Pokémon 4Ever
Encyclopedia
Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi - Voice of the Forest, originally released in Japan as , is a 2001 Japanese
anime
film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama
and based on the television series Pokémon
. It is the fourth official Pokémon film. It was released in Japan on July 14, 2001. The film was directed in Japan by Kunihiko Yuyama
, and written by Hideki Sonoda. It stars the regular television cast of Rica Matsumoto
, Ikue Ōtani
, Mayumi Iizuka
, Yūji Ueda
, Megumi Hayashibara
, and Shinichirō Miki
.
The English adaption of the film, produced by 4Kids Entertainment
, was released on October 11, 2002 in the United States. It was directed by Jim Malone, and written by Norman J. Grossfeld
. The English adaption stars the regular television cast of Veronica Taylor
, Eric Stuart
, Rachael Lillis
, and Maddie Blaustein
.
It was the first Pokémon film to be distributed by Miramax Films
. Although Cartoon Network
currently airs the film, it aired on Toon Disney
on May 21, 2007 (because Miramax, owned by Disney, released this animated film), being the third Pokémon
film to air on Toon Disney
(the first two being the next films Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker
and Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys
).
The DVD release includes the short animated cartoon "Pikachu's PikaBoo!"
Optimum Home Entertainment are re-releasing the movie on DVD in UK on May 9th 2011
, who travels to the future with a boy named Sam while being chased by a hunter. Meanwhile, Ash
, Misty
, Brock
, and Pikachu
are on their way to the next gym in their Johto journey and get a lift from a man named Maki, who takes them to his hometown of Arborville. They see a Suicune
(who was actually the first Pokémon Ash saw in Johto). When they plan to enter a forest that is claimed to have many unusual and rare Pokémon, they are warned by an elderly lady about the "Voice of the Forest", which may carry a person off to a different period in time unless those hearing it stand still.
Ash finds Sam alone in the forest as Celebi has fled. Sam awakens and discovers he is 40 years in the future from when he was. He, Ash, and the others search for Celebi and they find it in a tree. After some convincing, the gang manage to gain Celebi's trust. They run into a high-ranking member of Team Rocket, the Iron Masked Marauder, who has been trying to capture Celebi. Jessie, James, and Meowth also team up with the Iron Masked Marauder to capture Celebi.
The heroes take Celebi to its home, the Lake of Life, where it is healed by the water. The group spend the night in the forest. The next day, Celebi is captured by the Iron Masked Marauder and is turned evil by the Dark Ball, a ball with special powers that turns the captured Pokémon evil, greatly strengthen and increase their powers and abilities to innumerable controllable levels, and grants them new powers and abilities that are stronger and more powerful. Ash attempts to save Celebi by climbing the Marauder's robot, which falls over and throws them both out. Ash lands on the ground, but the Marauder begins to step on his hand; it keeps doing this until Ash falls unconscious. The Iron Masked Marauder orders Celebi create a giant Giratina
-like monster from parts of the forest. The heroes chase after Celebi in Maki's flying boat, but are brought down by the evil Celebi's attacks. The Iron Masked Marauder tries to kill Ash and Sam, but Suicune saves them. Onix
and Suicune
do battle with the Masked Marauder's evil Tyranitar, while Ash, Sam, and Pikachu clamber into Celebi's creature and manage to get Celebi to remember its memories, successfully bringing Celebi back to normal.
With the collapse of the giant monster, the Iron Masked Marauder falls into the lake. The other heroes rush to the lake's edge and find Ash and Sam with Celebi, who suddenly falls limp. Ash and Sam realize Celebi is dead and everyone weeps. However, the Voice of the Forest materializes in the sky and numerous of Celebi appear and resurrect Celebi. The Iron Masked Marauder appears and kidnaps Celebi and flies up with a jetpack, but Ash and Pikachu hold onto him as he flies away. Pikachu destroys the Masked Marauder's jetpack with a "ThunderBolt" attack and they fall to Earth, but Celebi saves them. The Iron Masked Marauder falls down to the forest floor (losing his mask and Dark Balls in the process) and is confronted by the old woman, her granddaughter Diana, Maki, and all the Pokémon of the forest.
Celebi prepares to bring Sam back to his own time. He has an emotional farewell with Ash and departs with Celebi. Before Ash leaves the town into his next journey, he talks to Professor Oak about what happened, and muses about the story. Professor Oak tells a sad Ash that he and Sam are going to be friends forever.
Ash, Brock, and Misty realise they never told Professor Oak Sam's name, but are soon distacted by the departing boat. Professor Oak is then shown with the sketch-book from earlier in the film, revealing that Professor Oak (whose first name is Samuel) is the grown-up Sam. He finally reveals it happened like it was only yesterday, after musing on a sketch he drew of a sleeping Pikachu and Celebi.
. The animators felt "tremendous pressure" that their adaption, both in the writing and the casting, held up against "this incredible achievement". Grossfeld says they adjusted the casting so that the guest characters did not sound too "cartoony" - "and instead had a larger than life tone to fit in with the epic nature of this story and the craftsmanship of the animation."
. However, much like the next film
, it was successful upon its release on video and DVD. The film earned a total of $1.7 million during its domestic run, and $26 million overseas, closing with a worldwide gross of $28 million. The film stayed in theaters for 58 days, closing on December 5, 2002.
, with 32 of a total 37 reviews being determined as negative with the Consensus, "Only for diehard Pokemon fans". The film reviews from the audience also received a 58% "Rotten" approval rating.
It received a rating of 25 out of 100 (signifying "generally negative reviews") on Metacritic
from 16 reviews. In a review of the film, Dann Gire of the Daily Herald said that "nothing feels more desperate than a movie that tries to extort emotions from young viewers. That happens in the animated Pokémon 4Ever, in which colorful characters stand around crying over the shriveling corpse of a magical creature called Celebi. The movie has emotional warmth of tin foil, mainly because it never establishes connections among the characters, or between the characters and viewers."
Tenley Woodman of the Boston Herald
said that "Fans 4Ever would be a more appropriate title for the film because Pokémon enthusiasts likely will be the only ones satisfied by the fourth big-screen installment of this Japanimation craze." He added that "the story line is solid, with Pokémon' s proxy-fighter premise pieced together for first-time viewers. However, the film lacks the spark needed to make it a must-see flick." Robert Koehler of Variety
said that the "script by Hideki Sonoda is thin in terms of levels of action and adventure, and suffers from last minute padding with one ostensible ending following another. A clever notion to pop up in the larger Pokémon epic, however, is the suggestion that The Professor (the Pokémon trainers' long-term, reliable guide to all things Pokémon) is actually Sam, now grown up in the present." He then added: "Yank voices - holdovers all from the past films - remain as irritating and overly emphatic as ever."
Loren King of the Chicago Tribune
gave the film a generally positive review, saying: "The latest installment in the Pokémon canon is surprising less moldy and trite than the last two, likely because much of the Japanese anime is set in a scenic forest where Pokémon graze in peace. The backdrop provides a welcome respite from the ear-, eye- and mind-numbing Pokémon action. And the time-travel plot, though less than inspired, is still tolerable enough for adults accompanying kids". He added that "like most Pokémon tales, this one offers lots of exposition and clunky dialogue, but also counters the expected mayhem with a sweet-sided story about friendship and peaceful creatures who prefer to live far from the madding crowd." Angel Cohn of TV Guide
said in his review that "the story is a bit predictable and the characters given to restating the obvious (presumably for the benefit of very young viewers), but overall this third Pokémon sequel is surprisingly entertaining, and a mystery surrounding Sammy's identity provides an interesting twist. The film's flat, traditional anime aesthetic is perfectly suited to the look of the bold, cartoon-like creatures, though the animators switch to a more CGI-influenced look for portions of the final battle sequence. While well done, these scenes feel jarring and out of sync with the rest of the film. Quibbles aside, children and adults enamored of all things Pokémon won't be disappointed."
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama
Kunihiko Yuyama
' is a Japanese director of anime films, television, and video series. His best-known work involves Pokémon productions. Other anime he has directed include Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning, Plawres Sanshiro, Wedding Peach, and the adult-oriented Weather Report Girl.Developing an interest...
and based on the television series Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
. It is the fourth official Pokémon film. It was released in Japan on July 14, 2001. The film was directed in Japan by Kunihiko Yuyama
Kunihiko Yuyama
' is a Japanese director of anime films, television, and video series. His best-known work involves Pokémon productions. Other anime he has directed include Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning, Plawres Sanshiro, Wedding Peach, and the adult-oriented Weather Report Girl.Developing an interest...
, and written by Hideki Sonoda. It stars the regular television cast of Rica Matsumoto
Rica Matsumoto
is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer who was born in Yokohama, Japan. Her name is also sometimes romanized as Rika Matsumoto. She was one of the original members of the popular vocal group JAM Project. After the way of the stage, she embarked on voice acting and a singing career...
, Ikue Ōtani
Ikue Otani
is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Tokyo, most famous as the voice of Pikachu in the Pokémon anime series and products and the voice of Tony Tony Chopper in the manga and anime series One Piece. She is currently attached to Mausu Promotion...
, Mayumi Iizuka
Mayumi Iizuka
is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer who was born in Tokyo and grew up in Taiwan and Yokohama. Iizuka is a member of Gekidan Wakakusa and Tokuma Japan Communications....
, Yūji Ueda
Yuji Ueda
is a popular Japanese seiyū.He is most known for the roles of Sagara Sanosuke , Akito Tenkawa , Takeshi , Horohoro , Johannes Krauser II and Keitaro Urashima ....
, Megumi Hayashibara
Megumi Hayashibara
is a Japanese voice actress, singer, radio personality, and lyricist from Tokyo. She is currently affiliated with Aksent. Her nicknames include: Megu-san, Megu-nee, Bara-san, Kakka, and Daijin...
, and Shinichirō Miki
Shinichiro Miki
is a Japanese voice actor. He is a member of 81 Produce.Miki is most known for the roles of Kojiro , Takumi Fujiwara , Kisuke Urahara , Akira Yuki , Lockon Stratos , and Roy Mustang .According to the Anime News Network, as of Spring 2007, Miki is...
.
The English adaption of the film, produced by 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
, was released on October 11, 2002 in the United States. It was directed by Jim Malone, and written by Norman J. Grossfeld
Norman J. Grossfeld
Norman J. Grossfeld is an American television producer and screenwriter and executive. From February 1994 to December 2009, he was the president of 4Kids Productions, a subsidiary of 4Kids Entertainment. He produced the English adaptations of the first eight seasons of the Pokémon TV series and...
. The English adaption stars the regular television cast of Veronica Taylor
Veronica Taylor
Veronica Taylor is an American voice actress. Taylor is best known for her dubbing work in English-language anime adaptations, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum in the English dub of the Japanese anime, Pokémon....
, Eric Stuart
Eric Stuart
Eric Stuart is a voice actor, voice director, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. As the lead singer of his own band, the Eric Stuart Band , he is an award-winning independent artist with a growing US and international fan base.Stuart gained acclaim as a voice actor not only because of his...
, Rachael Lillis
Rachael Lillis
Rachael Lillis is an American actress and voice actress. She studied acting in Boston and New York City and has appeared in various theater and independent films....
, and Maddie Blaustein
Maddie Blaustein
Madeleine Joan Blaustein was an American voice actress...
.
It was the first Pokémon film to be distributed by Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
. Although Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
currently airs the film, it aired on Toon Disney
Toon Disney
Toon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
on May 21, 2007 (because Miramax, owned by Disney, released this animated film), being the third Pokémon
Pokémon (anime)
, abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets...
film to air on Toon Disney
Toon Disney
Toon Disney was an American cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company. A spinoff of Disney Channel, it mostly aired children's animated series and some live action programming. Its format had similarities to those of Cartoon Network and Nicktoons...
(the first two being the next films Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker
Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker
Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker, originally released in Japan as , is the sixth film associated with the Pokémon animated series, and is the first one featuring the characters from Advanced Generation. It was accompanied by the short Gotta Dance. It was released in theaters in Japan on July 19, 2003...
and Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys
Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys
Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys, originally released in Japan as is the seventh film in the Pokémon series, complementing the seventh season . It is the second film released under Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation in Japan. The original Japanese version was released in theaters on July 17, 2004...
).
The DVD release includes the short animated cartoon "Pikachu's PikaBoo!"
Optimum Home Entertainment are re-releasing the movie on DVD in UK on May 9th 2011
Plot
The film focuses on CelebiCelebi (Pokémon)
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, they first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels. They have later appeared in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise...
, who travels to the future with a boy named Sam while being chased by a hunter. Meanwhile, Ash
Ash Ketchum
Ash Ketchum, known as for all appearances in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. He was created by, and named after, Satoshi Tajiri as the protagonist of the anime and manga series, as well as on various merchandise related to the franchise...
, Misty
Misty (Pokémon)
Misty, known as in Japanese versions, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise. She has appeared as a Gym Leader in the Pokémon video games, several seasons of the Pokémon anime, The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, the Ash & Pikachu manga, toys, books, and other media.-Design:Misty's...
, Brock
Brock (Pokémon)
Brock, known as in Japanese versions, is a video game character in the Pokémon franchise. In the Pokémon video games, he is the Gym Leader of Pewter City and mainly uses Rock -type Pokémon; in the anime series, he left his position as a Gym Leader to travel alongside Ash Ketchum and become a...
, and Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
are on their way to the next gym in their Johto journey and get a lift from a man named Maki, who takes them to his hometown of Arborville. They see a Suicune
Suicune
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Suicune first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles, animated adaptations, and printed adaptations of the...
(who was actually the first Pokémon Ash saw in Johto). When they plan to enter a forest that is claimed to have many unusual and rare Pokémon, they are warned by an elderly lady about the "Voice of the Forest", which may carry a person off to a different period in time unless those hearing it stand still.
Ash finds Sam alone in the forest as Celebi has fled. Sam awakens and discovers he is 40 years in the future from when he was. He, Ash, and the others search for Celebi and they find it in a tree. After some convincing, the gang manage to gain Celebi's trust. They run into a high-ranking member of Team Rocket, the Iron Masked Marauder, who has been trying to capture Celebi. Jessie, James, and Meowth also team up with the Iron Masked Marauder to capture Celebi.
The heroes take Celebi to its home, the Lake of Life, where it is healed by the water. The group spend the night in the forest. The next day, Celebi is captured by the Iron Masked Marauder and is turned evil by the Dark Ball, a ball with special powers that turns the captured Pokémon evil, greatly strengthen and increase their powers and abilities to innumerable controllable levels, and grants them new powers and abilities that are stronger and more powerful. Ash attempts to save Celebi by climbing the Marauder's robot, which falls over and throws them both out. Ash lands on the ground, but the Marauder begins to step on his hand; it keeps doing this until Ash falls unconscious. The Iron Masked Marauder orders Celebi create a giant Giratina
Giratina
, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Giratina first appeared in the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, but gained prominence in the remake, Pokémon Platinum, which it was made the mascot of. It later appeared in various merchandise,...
-like monster from parts of the forest. The heroes chase after Celebi in Maki's flying boat, but are brought down by the evil Celebi's attacks. The Iron Masked Marauder tries to kill Ash and Sam, but Suicune saves them. Onix
Onix (Pokémon)
Onix, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Onix first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and in subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations...
and Suicune
Suicune
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Suicune first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles, animated adaptations, and printed adaptations of the...
do battle with the Masked Marauder's evil Tyranitar, while Ash, Sam, and Pikachu clamber into Celebi's creature and manage to get Celebi to remember its memories, successfully bringing Celebi back to normal.
With the collapse of the giant monster, the Iron Masked Marauder falls into the lake. The other heroes rush to the lake's edge and find Ash and Sam with Celebi, who suddenly falls limp. Ash and Sam realize Celebi is dead and everyone weeps. However, the Voice of the Forest materializes in the sky and numerous of Celebi appear and resurrect Celebi. The Iron Masked Marauder appears and kidnaps Celebi and flies up with a jetpack, but Ash and Pikachu hold onto him as he flies away. Pikachu destroys the Masked Marauder's jetpack with a "ThunderBolt" attack and they fall to Earth, but Celebi saves them. The Iron Masked Marauder falls down to the forest floor (losing his mask and Dark Balls in the process) and is confronted by the old woman, her granddaughter Diana, Maki, and all the Pokémon of the forest.
Celebi prepares to bring Sam back to his own time. He has an emotional farewell with Ash and departs with Celebi. Before Ash leaves the town into his next journey, he talks to Professor Oak about what happened, and muses about the story. Professor Oak tells a sad Ash that he and Sam are going to be friends forever.
Ash, Brock, and Misty realise they never told Professor Oak Sam's name, but are soon distacted by the departing boat. Professor Oak is then shown with the sketch-book from earlier in the film, revealing that Professor Oak (whose first name is Samuel) is the grown-up Sam. He finally reveals it happened like it was only yesterday, after musing on a sketch he drew of a sleeping Pikachu and Celebi.
Cast
| Character | Japanese seiyū | English voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Ash Ketchum Ash Ketchum Ash Ketchum, known as for all appearances in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. He was created by, and named after, Satoshi Tajiri as the protagonist of the anime and manga series, as well as on various merchandise related to the franchise... (Satoshi) |
Rica Matsumoto Rica Matsumoto is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer who was born in Yokohama, Japan. Her name is also sometimes romanized as Rika Matsumoto. She was one of the original members of the popular vocal group JAM Project. After the way of the stage, she embarked on voice acting and a singing career... |
Veronica Taylor Veronica Taylor Veronica Taylor is an American voice actress. Taylor is best known for her dubbing work in English-language anime adaptations, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum in the English dub of the Japanese anime, Pokémon.... |
| Pikachu Pikachu is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series... |
Ikue Ōtani Ikue Otani is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Tokyo, most famous as the voice of Pikachu in the Pokémon anime series and products and the voice of Tony Tony Chopper in the manga and anime series One Piece. She is currently attached to Mausu Promotion... |
Ikue Ōtani |
| Misty Misty (Pokémon) Misty, known as in Japanese versions, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise. She has appeared as a Gym Leader in the Pokémon video games, several seasons of the Pokémon anime, The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, the Ash & Pikachu manga, toys, books, and other media.-Design:Misty's... (Kasumi) |
Mayumi Iizuka Mayumi Iizuka is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer who was born in Tokyo and grew up in Taiwan and Yokohama. Iizuka is a member of Gekidan Wakakusa and Tokuma Japan Communications.... |
Rachael Lillis Rachael Lillis Rachael Lillis is an American actress and voice actress. She studied acting in Boston and New York City and has appeared in various theater and independent films.... |
| Brock Brock (Pokémon) Brock, known as in Japanese versions, is a video game character in the Pokémon franchise. In the Pokémon video games, he is the Gym Leader of Pewter City and mainly uses Rock -type Pokémon; in the anime series, he left his position as a Gym Leader to travel alongside Ash Ketchum and become a... (Takeshi) |
Yūji Ueda Yuji Ueda is a popular Japanese seiyū.He is most known for the roles of Sagara Sanosuke , Akito Tenkawa , Takeshi , Horohoro , Johannes Krauser II and Keitaro Urashima .... |
Eric Stuart Eric Stuart Eric Stuart is a voice actor, voice director, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. As the lead singer of his own band, the Eric Stuart Band , he is an award-winning independent artist with a growing US and international fan base.Stuart gained acclaim as a voice actor not only because of his... |
| Togepi Togepi is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Togepi first appeared in the Pokémon anime. It then appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles, and animated and... |
Satomi Kōrogi | Satomi Kōrogi |
| Jessie (Musashi) | Megumi Hayashibara Megumi Hayashibara is a Japanese voice actress, singer, radio personality, and lyricist from Tokyo. She is currently affiliated with Aksent. Her nicknames include: Megu-san, Megu-nee, Bara-san, Kakka, and Daijin... |
Rachael Lillis |
| James (Kojirō) | Shin-ichiro Miki | Eric Stuart |
| Meowth (Nyarth) | Inuko Inuyama | Maddie Blaustein Maddie Blaustein Madeleine Joan Blaustein was an American voice actress... |
| Bayleef | Mika Kanai Mika Kanai is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She is currently attached to Ken Production. Her pet name is . She is best known for her roles in Idol Tenshi Yōkoso Yōko , Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka , Goldfish Warning! , Soreike! Anpanman , Yadamon , After War Gundam X , Tokyo... |
|
| Sammy (Yukinari) | Keiko Toda Keiko Toda is a Japanese actress and seiyū. Her most famous role is being the voice of the children's hero Anpanman on the long running anime Soreike! Anpanman... |
Tara Sands Tara Sands Tara Sands is an American voice actor, television host and actress. Well known as the voice of Anna Kyoyama in Shaman King, Mokuba Kaiba in the English adaptation of the second series Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, as well as Chase on Fighting Foodons and Filia Ul Copt in Slayers.Born in Hartford, Connecticut,... (as Tara Jayne) |
| Diana (Miku) | Anne Suzuki Anne Suzuki is a Japanese actress.A model since the age of three, she got an early break in her acting career at 12 when she starred in the Hollywood film Snow Falling on Cedars with Ethan Hawke. She was next featured in the action movie Returner opposite Takeshi Kaneshiro, and won the Best New Actor at the... |
Roxanne Beck Roxanne Beck Roxanne Beck is a nationally known singer and voice actor. Her jazz/blues release "'Comes Love,'" produced by Grammy nominee Bud Harner, received national radio airplay in 2008; her first album "'Garden of Love'" was released in 1997. Some of her credits as a voice actor are listed below.-Voice... |
| Towa | Mami Koyama Mami Koyama Mami Koyama is a veteran seiyū and J-pop vocalist who was born in Nishio, Aichi. She was once married to fellow seiyū Tōru Furuya, her co-star in Mobile Suit Gundam, Urusei Yatsura, Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, and Casshern Sins... |
Veronica Taylor |
| Vicious | Shirō Sano | Dan Green Dan Green (voice actor) Daniel Alexander Green , is an American voice actor, voice director and script adapter who has worked for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post and Central Park Media... |
| Vicious's Scizor (Hassamu) | Katsuyuki Konishi Katsuyuki Konishi is a Japanese voice actor from Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Ken Production. His debut role was Volfogg/Big Volfogg in GaoGaiGar.... |
Eric Stuart |
| Vicious's Sneasel (Nyūra) | Yumi Tōma Yumi Toma is a Japanese singer and voice actresss from Chiba. She has been part of the singing group Goddess Family Club. Tōma also works for Aoni Production. Because of her mature voice, she often plays strong, beautiful women.... |
Kayzie Rogers Kayzie Rogers Kayzie Rogers is an American voice actress. She is best known for her work in animated television series.... |
| Celebi Celebi (Pokémon) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, they first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels. They have later appeared in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise... |
Kazuko Sugiyama Kazuko Sugiyama , born is a voice actress who was born in Nagoya and works for Aoni Production.In February 2010, she received a "Merit Awards" from the 4th Seiyū Awards.... |
Kazuko Sugiyama |
| Suicune Suicune is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Suicune first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles, animated adaptations, and printed adaptations of the... |
Masahiko Tanaka Masahiko Tanaka is a Japanese voice actor. - Voice roles :* suicune in Pokemon 4Ever* M'Quve in Mobile Suit Gundam* Mihiramon in Digimon Tamers* Gauron in Full Metal Panic!* Fudou Takuma in Getbackers* Ryo Mashiba in Hajime no Ippo* Kyoichi Sudo in Initial D... |
Masahiko Tanaka |
| White | Takashi Fujii Takashi Fujii , born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese comedian and singer who belongs to the Japanese entertainment conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo and is the popular host of Matthew's Best Hit TV , born March 10, 1972 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese comedian and singer who belongs... |
Marc Thompson |
| Hunter | Kōichi Yamadera Koichi Yamadera is a Japanese voice actor, actor, tarento, narrator, master of ceremonies and impressionist from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school, and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment. Before that, he was affiliated with the Tokyo Actor's... |
|
| Hunter's Scyther Scyther Scyther, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise linked through evolution. Created by Ken Sugimori, Scyther first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue, while Scizor was introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver... (Strike) |
Kōichi Sakaguchi Koichi Sakaguchi is a Japanese seiyū. He is affiliated with 81 Produce.He also had a recurring role in both the Japanese and English language Pokemon anime which saw him voicing Jessie's Arbok up until Episode 6 of the Hoenn series which saw Arbok and its companion, Weezing being released to help protect a herd of... |
Eric Stuart |
| Hunter's Houndoom (Hellgar) | Tomoyuki Kōno Tomoyuki Kono is a Japanese voice actor currently works for 81 Produce.-Anime voice roles:*MegaMan NT Warrior - Magnetman*Naruto - Kotetsu Hagane*Noir - Chu, Lune, and Vanel*Pokémon 4Ever - Houndoom*Rockman.EXE Stream - Magnetman... |
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| Hunter's Ursaring (Ringuma) | Hisao Egawa Hisao Egawa is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo who works for Aoni Production. Egawa is most known for the roles of Shin'ichi Maki in Slam Dunk, Geki Kuroiwa in Brave Command Dagwon, Geki Hyūma and Goldymarg in The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, Killer Bee in Naruto Shippuden, and Falco Lombardi in the Star Fox... |
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| Hunter's Furret (Ōtachi) | Akiko Suzuki Akiko Suzuki is a Japanese figure skater. She is the 2010 Japanese national silver medalist, the 2010 Four Continents silver medalist, the 2009 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist and the 2007 Winter University Games Champion.... |
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| Hunter's Teddiursa (Himeguma) | Ryōka Yuzuki Ryoka Yuzuki Ryōka Yuzuki is a voice actress who was born in Anjo, Aichi, Japan. Her younger sister is an adult comic strip artist Sayumi Sakuragi .... |
Tara Jayne |
| Hunter's Stantler (Odoshishi) | Shinichi Namiki | |
| Hunter's Oddish (Nazonokusa) | Kaori Tsuji | Kayzie Rogers |
| Croconaw (Alligates) | Masaru Motegi | Eric Stuart |
| Professor Oak (Ōkido) | Unshō Ishizuka | Stuart Zagnit Stuart Zagnit Stuart Zagnit is an American character actor. He has worked in all areas including Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional, National Tours,television, films, commercials and voice-overs.-Theatre:*2011: The Merry Wives of Windsor - Brooklyn, NY - Sir John Falstaff*2009: How The Grinch Stole... (as Stan Hart) |
| Tracey Sketchit (Kenji) | Tomokazu Seki Tomokazu Seki is a Japanese voice actor. He formerly worked for Haikyou and is now the head of Atomic Monkey.-About:Some of his most notable roles include Shinichi Chiaki from Nodame Cantabile, Gilgamesh from Fate/stay night, Rob Lucci from One Piece, Gundam characters Domon Kasshu and Yzak Joule, from G Gundam... |
N/A |
| Narrator | Unshō Ishizuka | Rodger Parsons (as Ken Gates) |
Production
Norman Grossfeld, the producer of the English adaption, said that the animation quality in the film was the "finest yet" from Oriental Light and MagicOriental Light and Magic
Not to be confused with Industrial Light & Magic, formerly Oriental Light and Magic, is a Japanese animation studio founded in June 1995. They have worked on several anime series, with Pokémon their most prominent work, doing all of the TV anime and films. The animation studio is composed of...
. The animators felt "tremendous pressure" that their adaption, both in the writing and the casting, held up against "this incredible achievement". Grossfeld says they adjusted the casting so that the guest characters did not sound too "cartoony" - "and instead had a larger than life tone to fit in with the epic nature of this story and the craftsmanship of the animation."
Box office
Pokémon 4Ever earned $717,061 in its opening weekend in the United States, ranking #18 on the box office for that weekend. Because the first three films had made $31 million, $19 million, and $8 million respectively in their opening weekends, this film was considered a box office bombBox office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
. However, much like the next film
Pokémon Heroes
Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias, originally released in Japan as , is a 2002 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama. It is the fifth film in the Pokémon series, complimenting Pokémon: Master Quest...
, it was successful upon its release on video and DVD. The film earned a total of $1.7 million during its domestic run, and $26 million overseas, closing with a worldwide gross of $28 million. The film stayed in theaters for 58 days, closing on December 5, 2002.
Reviews
Pokémon 4Ever received generally negative reviews from television critics. Some critics called it "predictable" and "disappointing", while others stated that "the viewers won't be disappointed". The film received a 14% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, with 32 of a total 37 reviews being determined as negative with the Consensus, "Only for diehard Pokemon fans". The film reviews from the audience also received a 58% "Rotten" approval rating.
It received a rating of 25 out of 100 (signifying "generally negative reviews") on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
from 16 reviews. In a review of the film, Dann Gire of the Daily Herald said that "nothing feels more desperate than a movie that tries to extort emotions from young viewers. That happens in the animated Pokémon 4Ever, in which colorful characters stand around crying over the shriveling corpse of a magical creature called Celebi. The movie has emotional warmth of tin foil, mainly because it never establishes connections among the characters, or between the characters and viewers."
Tenley Woodman of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
said that "Fans 4Ever would be a more appropriate title for the film because Pokémon enthusiasts likely will be the only ones satisfied by the fourth big-screen installment of this Japanimation craze." He added that "the story line is solid, with Pokémon
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said that the "script by Hideki Sonoda is thin in terms of levels of action and adventure, and suffers from last minute padding with one ostensible ending following another. A clever notion to pop up in the larger Pokémon epic, however, is the suggestion that The Professor (the Pokémon trainers' long-term, reliable guide to all things Pokémon) is actually Sam, now grown up in the present." He then added: "Yank voices - holdovers all from the past films - remain as irritating and overly emphatic as ever."
Loren King of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
gave the film a generally positive review, saying: "The latest installment in the Pokémon canon is surprising less moldy and trite than the last two, likely because much of the Japanese anime is set in a scenic forest where Pokémon graze in peace. The backdrop provides a welcome respite from the ear-, eye- and mind-numbing Pokémon action. And the time-travel plot, though less than inspired, is still tolerable enough for adults accompanying kids". He added that "like most Pokémon tales, this one offers lots of exposition and clunky dialogue, but also counters the expected mayhem with a sweet-sided story about friendship and peaceful creatures who prefer to live far from the madding crowd." Angel Cohn of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
said in his review that "the story is a bit predictable and the characters given to restating the obvious (presumably for the benefit of very young viewers), but overall this third Pokémon sequel is surprisingly entertaining, and a mystery surrounding Sammy's identity provides an interesting twist. The film's flat, traditional anime aesthetic is perfectly suited to the look of the bold, cartoon-like creatures, though the animators switch to a more CGI-influenced look for portions of the final battle sequence. While well done, these scenes feel jarring and out of sync with the rest of the film. Quibbles aside, children and adults enamored of all things Pokémon won't be disappointed."