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Pokémon: The First Movie

Play trailer Poster for Pokémon: The First Movie G 1999 1h 35m Kids & Family Adventure Fantasy Action Anime Play Trailer Watchlist
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17% Tomatometer 90 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu face Mewtwo, a bioengineered Pokémon, and the super-Pokémon it has created. With short "Pikachu's Vacation."

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Pokémon: The First Movie

Pokémon: The First Movie

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Critics Consensus

Audiences other than children will find very little to entertain them.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian 01/15/2019
This film is humourless, boring, impenetrable and with animation of such staggeringly low quality that it constitutes an insult to cinemagoers of all ages. Go to Full Review
Paul Tatara CNN.com 01/15/2019
"Pokémon: The First Movie" is a dose of extremely low-budget "Japanimation" that -- were it only more proficiently executed -- would rival "Scooby Doo" as the most astounding work of art in the 20th century. Go to Full Review
Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/27/2010
1/5
Excruciating to endure. Go to Full Review
Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) 03/29/2021
A fun little movie with cute characters and animation Go to Full Review
D.J. Rogers Black Nerd Problems 02/11/2021
It's simple, and that's not really bad, but doesn't add much for an adult viewer, either. Without the retrospect on it hard, I think this movie is a solid 7.9/10. I wouldn't mind watching it again, especially with my little one. Go to Full Review
Tim Brayton Alternate Ending 06/01/2019
2.5/5
We know that the makers of this film are capable of something slightly more grand-scale than "video game commercial". They're just not interested in actually doing it. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Enrique R @EnriqueRamosLovesMovies Jan 19 Pokémon: The First Movie, what a nostalgic experience. I love this film. Mewtwo is a great villain. And, his iconic motivational quotes were so well written. Overall, I give this film a 9/10 or a 4.5/10. See more Milo G Jan 10 One of the best Pokemon movies, especially of the first movies in this franchise. Good plot and good backstory in the anime. Wish Gary had a larger part in this film See more John K @WQCMI Dec 26 I can understand why its hated by critics and why its loved by many. This is a fantastic film, feels like the Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island of the franchise. The story is genius, the characters are wonderful and the idea of Mewtwo being this villain is a great idea. However, the runtime is too short and there are some unanswered questions to some things, that I won't spoil. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Nov 15 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Lucas A Nov 12 I loved watching this movie as a kid! See more Luke B. @lukebsigma2001 Oct 24 Best real movie known in Pokemon history See more Read all reviews
Pokémon: The First Movie

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Movie Info

Synopsis Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu face Mewtwo, a bioengineered Pokémon, and the super-Pokémon it has created. With short "Pikachu's Vacation."
Director
Kunihiko Yuyama
Producer
Norman J. Grossfeld, Tomoyuki Igarashi, Takemoto Mori, Choji Yoshikawa
Screenwriter
Takeshi Shudo
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
OLM, Inc., JR Kikaku, 4 Kids Entertainment, East Japan Marketing & Communications Inc, Tomy, Pikachu Project, Nintendo Co. Ltd., Shogakukan Production, TV Tokyo, Media Factory, GAME FREAK, Creatures
Rating
G
Genre
Kids & Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Anime
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 10, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$85.7M
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Surround, DTS, SDDS, Dolby Digital
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