Pokémon 4Ever

Pokémon 4Ever
Japanese theatrical release poster
Japanese name
Kanji	劇場版ポケットモンスター セレビィ 時（とき）を越（こ）えた遭遇（であい）
Literal meaning	Pocket Monsters the Movie: Celebi - A Timeless Encounter
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā Serebyi Toki o Koeta Deai
Directed by	Kunihiko Yuyama
Screenplay by	Hideki Sonoda
Based on	Pokémon by Satoshi Tajiri
Produced by	Yukako Matsusako Takemoto Mori Choji Yoshikawa
Starring	See below
Cinematography	Hisao Shirai
Edited by	Toshio Henmi
Music by	OLM, Inc.
Distributed by	Toho
Release date	July 7, 2001 (2001-7-7) (Japan)
Running time	75 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	$40.8 million

Pokémon 4Ever^[a] is a 2001 Japanese anime film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and based on the television series Pokémon. The fourth official Pokémon film, it was released in Japan on July 7, 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 Shin-ichiro Miki. The events of the film take place during Pokémon: Johto League Champions.

The English adaptation of the film was released on October 11, 2002, in the United States, produced by

Team Rocket pursue the children, joining forces with the Marauder. The children are guided to the lake by wild Pokémon, where Celebi is healed. That night, Ash and Sammy bond, hoping the latter can return to his era. The next day, the Marauder confronts the group, using a Dark Ball to capture Celebi and uses its immense powers over nature to encase it in an enormous draconian-like armour made from the forest. After Jessie is captured, the Marauder admits he plans to use Celebi to overthrow Giovanni as leader of Team Rocket and take over the world himself. Ash, his friends, and Suicune battle to rescue Celebi from the Marauder's influence.

Ash, Sammy, and

Celebi takes Sammy back to his own time, who promises to reunite with Ash in the future. Ash, Misty, and Brock speak to Professor Oak of their adventure. Ash saddened by Sammy's departure, however, Oak reassures him that friendships can withstand the test of time and he and Sammy will remain friends. Upon ending the call, the trio are perplexed about how Professor Oak knew Sammy's name, having never mentioned it. In his laboratory, Oak looks through his sketchbook, revealing that he is Sammy. Later,

The movie was directed by

Pokémon 4Ever was successful in Japan, where it grossed US$39 million.^[6] The revenue of the films in the United States had fallen from $85.7 million for the first movie to $17 million for the third movie.^[5] In the United States, the film had a limited release, opening in only 249 theaters. Comparatively, the previous film had opened in 2,675 theaters.^[7] It earned $717,061 in its opening weekend, ranking #18 on the box office for that weekend.^[8] The film earned a total of $1,727,447 during its run in North America.^[9] The film had a 58-day theatrical run, ending on December 5, 2002.^[9] Much like the next film, it was more successful upon its release on video and DVD.^[10]

The film also grossed $79,642 in the Netherlands, bringing its overseas gross to US$1,807,089.^[11] The film's total worldwide gross was US$40,807,089 (equivalent to $72,464,985 in 2024).

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".^[16] 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".^[16] 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".^[17] He then added: "Yank voices – holdovers all from the past films – remain as irritating and overly emphatic as ever".^[17] Tasha Robinson of The A.V. Club criticized the movie's pacing stating that "In the concrete, though, it's deadly dull. There's no point to prolonging the inevitable, except to pad the movie out to its barely feature-length run time".^[18] Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times stated that when "it comes to entertainment, children deserve better".^[2]

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".^[19] 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".^[19] 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".^[20]

• List of films based on video games

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Pokémon 4Ever.

• Official website
• Pokémon 4Ever at
  IMDb
• Pokémon 4Ever at Rotten Tomatoes
• Pokémon 4Ever at Anime News Network's encyclopedia