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"POKÉMON 3 THE MOVIE"
(2001) (voices of Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart) (G)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
None None Mild *Mild *None
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Minor None Moderate None None
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
None None Moderate Moderate Moderate


QUICK TAKE:
Children's Animated: After some mysterious Pokémon turn a young girl's imagination into reality, a young Pokémon trainer and his friends set out to rescue his mother who's been abducted and brainwashed by one of the girl's creations.
PLOT:
Professor Spencer Hale has been trying to uncover the secrets about a mysterious Pokémon known as the Unown that appear as twenty-six entities in the shape of the letters of the alphabet. Called to a recent discovery, Hale suddenly vanishes from the scene, leaving his young daughter, Molly, all alone in their expansive mansion.

Upset that her father has now disappeared just as her mother did two years ago, Molly is understandably distraught, and her strong emotions and tears activate the Unown that can read human minds and turn thoughts, dreams and desires into reality. Since she last equated her father to Entei, a leonine Pokémon that she read about from a storybook with him, that large creature suddenly appears and takes the place of her father, just as large crystalline structures encase the mansion, sealing Molly within her fantasy world.

With Molly desirous of having a mother as well, Entei leaves the mansion to find one, returning with Delia Ketchum, the mother of one of the most famous Pokémon trainers, Ash Ketchum. Seeing her abduction, Ash, his friends Misty and Brock, and their various Pokémon then set out to rescue Delia from her crystal prison, all while dealing with Molly who doesn't want her fantasy world disturbed, and Entei who will do anything to defend the girl and uphold her wishes.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're fans of anything to do with the Pokémon craze, they probably will.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G
For not containing material to warrant a higher rating.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • While it's debatable whether kids view animated/cartoon characters as role models (especially when they're not human), the following characters have the following attributes.
  • ASH is a human boy who shows bravery and resilience while trying to save his mother.
  • MISTY and BROCK are his friends who help him on his quest.
  • MOLLY is a young girl who retreats into a comfortable fantasy world upon the disappearance of her father that seemingly then leaves her as an orphan.
  • PIKACHU is Ash's helpful and faithful Pokémon.
  • ENTEI is a leonine and somewhat fierce-looking and acting Pokémon that will do anything to protect Molly and/or make her happy.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    Here's a quick look at the content found in this G-rated picture. As in the previous Pokémon films, there's a fair amount of action-oriented violence, with various Pokémon creatures battling each other and some threatening others and/or humans. Some of those scenes may be unsettling, tense or scary to much younger viewers, but that all depends on their age, level of maturity and tolerance for such material.

    A young girl believes that she's now orphaned after her father suddenly disappears (her mother did the same two years earlier), but she gets a substitute family during much of the film and is reunited with her family at the end. Beyond that and a few bad attitudes, the rest of the film's categories have little or nothing in the way of major objectionable material. If you're still concerned about the film's appropriateness, however, you may want to take a closer look at our detailed contents listings for more specific examples of what occurs in the film.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • None.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • None.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Entei may be seen as having both for shielding Molly and trying to harm others, but he's simply following Molly's directions of wanting outsiders to be stopped or for them to go away (and she's somewhat mesmerized while existing in her fantasy world).
  • Team Rocket, two characters and their cat from the first two films, shows up in the role of the bad guys, but they don't really do anything bad and in the end help Ash and the others.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • As in most other kid-oriented films, this picture contains elements and scenes that may be unsettling, suspenseful or even scary for some kids, but that all depends on their age, level of maturity and tolerance for such material. These include scenes listed under "Violence" as well as those that occur during the 22-minute short that precedes the main film and includes Pikachu nearly falling a long distance off a high-rise building, and several scenes featuring a somewhat menacing looking dog approaching and/or chasing Pikachu and two other Pokémon creatures
  • Molly's father suddenly vanishes while examining some new discoveries and Molly is then all alone (her mother disappeared two years earlier).
  • Another scene has the somewhat odd Unown "creatures" that fly/hover around Molly and may be unsettling to some younger kids (they're not inherently scary looking, but instead are just odd and may be confusing).
  • Entei shows up and abducts Ash's mom to be Molly's new mom, and Ash tries to stop the creature but can't.
  • Ash nearly falls to his death, but is caught by a flying dragon.
  • The various humans and Pokémon try to escape when the built up psychic energy used by the Unown gets out of control and various crystals suddenly thrust out of the floor and walls as they try to leave.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • None in the traditional sense, but various Pokémon creatures have their own built-in weapons such as energy & electrical beams that are fired at others, as well as jets/streams of fire and water.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • In the 22-minute short that precedes the main film, the following occurs: A Pokémon character swats his own rear end and sticks out his tongue, both directed at another Pokémon character in something of a taunting fashion.
  • Phrases: "Twerps."
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • A moderate amount of dramatic, adventurous and suspenseful music plays during the film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • None.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • None.
  • SMOKING
  • None.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • After Molly's father abruptly disappears while working, the girl is suddenly seemingly orphaned (we learn that her mother disappeared two years earlier) and is distraught/upset. Her imagination, however, then substitutes Entei for her father and Ash's mother for her own. In the end, the entire family is reunited.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Children who've lost one or both parents.
  • How the various characters act as a team to accomplish what they need.
  • VIOLENCE
  • In the 22-minute short that precedes the main film, the following occurs: A cat character is accidentally sent flying through the air where he crashes into a billboard; two Pokémon creatures use their energy to zap a dog that's acting menacingly; several creatures run into each other with one apparently squashing another by accidentally landing on it; some property is destroyed and that same cat is hit by a rapidly moving tire and sent flying through the air where he lands back onto his original scaffolding.
  • An arranged Pokémon battle/contest has various such creatures battling each other in one on one contests, where some hit others with a large stream of water or electrical/energy beams, flames etc. and briefly knock the others backwards or silly, but none are killed or seriously injured. This ends when Pikachu falls from the sky and bonks another Pokémon on the head.
  • A bulldozer smashes through the crystals around Molly's mansion, but it's soon driven backwards and overturned by an onslaught of approaching crystals and the human driver runs out of the way just in time.
  • Entei shoots out a burst of energy that hits some characters' hot air balloon, sending it and them crashing to the ground below (but they're okay).
  • Brock and Molly's Pokémon battle as in the above scene (with various Pokémon hitting or knocking the others around), and then Misty's Pokémon battle Molly's in the same manner (with various losing Pokémon appearing dazed before being withdrawn from battle).
  • Entei fires various blobs/beams of energy at various Pokémon and the humans, while Pikachu fires electrical bolts at the creature. A prolonged battle then breaks out between Entei and a fire-breathing dragon, with Entei winning and then stepping down onto the dragon's neck, but he's called off before finishing him off. During this, various explosions take place in midair.
  • As the humans and Pokémon try to escape, various crystalline structures are destroyed and some energy beams are fired at the Unown.



  • Reviewed March 31, 2001 / Posted April 6, 2001

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