Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie is a 1998 Japanese anime fantasy adventure film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise. The film was first released in Japan on July 18, 1998. On July 8, 1999, an extended version of the film aired on Japanese television. In addition to an added prologue, the updated version included new animation and CGI graphics. The film primarily consists of three segments: Pikachu's Vacation, a 21-minute feature focusing on the series mascot Pikachu; Origin of Mewtwo, the 10-minute prologue added to the extended version of the film; and Mewtwo Strikes Back, the main 75-minute film feature. Overseas, the prologue can only be seen as a bonus short in DVD versions of Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns. The events of the film take place during the first season of Pokémon: Indigo League. The English-language adaptation was released in North America on November 10, 1999, by Warner Bros.
| Pokémon: The First Movie | |||||
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Theatrical release poster | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 劇場版ポケットモンスター ミュウツーの逆襲 | ||||
| Literal meaning | Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back | ||||
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| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama | ||||
| Screenplay by | Takeshi Shudo | ||||
| Based on | Pokémon by Satoshi Tajiri & Nintendo | ||||
| Produced by |
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| Starring | see below | ||||
| Cinematography | Hisao Shirai | ||||
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Shinji Miyazaki | ||||
Production company | |||||
| Distributed by | Toho | ||||
Release date |
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Running time | 75 minutes | ||||
| Country | Japan | ||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||
| Budget | $5 million | ||||
| Box office | $172.7 million | ||||
In Japan, the film received positive reviews, with praise directed at the film's emotional impact and exploration of ethical topics such as cloning, genetic modification, and existentialism. However, the English-language version received generally negative reviews from film critics, with much of the criticism pointed at the poorly dubbed voice acting and its inclusion of an anti-violence message. Further, retrospective criticism of the English-language version has been targeted against the removal of most of the ethical topics from the Japanese version of the film, such as part of Mewtwo's origin story. Despite the reviews, it was a box office success worldwide, topping the box office charts in its opening weekend and eventually grossing over $172 million at the worldwide box office. It also sold 10 million home video units in the United States, including 4.2 million VHS sales that earned $58.8 million in 2000.
During the end credits of Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018), it was announced that a full CGI remake was set to release the following year. It was released as Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back — Evolution in July 2019.