Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- exciting
- melancholic
- earnest
- family movie night
- anime nostalgia
What critics said
Critics generally found the English adaptation thin and commercially driven, while acknowledging the premise's emotional and ethical potential and the original Japanese version's greater depth.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mewtwo is created through cloning, resents his imposed purpose, and searches for meaning beyond his creators' intentions.
Researchers fund and produce Mewtwo, whose bitterness toward his origin drives the central confrontation.
The film combines Pokémon battles and youthful heroes with questions about cloning, identity, and the value of life.
Mewtwo, Mew, cloned Pokémon, and trainer battles provide the film's central animated imagery and action scale.
Films like Pokémon: The First Movie, and why
Digimon: The Movie
animated fantasy adventure centered on youthful heroes, collectible creatures, friendship, and a climactic moral conflict
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light
Japanese animated fantasy adventure combining child protagonists, fantastical creatures, spectacle, and themes of identity
The Land Before Time
family-oriented animated adventure with magical creatures, energetic battles, and an emotionally earnest anti-violence message
Akira
science fiction anime exploring artificial creation, identity, and existential purpose through dramatic action
Movie Details
- Director
- Kunihiko Yuyama
- Release Date
- 1998-07-18
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (1635)
Cast
- Rica Matsumoto
- Ikue Otani
- Mayumi Izuka
- Yuji Ueda
- Satomi Korogi
- Megumi Hayashibara
- Shin-ichiro Miki
- Inuko Inuyama
- Ayako Shiraishi
- Chinami Nishimura
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Pokémon: The First Movie about?
- A young Pokémon trainer and his friends confront a cloned powerhouse whose crisis of identity threatens every living creature.
- What is Pokémon: The First Movie like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Pokémon: The First Movie as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Pokémon: The First Movie violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Pokémon: The First Movie as moderate.
- What did critics think of Pokémon: The First Movie?
- Critics generally found the English adaptation thin and commercially driven, while acknowledging the premise's emotional and ethical potential and the original Japanese version's greater depth.
- Which films are like Pokémon: The First Movie?
- Films with a similar feel include Digimon: The Movie, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light, The Land Before Time, and Akira.
- How long is Pokémon: The First Movie?
- Pokémon: The First Movie runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Pokémon: The First Movie?
- In United States, Pokémon: The First Movie is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube.
Browse Ember's collections
Movies like Pokémon: The First Movie
- Pokémon Detective Pikachu2019
- Pokémon 4Ever2001
- Pokémon: Zoroark - Master of Illusions2010
- Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea2006
- One Piece Film: Strong World2010
- Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker2003
- Pokémon Heroes2002
- Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai2007
- Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie2004
- Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!2017
