each has at least one hour of footage. Most also have a Pikachu short that is shown before the movie.

Movies, with little exception, center around and feature legendary Pokémon which are either not at all or very rarely seen in the main anime, often with the legendary Pokémon causing some sort of disaster with its powers or being pursued by someone with less than noble tendencies. Ash and his friends will often befriend a Pokémon during the movie and must, at the end, say goodbye to their new friend.

The locations in which the movies take place have been, since Pokémon Heroes, based on a real-world location outside of Japan. Topics explored are typically deeper than those explored in the episodes aired on TV, with the battle between greedy people who would use Pokémon for evil and those like Ash who are friends and partners to their Pokémon being a central issue in several movies.

When they open in Japan, they usually gross a large amount of money, typically ranking first for their premiere weekend. Recently, one movie drew in a significant crowd despite the fact that it was released in the same weekend as a Studio Ghibli film. In the United States, only the first five movies, those associated with the original series, were released in theaters, however, the movies continue to be dubbed, being released directly to home video and, since Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, airing on Cartoon Network early in the year.

To date there have been twelve theatrical Pokémon movies and three movie-length special episodes.

Movies

Original series

Movie English poster English title English release Japanese title Japanese release Summary
1 Mewtwo Strikes Back Pokémon the First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back November 10, 1999 ミュウツーの逆襲
Mewtwo's Counterattack
Mewtwo Strikes Back!
July 18, 1998 Ash Ketchum and friends are tricked into visiting New Island, an island ruled by a mutant Pokémon, Mewtwo. There, they find out about Mewtwo's plans to clone their Pokémon and destroy the world, and a massive battle follows between the clones and the originals—including the "original" counterpart to Mewtwo: Mew.
2 The Power of One Pokémon the Movie 2000 - The Power of One July 21, 2000 幻のポケモン ルギア爆誕
Mirage Pokémon: Lugia's Explosive Birth
Revelation-Lugia
July 17, 1999 Ash Ketchum and friends visit Shamouti Island, the centerpoint of culture in the Orange Islands, just in time for their annual festival in honor of the Chosen One spoken of in legends who would save the world when Lugia's song was not enough to quell the fighting legendary birds. But when the meddling of a self-named "Pokémon Collector" causes the legendary birds to begin fighting, will the Chosen One appear in time to help Lugia?
3 Spell of the Unown Pokémon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unown April 6, 2001 結晶塔の帝王 ENTEI
Emperor of the Crystal Tower: Entei
Lord of the "Unknown" Tower
July 8, 2000 When Spencer Hale, a researcher exploring the mystery of the Unown, disappears on an expedition, his daughter Molly is left alone in their mansion in Greenfield. Using tiles of the Unown sent to her by her father, she brings Unown into the Pokémon world, where their power can make real her dreams. When she wishes for her parents to return, however, she wishes her father as an Entei, and then for him to bring her a mother. When Ash's own mother is kidnapped by Entei to serve as Molly's, Ash and his friends must journey into the mansion that has been warped by the Unown's power and Molly's wishes... but can they get to Molly in time to stop the Unown's power from warping the whole Johto region... or even the world?
4 Celebi: Voice of the Forest Pokémon 4Ever - Celebi: Voice of the Forest October 11, 2002 セレビィ時を超えた遭遇
Celebi: Encounter Beyond Time
Celebi: a Timeless Encounter
July 7, 2001 Forty years in the past, a young Trainer finds a Celebi on the run from a Pokémon poacher. Trying to calm it, the boy is accidentally transported to the present day by Celebi, and thought by all in the past to have vanished. He meets Ash and friends, but before they can get Celebi to take him back to the past, it is captured by a far more dangerous man, Team Rocket operative Vicious, whose Dark Balls brainwash Celebi into following his every command.
5 Pokémon Heroes Pokémon Heroes May 16, 2003 水の都の護神 ラティアスとラティオス
Guardian Gods of the City of Water: Latias and Latios
The Guardians of Altomare
July 13, 2002 In Alto Mare, a legend is told of its guardians, Latios and Latias, who have protected the city for a long time. The Soul Dew, their essence, is kept in Alto Mare to keep the city safe. But when Team Rocket agents Annie and Oakley arrive to attempt to steal the Soul Dew, Ash and his friends must recover it to keep Alto Mare safe at all costs.

Advanced Generation series

Movie English cover English title English release Japanese title Japanese release Summary
6 Jirachi: Wish Maker Jirachi: Wish Maker June 1, 2004 (DVD) 七夜の願い星 ジラーチ
Wishing Star of the Seven Nights: Jirachi
Wishing Star of the Seven Nights
July 19, 2003 A mysterious comet that passes by every millennium awakens Jirachi, a legendary Pokémon. Using its power, a magician, Butler, who was formerly a member of Team Magma, attempts to create a Groudon to further the group's goals. Can Ash and his friends protect Jirachi during the week that it is awake?
7 Destiny Deoxys Destiny Deoxys January 22, 2005 (Kids' WB!) 裂空の訪問者 デオキシス
Sky-Splitting Visitor: Deoxys
Deoxys the Visitor
July 17, 2004 When a meteor crashes into Earth, a battle begins between Rayquaza and the Deoxys contained inside. With Rayquaza the victor, researchers pick up a portion of the meteor with the intention of studying it. When the Deoxys has finally recovered four years later, it attacks the city where the researchers call home, just in time for Ash and friends to visit. But why is it attacking? What connection does the meteor have with it?
8 Lucario and the Mystery of Mew Lucario and the Mystery of Mew September 19, 2006 (Kids' WB!) ミュウと波導の勇者 ルカリオ
Mew and the Wave-Guiding Hero: Lucario
Mew and the Wave Hero
July 16, 2005 Ash's Pikachu is taken to the Tree of World's Beginning by a wild Mew. To get Pikachu back, Ash must now team up with a legendary Lucario from many years past, but with Lucario still bitter about the hero who sealed him away, Ash and friends must discover the hero's true intentions.
9 Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea March 23, 2007 (Cartoon Network) ポケモンレンジャーと蒼海の王子 マナフィ
Pokémon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea: Manaphy
The Pokémon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea
July 15, 2006 When the egg of a legendary Pokémon, Manaphy, with ties to an ancient water-based civilization, falls into the hands of a pirate, a Pokémon Ranger entrusts the egg to Ash and his friends—specifically May. May must keep the egg safe until it hatches, and afterward, make sure Manaphy does not fall into the hands of the Phantom, lest Samiya be lost to the seafloor and Manaphy lose its home.

Diamond & Pearl series

Movie English cover English title English release Japanese title Japanese release Summary
10 The Rise of Darkrai The Rise of Darkrai February 24, 2008 (Cartoon Network) ディアルガVSパルキアVSダークライ
Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai
July 14, 2007 In Alamos Town, a large shrine to Dialga and Palkia, the Space-Time Tower, sits. But when Dialga and Palkia begin to battle in their dimension, the fight spills over into the Pokémon world, trapping Alamos Town away from the rest of the world. A Darkrai that lives in town tries to help, but is ultimately blamed by the town as the cause of the problem. Can Ash and his friends save Alamos Town before it is destroyed, and prove Darkrai's intentions?
11 Giratina and the Sky Warrior Giratina and the Sky Warrior February 13, 2009 (Cartoon Network) ギラティナと氷空の花束 シェイミ
Giratina and the Sky's Bouquet: Shaymin
July 19, 2008 When dark, poisonous clouds begin to appear in the Reverse World, home to Giratina, it takes matters into its own hands and pursues the cause of the clouds: Dialga and Palkia. Finding Dialga, it lures it for revenge, and assumes Shaymin to also be responsible. But this is not the only trouble: a researcher who wishes to make Giratina's power his own is also in pursuit of the Renegade Pokémon. With the balance of the Pokémon world and Reverse World altering due to Dialga and Giratina's own fight, Ash and friends must stop the fighting and get Shaymin to Gracidea to participate in the flower bearing ceremony.
12 Movie 12 Arceus and the Jewel of Life Unknown アルセウス 超克の時空へ
Arceus: To a Conquering Spacetime
July 18, 2009 Ash and friends have traveled to Michīna, an ancient area surrounded by many legends—and unsurprisingly, many legendary Pokémon as well. Arceus, however, is angry, as in the past it was betrayed by the people of Michīna, and begins to destroy the area. Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina arrive to protect Ash and friends from the legendary Pokémon, but how can Ash stop the most powerful Pokémon of them all, especially in its rage?

Relation to the main anime

Pokémon movies are considered by some fans to be non-canon, meaning they are not considered to have actually happened. For example, May befriended a Manaphy in the ninth movie, but has never mentioned Manaphy in the main series.

However, some may not count their being unmentioned in the series as evidence to being non-canon due to several events in even the most important/canon of episodes being forgotten/unmentioned as well, such as:

Because the anime is inconsistent with what is known to be canon, it is difficult to say that the movies are definitely canon or not. For the purposes of each, episodes that were aired the week before and week after the Japanese premiere will usually be considered as the episodes preceding and following the movies in terms of plot.

Long specials

These special episodes, which run longer than the normal half hour and are not usually separated into more than one episode in either the original or the dub, are often considered TV Pokémon movies, not counting towards the running total. They never appear in theaters, but are instead broadcast on the same networks that the regular anime is broadcast for their premieres. Though they may air around the same time as other episodes of the anime, usually in the anime's normal timeslot, they are not assigned episode numbers.

2000

Main article: Mewtwo Returns

Mewtwo, who has been hiding out in the Johto region since last he was seen, has been located by Giovanni. Now the Rocket Boss wants to recapture the powerful Pokémon to again use him for his own purposes. It was released directly to video in the United States and elsewhere.

2001

Main article: The Legend of Thunder!

In the first anime break from Ash and friends, three trainers, Jimmy, Marina, and Vincent must stop the evil Team Rocket duo Attila and Hun from capturing Raikou. It was divided up into three parts to become the first three episodes of Pokémon Chronicles when dubbed.

2006

Main article: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon

Ash, May, Max, and Brock meet up with Misty and Professor Oak to investigate Dr. Yung's new Mirage Pokémon system. But when the mysterious Mirage Master appears with a Mirage Mewtwo, Ash is forced to fight him to stop his plans to dominate the world with his Mirage Pokémon.

See also

On Bulbanews