Pokémon: The First Movie

G

Released Nov 10, 1999

1h 35m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Anime

List

16%

91 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Critics Consensus

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

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Ryland C

This movie was incredible from start to finish! As a sucker for emotional roller coasters, I teared my heart out! The movie may start off like a normal Pokémon anime episode, but it got into the story so quickly that you know that you will enter a heartfelt, entertaining, emotional, unforgettable experience with an amazing message that also happens to be serious and dramatic! 9/10 only negative is that the ending was kinda messed up but at the same time, you get why that had to put that down.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/17/24

Full Review

George L

A very fun experience for viewers watching. While fans of the anime will enjoy the movie more, the movie still has fun action scenes and a tight story to keep all viewers interested. Critics have no life.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/13/24

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Rexy D

Perfect for the whole family! Another feeling!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/07/24

Full Review

Jake

The was awesome and when I was sad that ash died I was crying but this movie might be the best Pokemon movie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/24/24

Full Review

Rebecca

I just like Pokémon so why not. I think this is a good movie overall and it was nicely put together.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/15/24

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jackie m

Like others, I only signed up to make this review - the critics are biased and have no idea what they're talking about 😂 Pokémon is a LIFESTYLE!! This movie was ahead of its time and paved the way for future animations to come. Not many franchises can say that they still have a following after nearly 30 years, they're clearly doing something right. Watching this again in 2024 is a trip down memory lane and still has the same effect as it did when I was a kid

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/09/24

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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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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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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: Alfred Kahn, Takashi Kawaguchi, Masakazu Kubo
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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