Pokémon: The First Movie

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Pokémon: The First Movie

G

Released Nov 10, 1999

1h 35m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Anime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

16%

Tomatometer

91 Reviews

76%

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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."

Critics Consensus

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

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

This film is humourless, boring, impenetrable and with animation of such staggeringly low quality that it constitutes an insult to cinemagoers of all ages.

Jan 15, 2019

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Paul Tatara

CNN.com

"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.

Jan 15, 2019

Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: C-

Sep 7, 2011

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

A fun little movie with cute characters and animation

Mar 29, 2021

Full Review

D.J. Rogers

Black Nerd Problems

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.

Feb 11, 2021

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

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.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jun 1, 2019

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Stephen C

Great voice work!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $85,700,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/19/25

Full Review

Audience Member

The ending was a bit underwhelming and I would have liked to see more backstory for Mew. He just kinda shows up without any explanation as to why he's even there. A better battle between Mew and Mewtwo would have been cool too. And why did Ash turn to stone when he died??

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

Full Review

Stephen L

A thoughtful movie about friendship, finding meaning, and finding common ground with your common man.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/25

Full Review

Kevin P

Nostalgia overload that clearly made parents lost in confusions, but young fans excited. I can't say it all holds up (Ash literally comes back to life from magic Pokémon tears), but the art direction of the animation and intimidating presence of MewTwo is genuinely great.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/25

Full Review

Stephen C

All ages admitted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

Full Review

Stan C

HOW IS THIS RATED SO LOW, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES, loved it as a kid, still love it now!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/11/24

Full Review

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Michael Haigney

Director

Kunihiko Yuyama

Director

Kathleen McInerney

Ash Ketchum

Jay Goede

Narrator

Rachael Lillis

Misty

Eric Stuart

Brock

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Synopsis

Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu face Mewtwo, a bioengineered Pokémon, and the super-Pokémon it has created. With short "Pikachu's Vacation."

Director: Michael Haigney, Kunihiko Yuyama
Producer: Norman J. Grossfeld, Tomoyuki Igarashi, Takemoto Mori, Choji Yoshikawa
Screenwriter: Takeshi Shudo
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: 4 Kids Entertainment, Shogakukan, Pikachu Project '99, Nintendo Co. Ltd.
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, 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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