M01: Difference between revisions

|usprem=November 10, 1999

'''Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back''' (Japanese: '''{{tt|劇場版|げきじょうばん}}ポケットモンスター　ミュウツーの{{tt|逆襲|ぎゃくしゅう}}''' ''Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo's Counterattack'', officially known as '''Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back!''' in Japan), and also known in English simply as '''Pokémon: The First Movie''', is the first [[Pokémon movie]]. It debuted in Japanese theaters on July 18, 1998, and then made its way to North American theaters on November 10, 1999.

Mewtwo leads Ash and the other Trainers into the stadium part of the fortress and suggests that they should battle Pokémon to see who is the strongest, the clones versus the originals. [[Ash's Charizard]], Corey's {{p|Venusaur}}, and Neesha's {{p|Blastoise}} are no match for Mewtwo's clones. Mewtwo then summons its own specialized [[Poké Ball]]s, the Clone Balls, and uses them to capture Charizard, Venusaur and Blastoise, claiming them as its prize. Mewtwo then announces that the other Pokémon will be taken to be cloned. The clones will remain safe on the island while Mewtwo's storms destroy the planet. Mewtwo then sends the Balls after the Pokémon.

Immediately, all the Trainers are on the run. Some Pokémon are captured before they realize what's happening, some attempt to outrun the Clone Balls and some attempt to use their attacks to defend themselves. However, it proves to be useless as nearly all the Pokémon end up being captured one by one. Ash deduces that Pokémon inside their Poké Balls should be safe from capture and [[recall]]s {{AP|Bulbasaur}} and {{AP|Squirtle}}. However, it turns out to be no use, as the Clone Balls instead capture the Poké Balls whole with Bulbasaur and Squirtle still inside. Brock suggests carrying the Pokémon away, but while Misty successfully hides {{TP|Misty|Togepi}} inside her [[bag|backpack]], {{TP|Misty|Psyduck}} and {{TP|Brock|Vulpix}} aren't so lucky and are also caught.

{{AP|Pikachu}} is the only Pokémon still uncaptured, and as a result he's now the only target of the Clone Balls. Ash uses his body to block them, giving Pikachu a chance to run. Pikachu heads towards a nearby suspended staircase and uses {{m|ThunderShock}} to take out a few of the Clone Balls. Ash follows him up the staircase. Pikachu is forced to use his ThunderShock every few seconds, which in combination with constantly being on the run, leaves him exhausted. As a result, Pikachu is forced off the staircase while dodging the Balls, falling a long way. Ash jumps off after Pikachu to protect him, but before he can grab his friend, a Clone Ball finally manages to capture Pikachu. Ash grabs the Ball before he falls into the pool of water at the base of the staircase, and loses his grip on it underwater. Ash follows it, out of the pool, and towards the entrance to the laboratory where Team Rocket is.

The same machine that cloned Meowth earlier is now processing all of the Clone Balls, and Ash grabs the one Pikachu is in just as the machine does as well. Fighting against the machine's many arms, Ash eventually manages to get the Clone Ball away, destroying the machine in the process. Pikachu is released from the Clone Ball and shakes himself off. Happily, he reunites with Ash, but the clones are now freed from their stasis tubes, prepared to join Mewtwo. The remaining Clone Balls are released from the machine in an explosion, and all open to free the Pokémon inside, including Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and their Poké Balls.

* {{Ash}}, {{an|Misty}}, and {{an|Brock}} meet {{OBP|Mewtwo|original series}}, but Mewtwo later makes them forget about the encounter.

* Other [[Pokémon Trainer]]s

[[File:Corey Pidgeot.png|thumb|250px|Corey rode his Pidgeot to New Island]]

 

* {{p|Caterpie}}

* {{p|Weedle}}

* {{p|Raticate}}

* {{p|Spearow}}

* {{p|Ekans}}

* {{p|Raichu}}

* {{p|Sandshrew}}

* {{p|Nidorino}}

* {{p|Oddish}}

* {{p|Vileplume}}

* {{p|Venonat}}

* {{p|Growlithe}}

* {{p|Poliwhirl}}

* {{p|Bellsprout}}

* {{p|Slowpoke}}

* {{p|Drowzee}}

* {{p|Kingler}}

* {{p|Electabuzz}}

 

====Mewtwo's [[cloning|cloned]] Pokémon====

* {{p|Venusaur}}

* {{p|Charizard}}

* {{p|Blastoise}}

* {{p|Bulbasaur}}

* {{p|Squirtle}}

* {{p|Psyduck}}

* {{p|Vulpix}}

* {{p|Meowth}}

* {{p|Gyarados}}

* {{p|Seadra}}

* {{p|Nidoqueen}}

* {{p|Golduck}}

* {{p|Tentacruel}}

* {{p|Vaporeon}}

* {{p|Pidgeot}}

* {{p|Scyther}}

* {{p|Hitmonlee}}

* {{p|Sandslash}}

* {{p|Rhyhorn}}

* {{p|Dewgong}}

* {{p|Wigglytuff}}

* {{p|Vileplume}}

* {{p|Ninetales}}

* {{p|Rapidash}}

The episodes ''[[EP063|The Battle of the Badge]]'', ''[[EP064|It's Mr. Mime Time]]'' and ''[[EP065|Showdown at the Po-ké Corral]]'' feature {{OBP|Mewtwo|original series}} in scenes that prelude this movie. These episodes were supposed to air before the movie premiere, but due to the anime's four-month hiatus after the seizures caused by [[EP038]], the episodes ended up airing on September 17, 24, and October 8, 1998, respectively, whereas the movie premiered on July 18.

In ''It's Mr. Mime Time'', Mewtwo makes a cameo when the Rocket Trio go to [[Team Rocket HQ]], apologize to Giovanni, and have a brief video chat with him. The upward-panning shot of Mewtwo uses the same animation of when Mewtwo is first shown in its armor, though this scene chronologically took place after the scene in the movie.

The scene of Mewtwo blasting out of {{an|Team Rocket HQ}} in ''Showdown at the Po-ké Corral'' is also shown in the movie's prologue. The explosion in the episode has a different perspective and animation, but both shots of Mewtwo flying away use the same animation. The shot of Giovanni's helicopter taking off in this episode uses the same animation (played in reverse) of the same helicopter landing on New Island in the movie.

A ten-minute short known as (Japanese: '''{{tt|ミュウツーの誕生|Mewtwo no Tanjō}}''' ''The Birth of Mewtwo'') was added at the beginning of the movie in the "kanzenban" version: this short details the history of Mewtwo's creation (based on the radio drama ''[[The Birth of Mewtwo]]''), increasing the movie's length from 75 to 85 minutes and the prologue's length from 10 to 20 minutes. Although the ''kanzenban'' was created to be later used in the United States, the North American theatrical version (November 10, 1999) removed the short while still using the footage from the ''kanzenban'' for the rest of the movie instead of the footage from the Japanese theatrical version. On March 21, 2000, ''Mewtwo Strikes Back'' was released in home video in the United States, and both the VHS and the DVD included the first two minutes of the short dubbed in English as '''The Story of Mewtwo's Origin''': in the VHS these scenes were added to the beginning of the movie while in the DVD they were included as an extra. On June 23, 2000, a Japanese DVD of the movie was released with both a Japanese and an English audio track, and this marked the first time the full English dubbed version of the short was available; it was later included under the title '''The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin''' in the Special Features of the international DVD of ''[[Mewtwo Returns]]'', released on August 17, 2001 in Australia and on December 4, 2001 in the United States.

* This movie was released between ''[[EP054|The Case of the K-9 Caper!]]'' and ''[[EP055|Pokémon Paparazzi]]'' in Japan. However, it takes chronologically place much later because the airing of the {{pkmn|anime}} was delayed due to the [[EP038|Porygon incident]]. It must take place sometime after ''[[EP065|Showdown at the Po-ké Corral]]'', where Mewtwo is seen escaping the Team Rocket headquarters.

** According to [[Takeshi Shudō]], the movie was not originally supposed to have a prologue, but it was decided to add one after it was clear that the hiatus would have caused the tie-in episodes to air after the movie premiere<ref>http://www.style.fm/as/05_column/shudo167.shtml</ref>.

* Some of the Pokémon on the poster did not appear in the movie.

* ''[[PK01|Pikachu's Vacation]]'' has the first appearances of the {{cat|Generation II Pokémon}} {{p|Snubbull}} and {{p|Marill}}, and the feature film is the first appearance of {{p|Donphan}}.

* Several [[move]]s were used by Pokémon in this movie that were not yet available in the games. {{OBP|Mewtwo|original series}} used {{m|Shadow Ball}}, {{DL|Mewtwo (original series)|Blastoisetwo}} used {{m|Rapid Spin}}, and [[Raymond]]'s Donphan, itself a Pokémon not available yet, used {{m|Rollout}}.

* This movie marks the only time in the anime that {{AP|Pikachu}} is shown going ''into'' a [[Poké Ball]], and only the second time he has come out of one (the other being in ''[[EP001|Pokémon - I Choose You!]]'').

** These three Pokémon are the fully-evolved forms of {{DL|Mewtwo (original series)|Befriended|Mewtwo's childhood friends}}, who died before the events of this movie. It is most likely a coincidence since Mewtwo's memory of their deaths was erased by the scientists.

* The home video release of the film had a trailer of [[M02|the second movie]] and came with [[Mewtwo (Wizards Promo 14)|a free trading card]].

* This movie is the only Pokémon material to be released on LaserDisc. It was packaged with the ''Pikachu's Vacation'' short.

* As noted above, Mewtwo was not originally supposed to appear on-screen until the scene of it appearing before the trainers on New Island. The montage depicting its creation, servitude under Team Rocket, and rebellion against Giovanni were added later due to the three-month hiatus caused by the events of airing [[EP038]].

* According to Takeshi Shudo's notes on the movie, Ash was not killed when Mewtwo and Mew's psychic blasts collided with him, nor did the tears actually bring him back to life. Instead, the blasts caused him to become petrified, and the tears restored him.

* The title of this movie is also used in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-zJOntZRHo Mewtwo's trailer] for [[Super Smash Bros 4]].

* {{p|Machamp}} being thrown into the field by [[Raymond]] is shown twice, and Ash isn't shown choosing his Squirtle

* In the original release for the movie, Ash and Brock state they are fortunate for a boat to appear. In various dubs; this was changed to a reference of some kind in relation to vikings:

** In the English dub; when Team Rocket are disguised as Vikings, Brock says he was not aware that they existed anymore. Ash replies that they mostly live in {{wp|Minnesota}}, a reference to the {{wp|Minnesota Vikings}} {{wp|National Football League|NFL}} team.

** In the {{pmin|Denmark|Danish version}}, Brock says '''{{tt|Jeg vidste ikke at vikingerne stadig fandtes.|I didn't know that the Vikings still existed.}}''', and Ash replies '''{{tt|Jo, men de turnerer mest i Sverige.|Yes, but they are mostly touring in Sweden.}}''' This is probably because at the time {{wp|Vikings}} existed, the Danes were also Vikings.

*** In the Danish subtitles, Ash says '''{{tt|Vikingerne er et band.|The Vikings is a band.}}''' The Vikings are an old Swedish band, which is probably what Ash and Brock are referring to.

** In the {{pmin|Sweden|Swedish dub}}, Brock says '''{{tt|Jag visste inte att vikingar fortfarande existerade.|I didn't know that the Vikings still existed.}}''', and Ash replies '''{{tt|Jo, men de hänger mest i Norge.|Yes, but they mostly hang out in Norway}}'''. Real Vikings existed in both Sweden and Norway.

** In the Swedish dub, when Jessie poses as a viking, she speaks with a fake Norwegian accent. She also adds the stereotypical word ''akkurat'', meaning "correct" in Norwegian, at the end of her sentence.

* In the dub, Mew is portrayed more as a hero to counter Mewtwo, contrasting the original where it has more anti-heroic qualities. Due to this, Mew's speech to Mewtwo is different in the Japanese version. In the English dub, Mew says that shows of force prove nothing, and real strength comes from the heart. In the original, Mew is much more bellicose, saying that only the original Pokémon are real, and no matter how much they fight, the real ones will never lose to copies.

** Contrary to popular belief, however, Mew never advocates a genocide of the clones in either version.

* When Pikachu is repeatedly shocking Ash to try to bring him back to life, Misty says "Pikachu…" in the Japanese version, and "Please, no…" in the English version. A commentary revealed that the dubbers had many alternatives for this piece of dialogue, one example being the facetious "My [[Bicycle#Trivia|bike]]…"

* {{pmin|South Asia|Hungama TV}}'s Hindi dub used the original Japanese version of the movie. As such, characters that had not appeared in the main anime, such as {{an|Amber}}, kept their Japanese names.

|pt_br={{tt|Pokémon O Filme: Mewtwo Contra-Ataca|Pokémon The Movie: Mewtwo Counterattacks}}

|sv={{tt|Pokémon Filmen - Mewtwo slår tillbaka|Pokémon the Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back}}

* [[Together With the Wind (single)]]

{{Movies}}<br>

{{Project Anime notice|mov}}

[[fr:Pokémon : Le Film]]