In Light of the New Digimon Story Game, We Need To Talk About Digimon: The Movie

While some millennials grew up loving either Pokemon or Digimon, there was room in my heart for both. I adored the Pokemon games and cards, but when it came to anime, there could only be Digimon. Some of my earliest memories involve arguing with my parents over their plans to leave the house when a new episode was supposed to air. Naturally, when Digimon: The Movie was released in America, I couldn’t wait to see it. All these years later, when I think about Digimon, it’s the movie that comes to mind. And with a brand new Digimon Story game on the way, it’s high time to unpack that beautiful mess.

Is Digimon: The Movie a bit of a disjointed mess? Yes. Is the soundtrack impeccable? Also yes. To this day, I can’t hear Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week” without seeing that Sora and Tai montage from the film. For all that I adore the movie for its quick, quippy jokes and references, even my younger self could tell something about it felt a bit… off.

One of the reasons I preferred watching the Digimon TV show over Pokemon was the plot. While Pokemon took a more episodic approach with a sort of distant (very distant) goal, Digimon: Digital Monsters had true, well-crafted seasonal arcs. That, and more well-rounded characters for little me to have a crush on, which was a very important part of my inner life at that age.

The plot of Digimon: The Movie, however? Not nearly so well done. The story spans many years, with short scenes that each reach their own climax and sort of kind of echo into the next. While I appreciated the opportunity to see my favorites from the second series, such as an older TK and Kari, I wanted the story to be, well… better. It wasn’t until years later when randomly checking to see if any streaming service finally decided to host Digimon: The Movie, that I confirmed what I kind of already knew. The reason Digimon: The Movie feels like such a mess is that it’s not actually one movie. The American release is actually a spliced Frankenstein’s monster, combining elements of three different movies that came out in Japan.

It’s Hard to Rewatch Digimon: The Movie… But Will a New Game Change That?

The random assortment of storylines we find in Digimon: The Movie brings together the first three movies as they originally aired in Japan. Digimon Adventure came out in 1999 and told the story of how Tai and Kari met their first Pokemon. This is what we get in the early part of Digimon: The Movie, where Kari and Tai meet a completely different Aguman from the one that will later become Tai’s partner. If that feels random, well, this movie’s prequel vibes would explain why.

The rest of the Digimon: The Movie plot borrows from films two and three. The online fight against Diaboromon that’s loosely tied up with the virus Willis accidentally attracted to his virtual digi-egg? That’s the plot of Our War Game, a 2000 Digimon title. And as for what happens to Kokomon down the line? That comes from Hurricane Touchdown, which also came out in 2000. Basically, all of the randomness strung together in Digimon: The Movie has its origins in slightly more fleshed-out films, which is why they feel a bit out of step with one another.

These days, it’s a bit easier to find out this kind of info, but back in late 2000 when Digimon: The Movie first appeared in the US, that wasn’t the case. I’m betting I’m not the only fan who spent years unaware each of these disparate pieces had fuller stories to tell. Though it was a box office hit when it was released, Digimon: The Movie has a complicated legacy. And by complicated, I mean there’s no easy way to rewatch it when the nostalgia hits. It has never been available to stream anywhere, so your best bet is an old VHS or DVD. And that’s only if you have one.

Late last year, perhaps in anticipation of hitting us with that Digimon Story: Time Stranger news, Bandai re-released Digimon: The Movie in a new collection. The updated version is called Digimon The Movies 1-3 Collection and includes the original mess in all its glory. But more importantly, the disc offers new English-language dubs for the original three stories, giving Digimon fans a chance for a nostalgia watch and a re-do all in one.

While this does make things a bit easier, the collection isn’t cheap or easy to find. It’ll run you around $30 on Blu-Ray. In a time when more of us find ourselves sans anything that can play a physical disc, I can’t help but hope that the hype about Digimon Story: Time Stranger will catch the attention of a streaming service. I’ve got my old Digimon: The Movie DVD and a PS5 with a disc drive, but for those who don’t, I want them to have access to the nostalgia, the quips, and the explanation for why I’m constantly saying “One step ahead of ya, Tai,” in random conversation.