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Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! is a 2017 Japanese animated adventure film and the 20th film in the Pokémon anime series created by Satoshi Tajiri and produced by OLM, Inc.. It was premiered on July 15, 2017 in Japan and released in American television later of the year. Loosely adapted from the anime's pilot episode of the same name and much of the first season, it was directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and written by Shoji Yonemura. In a departure from the previous movies, this movie is a loose reboot of Ash's original journey through the Kanto region, in celebration of the Pokémon anime's 20th anniversary. It is the first movie of this alternate continuity and is followed by Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us. It is also the first movie to release during the run of Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon.
Plot[]
On his tenth birthday, Ash Ketchum sets off from Pallet Town to become a Pokémon Trainer alongside a Pikachu that disobeys him. The duo encounter Ho-Oh and, after acquiring a Rainbow Wing, pledge to meet it again one day. With his travel companions Sorrel and Verity, and guided by the mysterious Marshadow, Ash travels to Mount Tensei in search of Ho-Oh. However, they encounter a powerful opponent who stands in their way.
Cast[]
| Character | Japanese voice actor | English voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Ash Ketchum | Rica Matsumoto | Sarah Natochenny |
| Pikachu | Ikue Otani | Ikue Otani |
| Kate Bristol (speaking scene) | ||
| Professor Oak | Unsho Ishizuka | James Carter Cathcart |
| Narrator | Rodger Parsons | |
| Delia Ketchum | Masami Toyoshima | Sarah Natochenny |
| Jessie | Megumi Hayashibara | Michele Knotz |
| James | Shin-ichiro Miki | James Carter Cathcart |
| Meowth | Inuko Inuyama | |
| Nurse Joy | Shoko Nakagawa | Michele Knotz |
| Sorrel | Kanata Hongo | David Oliver Nelson |
| Verity | Shiori Sato | Suzy Myers |
| Bonji | Arata Furuta | Mike Pollock |
| Cross | Ryota Osaka | Billy Bob Thompson |
| Marshadow | Kōichi Yamadera | Simona Berman |
Gallery[]
Reception[]
The film received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 33% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. Callum May of Anime News Network gave the film an overall grade of A, calling the film a "Pokémon movie for classic Pokémon fans", and added: "While it features new Pokémon from Pokémon Sun and Moon like Lycanroc and Incineroar, many of the stories and references are from the series 20 years ago, repurposed into far more emotionally moving encounters". He praised the film for having a stronger narrative than the other movies in the franchise, but criticized Sorrel and Verity's personalities, calling them "more like bystanders of someone else's story, and the attempts at creating backstories for them aren't built up at all". Brian Costello of Common Sense Media gave the film a score of 2 stars out of 5, writing: "Pokemon the Movie: I Choose You! is best for Pokemon fans or those who know enough about Pokémon to understand the battle scenes and already know and care enough about the characters to fully understand what's at stake."
Some long-time fans of the anime expressed negative criticism of the film on social media due to the exclusion of Misty and Brock (they briefly appear in the credits roll) in favor of two new companions, with one saying "It's almost like Brock and Misty never existed". The point where Pikachu actually speaks the human language was also criticized. As shown at the film's first screening at the 2017 Japan Expo, most of the main characters from the first six series were relegated to cameos, which also caused some harsh criticism from older fans. Like many DVDs, the movie was criticized for the lack of Japanese audio with subtitles; it's unknown why TPCi never included this.
External links[]
- M20 at Bulbapedia, the Pokémon wiki.
- Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! at the Internet Movie Database
- Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia