| Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker | |
|---|---|
North American DVD Cover |
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| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama |
| Produced by | Yukako Matsuzaka Takemoto Mori Choji Yoshikawa |
| Written by | Hideki Sonoda |
| Narrated by | Mike Pollock |
| Starring | Veronica Taylor Amy Birnbaum Eric Stuart Rachael Lillis Maddie Blaustein Wayne Grayson Megan Hollingshead Kerry Williams |
| Music by | Shinji Miyazaki |
| Cinematography | Takaya Mizutani Hisao Shirai |
| Editing by | Toshio Henmi |
| Studio | OLM, Inc. |
| Distributed by | Toho (Japan) Miramax Films (North America) Paramount Pictures (United Kingdom) |
| Release date(s) | July 19, 2003 |
| Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Box office | $33,393, 751 |
Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker, originally released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation the Movie: The Wishing Star of Seven Nights: Jirachi (劇場版ポケットモンスターアドバンスジェネレーション 七夜の願い星 ジラーチ Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā Adobansu Jenerēshon Nanayo no Negaiboshi Jirāchi), 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. The English adaptation was released directly to VHS and DVD by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on June 1, 2004. This was the second Pokémon film (the first being Mewtwo Returns) to be released directly to DVD & VHS in the US. The release date for the UK was October 23, 2006 to celebrate the Pokémon 10th Anniversary Tour in Britain. In the UK, the film was released by Paramount Home Entertainment. Although Cartoon Network currently airs the film, it aired on Toon Disney on March 9, 2007 (because Miramax, owned by Disney, released this animated film), being the first Pokémon film to air on Toon Disney.
The featured song in this movie is Asuca Hayashi's Chiisaki Mono in Japanese versions while the English version was sang by Cindy Mizelle (however, the English version, titled Make a Wish, adds English lyrics in addition to the Japanese lyrics). This is also the first movie in which the original song is also used in the English version (that can be clearly heard). It is also the first time in which the names of the guest characters were the same in both the English and Japanese versions.
The movie's main location, Forina, is based on Wulingyuan, located in the Hunan Province of China.
Contents |
The plot centers on Team Rocket and their newest base. The Pokémon of Team Rocket had managed to successfully captured three Whismur, which were to provide entertainment to Giovanni when he arrived. To force the Whismur to cooperate, Meowth had a baton that, when a switch was pressed on the end, made Pokémon dance uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Pikachu, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, and Lotad stumble upon the base, and attempt to free the Whismur. One of the running gags in the short is how the dancing Baton is activated or deactivated by accident, which leads to the accidental destruction of the base. Eventually, a Ludicolo and a Loudred are also involved.
The story revolves around the Millennium Comet, which appears in the night sky for seven days once every thousand years. It is, at the same time, when the legendary Pokémon Jirachi awakens from a long slumber to absorb the comet's energy. This energy, in turn, is released into the Earth itself, making an area known as Forina grow. This time, however, a magician known as Butler, along with his longtime girlfriend Diane, unearth the stone that had encased Jirachi, and take it away from Forina.
Meanwhile, in celebration of the Millennium Comet appearance, Ash Ketchum and company arrive at a wide crater, which is where the festival of the Millennium Comet is meant to be. They then decide to wait until morning and go to sleep. While they're sleeping, the festival arrives; Pikachu, Ash's companion, wakes up and wakes all the others, and they watch the festival being set up.
At the festival, May buys a seven-panelled novelty that is said to grant a person one wish if a panel is closed for each night the comet appears and is visible in the sky. When Ash and Max accidentally volunteer for one of Butler's magic tricks (because Max hears a voice coming from the rock Diane is holding and runs down to the stage), Max is introduced to Jirachi, who he hears talking from inside the rock. Butler lets Max take the rock, which hatches into Jirachi later that night. Before Jirachi hatches, May buys a wish from a man who says she has to reveal her wish by the last day of the Millenium Comet. Hoping the wishing ability was true, Max wishes for candy, lots of candy, and it appears-- but it is revealed that instead of creating the candy, Jirachi teleported it from a stall in the festival.
The intentions of Butler are soon revealed: he was a former scientist for Team Magma who was seeking to resurrect the legendary Pokémon Groudon. Butler had devised the perfect system, but could not find the necessary amount of power; to this end, he had hoped to use the energy Jirachi absorbed for his own purposes. Seeing this danger, the Pokémon Absol, whose presence usually indicated impending disaster, takes Diane and Jirachi, along with Ash and friends, back to Forina. Unbeknownst to them, Butler had set a trap once they returned to where Jirachi was found, and manages to capture Jirachi.
Butler attempts to harness Jirachi's power, but is interrupted inside the tent by Ash and his friends. With the help of Diane, they take Butler's bus to Forina so that Jirachi can go home; unknown to them, Butler's Mightyena places a tracking device on the bus as it is leaving. As Ash and his friends travel along bumpy terrain, the device falls off, but Butler still discovers where they are headed. He follows them there, once again steals Jirachi, and tries to take its power again.
When Butler sets his plan in motion, however, a fake Groudon is created instead, and begins to turn Forina into a wasteland, absorbing the life force of virtually every living creature in sight. When Diane is absorbed by Groudon, Butler realizes his longtime relationship with Diane is what was important, and with Ash and Max's help he is able to reverse the process, causing the fake Groudon to meltdown and die.
Eventually, Jirachi reabsorbs the energy used to create Groudon, and leaves for another thousand years of slumber. May, in all the excitement, forgets to close the last panel of her novelty, but simply brushes it off. Though she never reveals just what she wished for, she is confident it will come true.
During the end credits, May gets tired of walking until the man who sold her the wishing star gives them a lift with his truck. Then they look at stars, which form Pokémon from Ursula to Pikachu. After that they all watch the festival fireworks.
The film made $33,393,751 at the Japanese box office.[1]