Pokémon The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back[a] is a 1998 Japanese anime film[4] directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, the chief director of the Pokémon television series. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise.
It was first released in Japan on July 18, 1998. On July 8, 1999, a Complete Version[b] of the film aired on Japanese television. In addition to an added prologue, the updated version included new animation and CGI graphics.[5] The English-language adaptation, produced by Nintendo and 4Kids Entertainment and licensed by Warner Bros. Pictures, was released in North America on November 10, 1999. The events of the film take place during the first season of Pokémon: Indigo League.
The film primarily consists of three segments: Pikachu's Vacation, a 21-minute feature focusing on the series mascot Pikachu; Origin of Mewtwo, the 10-minute prologue added to the Complete Version of the film; and Mewtwo Strikes Back, the main 75-minute film feature. Overseas, the prologue can only be seen as a bonus short in DVD versions of Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns.
In Japan, Mewtwo Strikes Back was positively received, with praise directed at the film's emotional impact and exploration of ethical topics such as cloning, genetic modification and existentialism. However, the English-language version received generally negative reviews from film critics, with much of the criticism pointed at the poor voice acting, and the anti-violence message in a film about Pokémon. Further retrospective criticism of the English-language version has been targeted against the removal of most of the ethical topics such as part of Mewtwo's origin story. Despite the reviews, it was a box office success worldwide, topping the box office charts in its opening weekend, and eventually grossing over $172 million at the worldwide box office. It also sold 10 million home video units in the United States, including 4.2 million VHS sales that earned $58.8 million in 2000.
During the end credits of Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018), it was announced that a remake and a first full CGI, Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution was set to release on the following year. In December 2018, the release date of the remake was revealed as July 12, 2019.
