Iconic 90s Pokémon Anime Adventure Now Free to Watch on YouTube
A classic animated movie from the late ’90s is now free to watch on YouTube, and longtime fans are feeling pretty nostalgic. The movie is Pokémon: The First Movie, which first hit theaters in Japan in 1998.
It was directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and brought the Pokémon franchise to the big screen for the very first time. It takes place during the early part of the animated series, back when Ash was just starting out as a trainer.
At the center of the story is Mewtwo, a powerful Pokémon that was created in a lab. Dr. Fuji, the scientist leading the project, used DNA from the legendary Pokémon Mew to make him. Fuji also hoped the experiment would somehow bring back his daughter, Amber. But things didn’t go as planned.
Mewtwo eventually becomes aware of himself and starts questioning why he was made. Once he realizes he’s being used, he destroys the lab and escapes.
When the movie came out in Japan, it got good reviews. People liked how emotional the story was and how it talked about big topics like cloning and identity. But when Warner Bros. released the English version in North America in 1999, things changed.
A lot of people didn’t like the dub. Critics said the message about peace didn’t fit the tone of the Pokémon world. Some also pointed out that parts of the original film, especially important scenes about Mewtwo’s past, were cut out of the U.S. release.
Even with all that, the movie made a ton of money. According to Box Office Mojo, it made over $172 million worldwide and sold 10 million copies on home video in the U.S. alone. In 2000, it brought in more than $58 million from VHS sales.
The reviews in the U.S. weren’t kind. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 16% score from 91 critics, with an average rating of just 3.57 out of 10. The site said, “Audiences other than children will find very little to entertain them.” Metacritic gave it a score of 35 out of 100, meaning most reviews were negative. CinemaScore, which asks people what they thought after watching, gave it an A−, showing that audiences were still into it.
Roger Ebert, a very famous movie critic, gave it two stars out of four. He said the movie was “a sound-and-light show, linked to the marketing push for Pokémon in general,” and that it “had no level at which it enriches a young viewer, by encouraging thinking or observation.”
The release also came with a dark moment. In December 1999, a one-year-old girl named Kira Murphy died after choking on part of a Poké Ball toy from a Burger King kids’ meal. Another child in Kansas had a similar experience but survived. Burger King recalled the toys soon after. Sadly, another child died later, even after the recall. The families reached legal settlements, but the details were kept private.
Years later, fans and reviewers still look back on the differences between the Japanese version and the one released overseas. Ryan Lambie from Den of Geek said the decision to cut Mewtwo’s origin story was “a highly unfortunate move” and said the Japanese version was “far more engrossing” because it tackled deeper ideas. He also said younger fans probably didn’t care much at the time, since the movie was aimed at kids anyway.
Now that it’s back and streaming for free, fans who grew up with Pokémon can watch it again, and those who missed it the first time can finally see what the fuss was all about. Whether you loved it back then or are just curious now, it’s just a click away.
Got thoughts on the movie? Drop them in the comments below!
