If you ever wanted to go back and check out Pokemon: The First Movie, there’s no better time to do it as you can now stream it completely for free for a very limited time. The closer the Pokemon gets to its three decades of existence, the more of the anime franchise fans get to enjoy. The franchise has dominated screens over the years with not only a long running TV anime series, but multiple theatrical film releases that often saw Ash Ketchum crossing paths with Legendary Pokemon from a given region. It all started off with a bang too.
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Pokemon: The First Movie was the very first theatrical film release for the Pokemon anime franchise, and with it kicked off a whole new era of adventures for Ash Ketchum and his Pokemon. It’s also one of the most fondly remembered among fans of a certain age as it was when the TV anime series was at the peak of its popularity, but now it’s easier than ever to take a trip down memory lane with a rewatch. Pokemon: The First Movie is streaming completely for free with Pokemon’s official YouTube channel this Summer, so you’ll want to check it out while you can.
What Is Pokemon: The First Movie?
Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, Pokemon: The First Movie made its debut in Japan in 1998 before getting its English language release in the United States the next year. The film was an original story set outside of the events of the TV anime series, but had some small connections with the rest of the story as this is where Ash Ketchum and his friends cross paths with the legendary Mew and Mewtwo for the first time in the franchise’s history. It would far from be the last, however, as this film was the start of a huge wave of popularity for Mewtwo seen in the decades to come.
The Pokemon Company teases Pokemon: The First Movie as such, “The adventure explodes into action with the debut of Mewtwo, a bio-engineered Pokémon created from the DNA of Mew, the rarest of all Pokémon. After escaping from the lab where it was created, Mewtwo is determined to prove its own superority. It lures a number of talented Pokémon Trainers—including Ash and his friends—into a Pokémon battle like never before. Mewtwo vs. Mew. Super-clones vs. regular Pokémon. It’s the ultimate showdown…with the very future of the world at stake!”
When Is Pokemon’s Next Movie?
Pokemon’s theatrical feature film future is a little in question thanks to inactivity over the last few years, unfortunately. Pokemon: Secrets of the Jungle was the 23rd movie released in the franchise and hit theaters back in 2021. This is currently the final film to feature Ash Ketchum as its star, and before the TV anime went on to feature new characters in releases such as Pokemon Horizons. Ever since the franchise retired Ash, there have also been no rumblings of a new animated feature either.
Pokemon‘s such a big deal around the world that it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be any more feature film releases in the future, but for now there’s nothing wrong with going backwards a bit in the meantime. Pokemon’s planning to stream its first three movies for free this Summer for a very limited time following the launch of its first movie, so you’re going to want to tune in and make sure you check them out before they’re all gone.
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image courtesy of Peacock
