| Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions | |
|---|---|
US/UK/Éire DVD Cover |
|
| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama |
| Produced by | Takemoto Mori Choji Yoshikawa Yukio Kawasaki Junya Okamoto Shin Fukunaga |
| Written by | Hideki Sonoda |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Shinji Miyazaki |
| Cinematography | Takaya Mizutani |
| Editing by | Toshio Henmi |
| Studio | OLM, Inc. |
| Distributed by | Toho (Japan) Warner Bros. (International) |
| Release date(s) | July 10, 2010 |
| Running time | 95 minutes 79 minutes (cut version) |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese English |
| Box office | US$47,204,602[1] |
Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions, originally released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl the Movie: Phantom Ruler: Zoroark (劇場版ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド＆パール 幻影の覇者 ゾロアーク Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā Daiyamondo ando Pāru: Gen'ei no Hasha: Zoroāku), is a Pokémon anime film, the thirteenth in the meta series franchise history and the fourth in the Diamond & Pearl series arc. It was released in Japan on July 10, 2010. The movie's fictitious setting is based on various locations in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Public Broadcasting's country, and Belgium. Among the locations they visited and that have been used as inspiration for the movie were the Magere Brug, Amstel River, Kinderdijk, and Brussels, the city of Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie and Radio-Télévision belge de la Communauté française. The film's theme song in Japan was "Ice Cream Syndrome" by Sukima Switch.
An American English language release of the film aired on Cartoon Network on February 5, 2011[2] the same day the DP Saga ended.On February 25, 2011 it aired in The Netherlands on Disney XD. In the Netherlands the movie comes on DVD in May 2011 in Dutch-dubbing. The Movie also aired on CITV on February 26, 2011 in the UK, just 3 weeks after the US; marking the first time a movie airs in the UK just weeks after the US and especially marking the first time a brand-new movie will premier on free-to-air TV and on Disney XD UK on Thursday, May 5th, 2011.[3] Amazon.co.uk and HMV listed Pokémon: Zoroark Master of Illusions for DVD release in the UK on August 29, 2011[4] this is the first Pokémon DVD release in the UK since Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai in 2008, the movie was released by Universal UK with a free limited edition Celebi Trading Card, this is also the first DVD released in the UK before the US. The DVD was released on September 20, 2011 in the US.[5]
The film was shown at local theaters during the Pokémon Black and White Tour in the United States. Zoroark: Master of Illusions is the fifth film (Pokémon The Movie 2000, Pokémon Heroes, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, and Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea) to introduce Pokémon from a succeeding generation in the main plot.
Contents |
The teaser trailer for the film showed Ho-Oh and Lugia in a battle. In early 2010, information regarding the fifth generation of the Pokémon video game series began to appear. A new Pokémon was announced in February on both Pokémon Sunday[6] and the March 2010 issue of CoroCoro Comic[7] stated to be a central Pokémon to the plot of the film. On February 15, 2010, this character was revealed to be the new Dark-type Pokémon Zoroark (ゾロアーク Zoroāku), which evolves from another Pokémon named Zorua (ゾロア Zoroa), both of which will appear in the film.[8][9]
As a promotion for this movie, in Japan everyone who pre-orders their tickets to the movie get to download a special alternate-colored version of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, which when traded over to the upcoming Pokémon Black and White games activates an in game encounter with a special Zoroark that uses its Illusion ability to transform into the legendary Pokémon with a type advantage to the transferred one. In addition, people who attend a theatrical presentation of the film in Japan will be able to download a special Celebi to their video game, which when transferred to Black or White will activate an encounter with a special Zorua.[10] In North America, this promotion was being implemented through GameStop stores, with each Pokémon given a staggered release. In Europe and North America, the "Crown Beasts" were downloadable over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, also in a staggered set of releases. The distribution method of Europe's event Celebi has not fully been revealed, although in Norway it has been confirmed to be downloadable at Spaceworld stores starting on February 14.[11] Celebi was made available in the US during the Pokémon Black Version & White Version Tour when it began on February 5, 2011 and US Gamestop stores from February 21, 2011 to March 6, 2011.[12]
The second promotion, which was for the US release of the DVD, an exclusive download of the Pokémon Zoroark was made available at US Toys "R" Us stores from September 18, 2011 to September 25, 2011 to the players' version of Pokémon Black and White.[13][14] A sweepstakes is also taking place on the official Pokémon website as a promotion for the movie.[13][15]
Ash, Pikachu, and company stop by in a Pokémon Center where they intend to watch a match of the Pokémon Baccer World Cup between the evolutionary line of Elekid and Beldum. During the match, Team Rocket disguise themselves as janitors and ask Ash and co. what they're watching. Brock explains to them what the Pokémon Baccer World Cup is, and an image of a mysterious man shows up after the match on the TV and exhibits its team formed by a Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, that quickly drags the spinning-top shaped object in the floating pyramid, making the gang want to see them live. Recognizing them as legendary Pokémon, Team Rocket starts to get excited about capturing them. A Nurse Joy then shows up, saying that she is also very excited for the match. As usual, Brock fell in love with Nurse Joy, and Croagunk attacked him, then pulled him away. Ash then proposes to reach Crown City before the day's end, where the next Pokémon Baccer World Cup will be held. Brock quickly recovers and says that he will lead Ash and Dawn through shortcuts.
Meanwhile, a Zoroark rests in a large carrier plane, and Zorua fumbles out of her fur, who seems to be Zoroark's child. Suddenly, an automatic door opens, where Zoroark and her son find themselves face-to-face with Raikou, Entei and Suicune. Behind them, the business man Grings Kodai and his assistant, Rowena, stay in a chamber, observing the two Pokémon. Kodai then tests Zoroark's use of illusions by commanding the projections of the legendary beasts to attack Zoroark. Zoroark quickly transforms into Raikou and fills the area with thunderclouds that ascend towards Kodai and Rowena. At the same time, Kodai activates an illusion canceler in his bracelet. The thunderclouds penetrate them, but Kodai reveals that Rowena's canceler nullify the illusion around them and that even the cameras were fooled by the illusions.
Kodai's bodyguard, Goone, soon announced that they would be arriving in Crown City soon. Kodai dismisses the illusions of the legendary beasts, and Zoroark transforms back to her true form. After such, Zorua jumps from his mother's fur and foresights the zone. Kodai says that the test is over and that Zoroark did a marvelous performance. He sends out a Ninjask, and it captures Zorua, paralyzing Zoroark in place to prevent her from saving him. Kodai controls Zoroark by threatening to harm Zorua, whom she cares for like if he were her own child. Zoroark then angrily roars at Kodai in response. Unknown to Zoroark, Zorua managed to escape from his Pokémon captors consisting of Goone's Scizor and multiple Ninjask, and falls out of the carrier ship. During the fall, he finds a group of Hoppip, Skiploom and Jumpluff, grabbing one of the Skiploom's bloom and transforming into one to float safely towards the ground.
Inside the plane, Goone confirms to Kodai that Zorua has escaped, but it hasn't changed Kodai's plans, since Zoroark is unaware of Zorua's escape. Meanwhile, Zorua angers a group of Vigoroth after falling on top of one, and Ash and his friends arrives and calls out their Pokémon to stop the fighting. The Vigoroth soon lose interest and run off. Zorua claims that he didn't need any help, to which Ash, Dawn, and Brock argue with him until they all realize that Zorua is talking to them through telepathy. Zorua then says that he is going to Crown City where his Meema, Zoroark, is headed. Ash and his friends agree to help him, and Zorua shows off his ability by transforming into Ash then Pikachu.
After Kodai blackmails Zoroark by using an illusion image of Zorua, Zoroark began destroying Crown City under the guises of Raikou, Suicune, and Entei in illusions of the city's destruction. At the same time, Kodai frames Zoroark as an evil Pokémon by airing a public message and showing edited footage of the town actually being attacked in order to have the town all to himself. While this happens, the real Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, who serve as the guardians of Crown City, sensed that the city was in danger and began making their way to the town to defend it.
Celebi, returning to the town for the first time in twenty years, is presented with its own crisis, due to that prior to the movie, businessman Grings Kodai discovered Celebi in Crown City, and touched the "ripple of time" that was produced due to Celebi's time traveling. As a result of this, Kodai gained the ability to have powerful visions that show him the future, while destroying all of the greenery within the city unbeknown to its citizens. The gang meets up with Karl, an investigator, currently researching Grings Kodai. He tells them about Grings, nicknaming him "The man who can see the future".
Meanwhile, Kodai has a vision in which he sees Ash, Dawn, Brock, Karl, and Rowena try to stop him from touching the ripple. After Zoroark had escaped her kidnappers, but Goone later recaptures her by using a projection of Zorua. The gang later discovers that Kodai manipulated the footage of Zoroark attacking the city using her illusions shown to the citizens as part of his plan. Kodai later goes around town trying to find the countdown clock with the "ripple" which he saw in his previous vision. Discovering that Ash is in the city, Kodai has Goone send out his Pokémon to find and capture him.
Zorua runs off to find Zoroark on its own, but is stopped by Joe's Mightyena and lulled to sleep by Tammy's Tangrowth. Ash and the gang catch up to Zorua, and Karl is met up with his grandfather, Joe. Hearing Zoroark trying to escape her prison on Kodai's ship, Zorua awakens and resumes his desperate search for its mother, followed by Pikachu and Piplup. However, they find themselves surrounded by a group of angry Pokémon, who were angry at Zorua for what Zoroark did to the city. Before a fight broke out, Celebi appears and calms things down by making the greenery around them bloom into berries. Zorua befriends Celebi when it agrees on help Zorua find its mother, and they resume their search. Shortly afterward, Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Karl have been captured by Kodai. Meanwhile, Rowena is looking through Kodai's archives discovering myths and old stories regarding the town and Celebi. She then reveals herself to the gang while telling them everything she discovered. She tells them how twenty years ago, Kodai not only tampered with the ripple, which in the process gained his visions but he attacked Celebi, reversing the time flow and killing the greenery. His power, however, is rapidly leaving him.
While Celebi, Zorua, Pikachu, and Piplup were still on their search for Zoroark, Kodai finds Celebi with Zorua and he attacks Celebi. Zorua fights Kodai and his Pokémon using illusions to protect Celebi, but is knocked back. Before fainting, Zorua sends one final message to his mother. This message gives Zoroark the strength to break free of her prison and began making her way to where Zorua is. While on the plane, she is confronted by the real Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, who are convinced that Zoroark is an enemy for destroying the city. Kodai violently attacks Celebi forcing it to call upon the ripple early. Zorua quickly regains consciousness and fights Kodai again, but proves to be no match for him. Fortunately, the arrival of Ash and his friends counter attacks Kodai in a heated battle, saving Celebi and Zorua before rapidly fleeing to safety.
Elsewhere, a conflict between Zoroark and the three legendary Pokémon has begun to get out of hand, destroying Kodai's plane in the process. The battle continues through the town of Crown City as Zoroark proves to be too much. She manages to blasts Suicune, Raikou, and Entei for a short while using her Night Daze attack before resuming her search for Zorua.
Meanwhile, the gang goes to Joe's workshop. They learn that the guardians of Crown City, Suicune, Entei, and Raikou are attacking Zoroark and are fighting her through town. They also discover one final clock near the stadium where the "ripple" will appear. They also learn that Kodai has learned of this by using his spy technology. As a race to the stadium progresses, Zoroark finds herself surrounded by the legendary beasts again, and uses her illusions to trap them in crystallized thorns in order to prevent the legendary Pokémon from attacking further. Zoroark's illusions were quickly broken by Rowena's illusion canceler, and the legendary beasts are freed but were still ready to attack Zoroark. However, the Pokémon who live in the City appeared and quickly stood between the guardians of Crown City and Zoroark, trying to explain to Suicune, Raikou, and Entei that Zoroark isn't the enemy. Zoroark is confused at this, but stops attacking as well.
Brock and Dawn have a battle with Goone to buy Ash enough time to get to the ripple of time. During Goone's battle, Zoroark comes out of nowhere and attacks all of his Pokémon in a vengeful fury, knocking him and all his Pokémon out with ease. Kodai manages to catch up to Ash and Celebi makes a run for it, only to be hunted down by Kodai. However, the 'Celebi' is revealed to be Zorua flying with aid of Karl's Bronzor. Both try their best to take Kodai down but his Pokémon quickly knock out Bronzor and Kodai uses the claw he intends to use to absorb the ripple in time to capture Zorua.
At the Pokémon Baccer Stadium, Ash lets the real Celebi out of his backpack and they try to reach the ripple in time. However, Kodai arrives and corners Ash, Pikachu, and Celebi, then begins making his way to the ripple of time. Zoroark appears and charges at Kodai to take her revenge and reclaim her child, but the businessman forces Zoroark to stand down by threatening to kill the captured Zorua if she interferes, proving his point by electrocuting the young Pokémon in front of her. Kodai cruelly orders his Shuppet to finish off Zoroark as he approaches the ripple of time and begins absorbing its power, not caring if the city's greenery will wither and die again. As the events that happened 20 years ago start to repeat themselves, Kodai gloats over his apparent victory to Ash, but Zoroark suddenly smirks, and time reverses itself. The "ripple of time" Kodai absorbed was actually an illusion created by Zoroark to deceive him, allowing Karl and Rowena to capture Kodai's revelation of him being responsible for Crown City's disaster on video. Wondering how come the illusion affected him, Kodai finds that Zorua destroyed his illusion canceler when she attacked him previously. While Kodai is distracted, Zorua manages to recover and desperately tries to reach his mother to reunite, but Kodai, furious at the deception, orders his Shuppet to attack Zorua from behind, only for Zoroark to take the attack to save her son. Before she can recover, Kodai cruelly attacks Zoroark with his claw, electrocuting and mortally wounding her. Zoroark manages to fight through the electrocution, attacking Kodai and defeating his Shuppet, destroying his claw in the process. Kodai, now desperate for the real ripple of time, makes a run for it but is stopped and scared away by Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, now knowing the true threat to the city. Afterward, Zoroark's injuries soon become too painful for her to continue, causing her to collapse.
While Kodai was running away, Zoroark traps him in an illusion to deceive him that he was safe atop his plane high in the air. She quickly cancels the illusions out, causing Kodai to fall off the platform he was on and passes out in the stadium field. Zoroark then closes her eyes with a satisfied smile, glad she was able to defeat Kodai. In tears, Zorua pleads and cries for Zoroark to wake up, then creates an illusion of a beautiful grassy field around them, their home. Celebi then uses the power of the true ripple of time to heal itself and heal Zoroark. As Zoroark recovers, she and Zorua embrace in a tearful reunion, and Zorua thanking Celebi for saving his mother. Celebi smiles and then time travels away in billows of light after making the area's greenery bloom.
As Kodai regains consciousness, he awakes to witness all he said while absorbing the false ripple of time being broadcast all over the news and finding himself surrounded by the entire town, Zorua, and Zoroark. Officer Jenny, now seeing his true nature, arrests Kodai for his crimes as Zoroark roars at him, glad to see him brought to justice. Afterward, Zoroark and Zorua board on a ship heading back to Unova with Karl and Rowena. Before they departed, Zorua mischievously took on the form of Ash and is instantly turned back to his original form when Rowena touches his tail, while Zoroark took on the form of Pikachu before transforming back to her true form after her son is revealed. As the ship sails, Ash yells out a promise to Zorua that he will come to Zorua and Zoroark's homeland one day.
In the credits, Ash and his friends cheer and watch the events in Pokémon Baccer Stadium from the stands. Kodai and Goone were sent to prison for their crimes, and the news spread to every newspaper. Raikou, Entei, and Suicune look at the ship carrying Zorua and Zoroark, bidding their farewells to the Illusion Pokémon before going their separate ways. Zoroark and Zorua were last seen nuzzling each other affectionately when the ship approaches a mist-covered island, presumably their homeland. At the sides of the screen, the Sinnoh's Gym Leaders and Elite Four as well as the Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia and Palmer are shown with one of their Pokémon.
| Character | Voice Actor (Japanese) | Voice Actor (English) |
|---|---|---|
| Satoshi/Ash | Rica Matsumoto | Sarah Natochenny |
| Pikachu | Ikue Ōtani | |
| Takeshi/Brock | Yūji Ueda | Bill Rogers |
| Hikari/Dawn | Megumi Toyoguchi | Emily Bauer |
| Pochama/Piplup | Etsuko Kozakura | Michele Knotz |
| Musashi/Jessie | Megumi Hayashibara | Michele Knotz |
| Kojirō/James | Shinichirō Miki | Jimmy Zoppi (aka Billy Beach) |
| Nyarth/Meowth | Inuko Inuyama | Jimmy Zoppi |
| Narrator | Unshō Ishizuka | Rodger Parsons |
| Zoroark | Romi Park | |
| Zorua | Kurumi Mamiya | Eileen Stevens |