Pokémon: The First Movie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pokémon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back
Japanese Theatrical release poster. The tagline of the film is "Who is the strongest Pokémon!?"
Directed by	Kunihiko Yuyama
Produced by	Choji Yoshikawa Tomoyuki Igarashi Takemoto Mori
Screenplay by	Takeshi Shudo
Starring	see below
Music by	Shinji Miyazaki Hirokazu Tanaka
Cinematography	Hisao Shirai
Editing by	Toshio Henmi Yutaka Itō
Studio	OLM, Inc.
Distributed by	Toho
Release date(s)	July 18, 1998 (1998-07-18) (Japan)
Running time	75 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	¥350 million ($5 million)
Money made	$172.7 million

Pokémon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back is an exciting Japanese anime movie from 1998. It was directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, who also directs the Pokémon TV show. This movie was the very first Pokémon film ever shown in theaters!

It first came out in Japan on July 18, 1998. Later, on July 8, 1999, a special "Complete Version" of the movie was shown on Japanese TV. This new version had an extra beginning part and cool new animation. The English version of the movie was made by Nintendo and 4Kids Entertainment. It was released in North America on November 12, 1999. The story in the movie happens during the first season of the Pokémon: Indigo League TV show.

The movie has three main parts. First, there's Pikachu's Vacation, a short film about Pikachu and friends. Then, there's Origin of Mewtwo, a short story added later about how Mewtwo was created. Finally, there's Mewtwo Strikes Back, which is the main movie. Outside of Japan, the "Origin of Mewtwo" part can usually only be seen as a bonus on DVDs of Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns.

In Japan, people really liked Mewtwo Strikes Back. They praised its emotional story and how it explored big ideas like cloning and what it means to exist. However, the English version got some negative reviews. Critics often pointed out the voice acting and felt the movie's anti-violence message was odd for a Pokémon film. Even so, the movie was a huge success around the world. It made over $172 million at the box office. It also sold 10 million home videos in the United States.

In 2018, a new computer-animated (CGI) remake of the movie was announced. It is called Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution. This remake was released on July 12, 2019.

Movie Story

Pikachu's Vacation

The Pokémon belonging to Ash Ketchum, Misty, and Brock get to spend a fun day. They go to a special theme park made just for Pokémon! Pikachu, Togepi, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle meet some other Pokémon who act like bullies. These include a Raichu, Cubone, Marill, and a Snubbull.

The two groups start to compete in sports games. But then, Ash's Charizard gets its head stuck in a pipe! Pikachu, his friends, and even the bullies work together to free Charizard. They also help fix parts of the park. After that, they all play together happily. They say goodbye when their trainers come back to pick them up.

Mewtwo Strikes Back

A scientist named Dr. Fuji is hired by Giovanni. Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket. Dr. Fuji's job is to create a super strong living weapon. He uses a tiny eyelash from the mythical Pokémon Mew to do this. Dr. Fuji is helping Giovanni because he wants money to try and bring back his own daughter, Amber, who passed away.

In the lab, the new weapon starts to think for itself. It is named Mewtwo. Mewtwo becomes friends with a copy of Amber's mind, called Ambertwo. He also befriends clones of other Pokémon in the lab. But then, Ambertwo and the other clones disappear and die. This makes Mewtwo very sad and confused. To help him, Dr. Fuji gives Mewtwo a medicine that makes him forget his friends.

Later, Mewtwo grows up and wakes up on New Island. He learns from Dr. Fuji that he is a clone of Mew. Mewtwo gets very angry because Fuji and the other scientists only see him as an experiment. He uses his amazing psychic powers to destroy the lab. Dr. Fuji and the other scientists are gone. Giovanni sees what happens from far away. He asks Mewtwo to work with him to make his powers even stronger.

However, Mewtwo soon learns that Giovanni only wants to use him as a weapon. So, Mewtwo escapes back to New Island. There, he plans to get revenge on all humans and Pokémon.

Mewtwo rebuilds the lab and makes it his secret base. He sends messages to several trainers, inviting them to New Island. He says they can battle the world's greatest Pokémon trainer. Ash, Misty, and Brock get a message and decide to go. But when they arrive at the port city, Old Shore Wharf, Mewtwo creates a huge storm. This storm stops all the boats from leaving.

Ash and his friends are picked up by Team Rocket. Team Rocket are disguised as Vikings on a boat. The storm sinks their boat in the middle of the ocean. So, Ash and his friends use their Pokémon to swim to New Island.

A woman who appeared in the hologram message leads Ash and the other trainers into the island's palace. This woman is actually Nurse Joy, who was controlled by Mewtwo. Mewtwo challenges the trainers. He uses cloned Pokémon that look like his old friends from when he was young. Meanwhile, Team Rocket also reaches New Island. They explore the inside of the base, and a real Mew quietly follows them.

Mewtwo's clones easily defeat the trainers' Pokémon. He then takes the defeated Pokémon and makes more clones for his army. Ash chases after his captured Pikachu into the cloning lab. There, Meowth is also cloned. Ash destroys the cloning machine and frees the captured Pokémon. He then leads them to face Mewtwo and his clones. Mew then shows itself, and Mewtwo challenges it. He wants to prove that he is stronger.

All the original Pokémon battle their clones. Only Pikachu refuses to fight. Meowth also makes peace with his clone. He realizes that fighting like this makes no sense. Ash is horrified by all the pain and sadness on both sides of the battle. He jumps in front of a powerful psychic blast from Mewtwo and Mew's fight. This causes Ash to turn to stone. Pikachu tries to revive Ash with its electricity, but it doesn't work.

However, the tears of all the Pokémon are able to heal and bring Ash back to life. Mewtwo is touched by Ash's sacrifice. He realizes that he should not be judged by how he was created. Instead, he should be judged by the choices he makes in life. Mewtwo leaves with Mew and all the clones. He then turns back time to just before the trainers left Old Shore Wharf. He also makes everyone forget what happened.

Back in Old Shore Wharf, Nurse Joy is back to normal. She reopens the Pokémon Center to help the trainers. The storm outside clears up. Ash sees Mew flying through the clouds. He tells his friends that he saw another legendary Pokémon the day he left Pallet Town. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is stuck on New Island, but they enjoy their time there.

After the credits, a short scene shows Mew flying towards the mountains.

Main Characters

Characters in The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin

Fun Promotions

Burger King Toys

In 1999, Burger King had a special promotion for the movie. They gave out limited edition toys with their kids' meals. They also offered six special 23 karat gold Pokémon cards. Each card came inside a big plastic Poké Ball. These gold cards were made of metal and came with a paper that said they were real. The first set of gold cards came in a blue box and sold out very quickly! A second, larger set of cards came in a red box until the movie promotion ended.

TV Showings

The movie was later updated to look even better on TV. It was shown in high definition on TV Tokyo starting May 3, 2013. The updated version also aired on Cartoon Network in the United States on January 4, 2014.

Movie Music

The official music album for the first Pokémon movie in the United States is called Pokémon: The First Movie – Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture. It was released on November 10, 1999. You could buy it on CD and cassette tape. The song "Don't Say You Love Me" by M2M was a popular single from this album.

New CGI Remake

At the end of the movie Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018), it was announced that a new CGI remake of Mewtwo Strikes Back was coming. CGI means the movie is made completely with computer graphics. In December 2018, the release date for this remake was set for July 12, 2019. The Pokémon fan website Serebii reported that Kunihiko Yuyama and Motonori Sakakibara would direct the new film.

On January 22, 2020, it was announced that Netflix would release the English version of the CGI movie.

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids.

See also

In Spanish: Pokémon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back para niños