Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (1999) (Movie Review)

  20 YEARS ... that’s how old Pokémon is (as of time I'm posting this), in fact 2017 marks the 20^th anniversary of the franchise, and it kind of makes me feel old. Of this time, I’m three years out of college, but I remember being in 2^nd grade when Pokémon first erupted in our pop culture, and left a huge impact on many kids between the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Yet somehow, it’s slowly becoming popular again, and I’m quite impressed that it’s lasted for twenty years.

I grew up with Pokémon when the series was in its prime. My friends and I played all the original Nintendo games, we collected the cards, and of course we watched the cartoon show. Having said all that, I wouldn’t call myself a “die-hard fan”, because it’s not something that’s really stuck with me over the years, nor do I really re-watch any of it. That being said, I do think back on it fondly as something special from my childhood. Aside from the first series, I also watched the first five theatrical animated Pokémon movies, and I remember genuinely liking these films when I was a kid. The one movie I remember watching and loving the most was the second theatrical film titled “Pokémon: The Movie 2000”. In fact, there was a short time in my childhood that I held this film alongside “Toy Story 2” as one of my personal favorite animated movies ever. So, in light of the franchises 20-year anniversary, I think it’ll be fun to review the one film in the series that I have the strongest childhood nostalgia for.

  Set during the second season of the original series, the shows main heroes are traveling through a series of islands, four of which will be the center point of this story. Things are set in motion when a new villain simply called The Collector launches multiple attacks on the homes of three legendary giant birds, who individually harness the elements of fire, ice-water, and lighting. What the collector failed to realize is that the three birds are more than just creatures with special powers, they are in fact connected to nature itself, and by disrupting their peace, it throws all the elements of nature out of balance. Very soon, a global super storm is born from this imbalance of power, and it’s threatening to flood the entire planet. It doesn’t take long for our main group from the TV show to get caught in the mess. After washing up on an island, our heroes learn that this super storm is in fact part of an enchant prophecy that’s coming to fruition. Our lead hero Satoshi is singled out as "the chosen one", and sent on a quest to set nature back into harmony. Thus, the adventure is on, the stakes are higher than ever before, and both new friends and creatures are met along the journey.

 Before I get into the details, lets first talk about the characters, both held over from the series and the new ones created for the movie. 

The little electric hamster Pikachu of course is present, as he’s one of the most famous cartoon/video game characters ever, but surprisingly, he doesn’t do that much in this film. Seriously, despite being the franchises most marketable icon, I keep forgetting how little he ever dose. I should also note that back when I was a kid, I was less interested in the characters, and more excited about what pocket monster they'd come across next. That being said, for as simple as the characters are, they were still memorable. We all recognize Satoshi as the shows main lead, as his signature red cap and blue attire are about as recognizable as Super Mario’s design. Also, to this movies credit, it really tries to put focus on Satoshi as a main lead, and the story dose revolve largely around his journey. While the characters are always present in the movies, they're usually just players in another character's story, so this film at least aims to make our heroes more relevant. Unfortunately, I've never been a fan of the branded “The Chosen One” gimmick ... even in movies I like, I always feel it's a cheat to make a main character special by default, without really earning anything on their own. It's also funny how in hindsight, his chosen one status will have no bearing on the character as the series moves forward. He just continues on his journey, and saving the whole world was just another day at the office.   

  Also of note, Satoshi's red headed companion named Kasumi is given a little more attention, and the film suggests she might be ready to transition from best friend to girlfriend. I honestly don't remember this amounting to anything in the show, but I do apricate the film again aiming to expand on the characters, rather than just have them present. I do wish the film could have given these two more to bond over near the end, because aside from a nice moment of Kasumi rescuing Satoshi from drowning, the two don't really have anything to say to each other.  

I should also note that the English version changed a lot of the dialogue around, rather than being direct translations, and in some cases the alterations were welcome, while other times it was for the sole excuse of putting in some rather silly one-liners and self-referential hummer. There are at least three scenes in which characters break the fourth wall by addressing that they're in a movie, most of which are provided by those annoying evil henchman that are dragged along for every step of the adventure. I actually forgot all about those three clowns, and while I would have preferred if they were left out of this adventure, I can again give the writers some credit from making them helpful to the cause.  

  With all the hold-over characters from the show addressed, lets shift our attention to the characters exclusive to this movie. For a selection of one-shot players, I've always looked back on them as memorable characters from this franchise. The local island girl named Fleura, or Melody as I remember from the English Dub, represents the culture of the films setting, actively aids our hero’s, has a great deal of personality on display, and subsequently has a more subtle arc then our main lead. While Satoshi has a bigger journey and goal to reach in the film, Melody feels a little more grounded and interesting. This is a girl who was raised by a culture, then fell out of it when she reached a certain age, and became more interested in modern appeals and fashions. As she joins our heroes on their quest, she begins to grow closer to the heritage she left behind, and by the end, we see that she rediscovers her old beliefs, and becomes one with her lineage again. It's simple, but conveyed nicely through visual storytelling, and it appeals to me more than the generic "Chosen One" arc. Honestly, I think this film would have benefited even more if she was on equal footing with Satoshi as the main character.  

  The sinister Collector leaves much to be desired from an antagonist, as his motives are paper thin, and he doesn't even interact with our hero's that often. Still, even with his basic motives, he makes for a better than average foe by this series standards and seems to have a certain class and intelligence. Also, some of his dialogue (at least in the English version) may suggest that he views himself as his own “Chosen One” with a great destiny to fulfill, which is a nice contrast to our main hero. Of course, every Pokémon movie needs a marketable figurehead, and this time it comes in the form of a giant sea beast called Lugia, who aims to bring peace between the three ravage titan birds. He actually makes for a cool mystic creature, but aside from occasionally flying Satoshi to the different islands, he doesn’t do that much in the grand scheme of things, and surprisingly doesn't even have that much screen time. All the other new Pokémon ranging from our three titan birds and the elderly Slow-King likewise have their place in the film without being overutilized.   

  On that note, the Pokémon featured in this film are mostly supporting the human characters and their stories, where in other films it's reversed. Even the battles, which are selling points for this franchise are replaced with characters running around and avoiding obstacles. Sense the film is more quest based, it makes sense the film utilized more adventure elements as opposed to straight-on fighting, which could be a hindrance to many hard-core fans looking for combat. For my liking, even when I was a kid, I always preferred the adventure and journey elements of the show over the fighting, and that's one of the reasons this instalment appealed to me more. That being said, this film is repetitive with its action revolving around our heroes ridding boats, and there really needed to be more variety in the set-pieces. There are at least some exciting flying sequences on display, and select moments for creatures to show off their special abilities.    

  The animation on display is definitely an improvement over the smaller scaled TV show, and there’s some great visual highlights. Perhaps the film gets a little too reliant on having CGI effects overshadow the traditional hand-drawn brush strokes, but having said that, it's not awful, just a little choppy. 

I do still love the design of the villains flying fortress, and it dose still convey a sense of looming dread when it’s on screen. Back when I was a kid, CGI was still very new to me, and there was one select moment that I distinctly remember re-winding a lot. It’s a shot in the opening that starts with a close-up of the villain, which then pulls back into a wide shot of his flying castle, and I remember just thinking that was the most epic thing ever. Some of the backgrounds are really nice, and the setting has some personality. Some of the details are kind of curious, as the island setting is an amalgamation of different cultures, and there's even some religious imagery on display. Also, for all the mayhem in this film, it at least has some quiet moments that allow the audiences to be more submersed in the experience. In fact, both the soundtrack and the visuals of the changing weather do help give the movie some atmosphere. 

                   
  With that said, my favorite thing about this movie has always been the music score. Both Shinji Miyazaki and Ralph Schuckett composed some memorable music pieces for this film, with both the adventure theme, and Lugia's theme being highlights. Prior to posting this review, I hadn't re-watched this movie in over a decade, and somehow over that time, Lugia's triumphant anthem music from Ralph Schuckett 's American score has always lingered in the back of my mind. Even for my sister, who had less of a connection to Pokémon then I did, can still single out the music from this film as memorable and appealing in its own simple way. 

As is tradition with this franchise, and a staple for Anime's in general, as the end credit's role by, the animation keeps going, and serves as a visual epilogue for all the characters ... as well as a chance for the soundtrack to make itself known. The films American song selection is also an enjoyable product of its time. Westlife's “Flying Without Wings” is one of those corny gems I can't help but think back on with fondness. Weird Al Yankovic also gets a randomly placed countdown song. The big song however is “The Power of One”, performed by the Queen of Jazz herself, the late Donna Summer. She was a great talent, and her song is almost too good to be utilized for a Pokémon soundtrack, but it certainly adds to the film's nostalgia factor.   

  When all is said and done, “Pokémon The Movie 2000” obviously doesn’t represent quality filmmaking, but I do still feel that a lot of effort was put into this movie to make it a little more special than just an extended episode of the series. Looking back, I actually think that the film offered more than needed, including some decent animation and an absolutely blissful music score. On my figurative totem pole of favorite Japanese Anime's, this film doesn't even come close to reaching the heights of films like "Spirited Away", "Princess Mononoke" and so forth ... but it still has a place on that totem. It's comfort food, simple, but pleasant to look back on as something from my childhood. Again, I'm really not that big a fan of Pokémon in general, but it had its place during my youth, and this movie for better or worse was at the center of it. Not a great film, but a harmless little trinket from my childhood all the same.

Thanks for reading my review of the 1999 Anime “Pokémon The Movie 2000” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!