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The Pokémon franchise is popular all over the world, especially with its anime, commercials, and nature to feel as good as the games themselves.
Sure, Pokémon Red and Blue (or Green) started something that happened 25 years ago that continues to this day, but now there are fans of the franchise who would never touch the game, but fall in love with the Trading Card Game, anime, or anything that describes Pokémon in the eyes of many.
This is further divided into anime, some have never watched a TV series but religiously watched Pokémon movies every year.
Pokemon Movies Guide: List of All Pokémon Movies
- Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998)
- Pokémon: The Power of One (1999)
- Pokémon: Spell of the Unown (2000)
- Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi-Voice of the Forest (2001)
- Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias (2002)
- Pokémon: Jirachi- Wish Maker (2003)
- Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys (2004)
- Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)
- Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006)
- Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai (2007)
- Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2008)
- Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009)
- Pokémon: Zoroark-Master of Illusions (2010)
- Pokémon: White-Victini and Zekrom & Black-Victini and Reshiram (2011)
- Pokémon: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (2012)
- Pokémon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013)
- Pokémon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014)
- Pokémon: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015)
- Pokémon: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016)
- Pokémon: I Choose You! (2017)
- Pokémon: The Power of Us (2018)
- Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution (2019)
- Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle (2020)
Pokémon movies are very interesting and one can be divided into various categories representing the state of the movies and the wider franchise at the time of their release. With this guide we want to get into this, discussing how the Pokémon movies, also, Pokémon, have evolved.
The years of the Pokémon Development (Movies 1-3)
- Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998)
- Pokémon: The Power of One (1999)
- Pokémon: Spell of the Unown (2000)
The late 1990s represented uninterrupted Pokémania. After the first release of the games in Japan in 1996 and their 1998 attack, no one was emotionally safe, the Pocket Monsters, as every child and his or her active parent followed all the Game Boy games, trading card, toy, and anime VHS they could find.
The first Pokémon movie entered theaters in the middle of this madness, first released on July 18, 1998, in Japan before being released worldwide on November 10, 1999.
The movie was a self-made story that introduced the engineered Pokémon Mewtwo. Made by Giovanni’s Team Rocket as a weapon, he escaped to a remote island where, under the archery of the Pokémon tournament, Mewtwo tried to invite the best coaches to form their own Pokémon revenge against humanity.
It’s a movie sign of longing for the success of the franchise that gave the creators. The story of the film touches on the themes of the cycle of violence within Pokémon and has a genuine desire to tell a story beyond the scope of what might have happened in the series, even if some of these ideas were reduced to English releases.
And everything around the film, from the cards of Ancient Mew Pokémon to the promotion of Burger King, was in great demand.
The first movie trilogy was the big story of theatrical success in and out of Japan. The first wide-ranging but complex (franchise) movie storyline was met with more than 4 billion yen at the home box office and at the then opening of the then recorded recording of Warner Bros in the US before receiving $172,744,662 outside Japan.
According to Pokémon The Movie 2000, the story took place during an Orange Islands affair and saw Ash on a mission to save the world after a balance between three legendary birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, interrupted by a Pokémon warrior collector named Lawrence III trying to capture Lugia.
Besides being one of the best films in the franchise to date, it has shown the power of Pokémon’s culture, with an English music album featuring everyone from Westlife and the B-52s to Weird Al Yankovic.
And who can forget Donna Summer’s theme song ‘The Power of One, which even appeared unexpectedly in the American political arena?
While performing under the first movie at home and abroad, its star-studded songs and its location as Japan’s richest home film show the unstoppable movie franchise at the top of its game.
Even Pokémon 3: The Movie, which focuses on Entei and Unown, has shown the end of the world’s most successful movie box as we saw Pokémania cooling from the early years of the franchise, a great success, and also the most profitable domestic film of the year in Japan.
What these three Pokémon movies represent is the unstoppable force of the franchise in the early years. Their storyline can be seen as an attempt to find a repetitive formula for future films as it expands into the world of Pokémon and brings the fans they want: their favorite Pokémon on the big screen.
Formula Years (Movies 4-9, 2001-2006)
- Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi-Voice of the Forest (2001)
- Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias (2002)
- Pokémon: Jirachi- Wish Maker (2003)
- Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys (2004)
- Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)
- Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006)
Following this, Pokémon movies discovered a formula that defined them in the early 2000s. The formula would have seen Ash and his friends meet the unique Pokémon on their journey threatened by hunters and evil forces who wanted to take advantage of them.
The actions of Ash and his friends will save them and (sometimes) the world before things get back to normal, just in time for the next episode of the TV show.
This very simple summary of Pokémon can somewhat describe the first three movies. While those movies deserve a different split because of their success, it is a formula that by this time has been built and strengthened and unfortunately guessed from this point on, with this prediction damaging Pokemon 4Ever and witchcraft, a good story for Celebi.
This is not to say that these movies are bad. To cite Pokémon Heroes, the fifth movie in the franchise featuring Latios and Latias, and Jirachi: Wish Maker, featuring the main character and Groudon, these are the strongest opposition films in the eyes of those who wear nostalgia goggles.
For Pokémon Heroes, the final movie featuring the first characters of Ash, Brock, and Misty, the action was taken to a town known as Alto Mare, heavily inspired by Venice, Italy.
The town is protected by the Latios and Latias, where Ash meets and befriends the Lysias when they disguise themselves as a girl named Bianca, the daughter of the city museum curator. Two agents, Annie and Oakley, tried to control the city and its defenses in order to capture Soul Dew next to the Pokémon, despite the danger of flooding the city.
The Italian-inspired Alto Mare setting makes it stand out from the rest of the cast, while Bianca, Latias, and Ash form a beautiful love triangle. There are issues with the development of opponents, but it is the city of Alto Mare that makes this movie different within the Pokémon era.
Jirachi: Wish Maker meanwhile, instills a Millennium Comet miracle that wakes Jirachi into a deep sleep to absorb his energy, when he is abducted and removed from his home in Fiorina by the circus magic. Ash, May, Max, and Brock decided to help save Jirachi and bring him back to his homeland.
A concerted effort is being made to integrate anime stories like Team Magma’s departure and Misty’s departure from the group (with a heart between Max and Ash) which benefits the movie and integrates it with the series without being a burden.
All in all, the formula leads to a mixed exit, aided by a rocky transition away from cel animation and high reliance on CG. This happened with a fast-paced TV anime, while movie 9, another weaker one, Pokémon Ranger and The Temple of the Sea, was the last film produced in this traditional way.
The Age of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Trilogy (Movies 10-12, 2007-2009)
- Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai (2007)
- Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2008)
- Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009)
The formula continued until we reached Diamond and Pearl. This time, the Pokémon franchise was on the verge of transformation: Sinnoh represented the delivery of games to the double-tested Nintendo DS that brought new fans and with it the introduction of 3D in the series for the first time in a limited way.
TV anime started with a 16: 9 high definition transition over the 4: 3 standard definition, another modern part of the series’s sequel.
It was a time when the franchise was open to change, perhaps best illustrated by the use of a story connected between films for the first time. The result was a trilogy that felt different from the wide range of Pokémon movies.
There is always a limit to how big your movie can be when you need to tell the full story within 90 minutes, but extend that to another three times as long? New opportunities open up.
Starting with Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, this beautiful story focuses on the unique Pokémon of the Sinnoh region connected with the construction of the Pokémon universe as we know it.
The Sinnoh region introduced the famous Pokémon including Arceus, Pokémon which is said to have created all others and the universe itself. It also builds Dialga and Paleia as time and space savers.
Each movie in the Diamond and Pearl trilogy tells the story of Dialga’s fight with Palkia and the danger of continuing the space-time their fighting can bring, although each movie can be enjoyed independently to some degree.
The Rise of Darkrai, for example, both launched a critical war that would continue in future films, while also discussing the story of Alamos Town residents blaming the disruption caused by the genocide in Pokémon Darkrai.
Consequently, Pokémon: Giratina and Sky Warrior, Giratina is complex in their battle, but far from it, we have a completely revered story by a researcher trying to harness the power of Giratina and Reverse World.
Pokémon: Arceus and Jewel of Life bring an end to this story, bringing events to the pre-inclusion in the trilogy in the context of Arceus’ cosmic power, and how his resurrection brought the events of previous films and which he should have stopped retaliating.
The trilogy is incomplete. The decision not to fully embrace the idea of creating a single story in three films sets the story straight to its climax as the story pursues time against the stories itself.
By failing to completely release the old formula, this bold move is thwarted. However, representing the franchise march going forward, something the movies later, unfortunately, could not match.
Years of Promoting Pokémon Games Uninspired (Movies 13-19, 2010-2016)
- Pokémon: Zoroark-Master of Illusions (2010)
- Pokémon: White-Victini and Zekrom & Black-Victini and Reshiram (2011)
- Pokémon: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (2012)
- Pokémon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013)
- Pokémon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014)
- Pokémon: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015)
- Pokémon: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016)
Pokémon movies this season … weren’t fun
Pokémon movies have always been a promotional tool. They are aimed at promoting the Pokémon anime, which is itself a game-changer, with movies designed to turn viewers into actors.
There’s a reason why people who go to Japanese movies are given Pokémon cards and a Pokémon event for their games: it not only rewards people who are already investing in Pokémon but creates a FOMO that can encourage movie fans on the phone to give it a try.
With the exception of the 9th movie, Pokémon Ranger and The Temple of the Sea, Pokémon movies were seldom directed directly at video games or as illuminating as they were in the years following this trilogy.
With the advent of online events and scenes of the new release of Pokémon, movies have become a vehicle for introducing new types of Pokémon and existing myths that were kept under threat (without occasional leaks) until the lead.
While not an example of the launch of the new Pokémon movie series, the two releases of Pokémon the Movie: Black – Victini and Reshiram and White – Victini and Zekrom show us what this Pokémon movie era will represent.
Just as we would see many Pokémon games released simultaneously with little difference, two movies released simultaneously told the same story with only minor variations. It was a move driven by greed and, despite ignoring the confusion it brought, Victor’s story was an unpleasant puzzle.
Starting with Pokémon The Movie: Diancie and Cocoon of Destruction, the legendary Pokémon-focused movie was featured during the movie’s promotion and was released online.
Although Pokémon X and Y were released in late 2013, Diancie was featured in the Japanese magazine Corocoro in movie commercials and appeared in the game shortly thereafter.
A new direction to keep the Pokémon center with good light in the middle, this difference in the way actually damages the films critically and commercially. With the return of the boxes to the office, something had to change. Happily, it was.
The Years of the Blue Ocean Strategy (Movies 20-23, 2017-present)
- Pokémon: I Choose You! (2017)
- Pokémon: The Power of Us (2018)
- Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution (2019)
- Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle (2020)
The Pokémon TV anime also stalled during the 2010-2016 season. Everything about the franchise felt complete, in fact, even their games and exercises made up the structure of the Elite Four. With this in mind, Pokémon Sun and Moon form the cornerstone of the franchise’s great revival.
For sports, the new setting and plot structure is very much focused on narrating the story driven by the character while removing the gyms completely.
For TV anime, new Ash and co-designs. simplify the look of the series. While it was controversial at the time, it allowed for the most liquid cartoon and led to the most intriguing sequence of animations of a series you have ever seen, such as a baseball bat. Seriously, great!
The driving formula for almost all movies before this point was split. Pokémon movies are now separated from TV anime and move to another timeline, giving employees the freedom to try out new animation styles, news stories, and creative talent that can put each of them in this world of characters and characters. It is an idea that has run a web series like Pokémon Twilight Wings.
This is the current era of Pokémon movies, and apart from the mixed-effects, it’s very easy to have a lot of fun since they were introduced.
In 2017, in contrast to creating a movie based in the Alola region, the band decided to take the opportunity provided by the 20th anniversary of the TV anime to make a rethink of the first episodes of the real series.
Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You is no longer a strong conversation, but we are still allowed to see the first moments of Ash Ketchum and her partner Pokémon Pikachu in an unprecedented way.
The reaction to the repeated repetitions was mixed, with many unhappy with the change made as Ash went to Ho-Oh. No matter what you thought, however, this film was a place to change even without the content itself.
The release of I Choose You coincided with a powerful push to bring back Pokémon movies to theaters outside Japan.
I chose to Start in France at the Japan Expo before its Japanese theater release, and major shows are scheduled in various countries around the world, including the US and various European nations that have helped the movie bring international acclaim to over $ 7 million. Significantly, Pokémon’s movies had discarded their image, either for children or for income.
Pokemon: The Power of Us has moved forward with this one step. Here, next to the photos made inside OLM, WIT Studio was brought to this board.
For the first time in a Pokémon movie, Kunihiko Yuyama would not direct the film, and his work would be transferred to Tetsuo Yajima. Many of the crew working on the movie have taken on new roles, with character designs led by Shizue Kaneko.
The film is set in Fula City, established in a desert land powered by Lugia. The film follows many characters, including Ash and those who live or visit the city for a festival.
A movie that tries to look at connecting and connecting news in a new space like this had never been tried by the Pokémon franchise before, but it managed to provide the space needed for all of these news stories to grow. It remains one of the most widely accepted films in the franchise.
Incomplete and very dependent on demand. While not related to the story, The Power of Us has harkened back to Pokémon The Movie 2000 next to Lugia, while I prefer you to think about the origins of the series. The next movie was the re-release of the first Pokémon movie in the first hit of the CGI series with Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Worst restoration, frankly.
The movie delayed by COVID Pokémon: The Secrets of the Jungle comes out for this reason and is the latest film released at the time of writing, after hitting Japanese theaters in Christmas 2020 before the international release in 2021.
FAQs
Question: Do the Pokemon movies fit into the series?
Answer: The Pokemon films do run concurrent to the series’ but as side stories mostly. Still, there are better times to watch these than others. The preferred method used by many is to watch a film after the latest episode that aired in Japan before the film’s theatrical release.
Question: How can I watch Pokemon movies?
Answer: Viewers of the Pokémon TV app can simply log in to their Pokémon Trainer Club account to begin watching an episode or movie. All the latest news on Pokémon TV can be found at: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-episodes/.
Question: Does Pokemon TV have all episodes?
Answer: Now, fans can watch every episode from series including “Pokemon the Series: Indigo League,” “Pokemon the Series: Sun & Moon,” “Pokemon the Series: Sun & Moon — Ultra Adventures,” “Pokemon Generations,” and “Pokemon Origins” in full for free.
Conclusions
The modern direction of these films reflects the exciting new state of Pokémon games after many years of repetition, where we can see the franchise openness change in games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
All of this while ignoring the one Pokémon movie released outside of the animated movie cycle, the Hollywood-action Detective Pikachu film, is a fun and unique movie in this soft and fast Pokéverse.
When the Pokémon movies leave here it is impossible to guess. But Pokémon movies today are fun because of their unpredictability, so maybe that’s a good thing. Who knows… the best is yet to come.
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