It started with a Spearow. Well, technically it started with a grumpy yellow rat and a kid from Pallet Town who couldn't wake up on time. If you were around in the late nineties, that image of Ash Ketchum dragging a stubborn Pikachu on a clothesline is burned into your brain. But when Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! hit theaters for the franchise's 20th anniversary, it did something weird. It didn't just replay the tape. It messed with the timeline.
Honestly, the "Pokémon the movie I choose you watch" experience is a bit of a fever dream for long-time fans. You think you know the story. You expect Misty and Brock to pop out from behind a tree at any second. They don't. Instead, we get Verity and Sorrel, and suddenly the Ho-Oh legend that sat in the background of the original series for years becomes the entire point of the journey.
The Reality of the Alternate Timeline
Let’s get one thing straight: this isn't a shot-for-shot remake of the first episode. Not even close. Director Kunihiko Yuyama, a literal legend who has been steering the Pokémon ship since the beginning, decided to take the "Multiverse" route before it was the trendy thing to do in cinema. This movie exists in its own bubble.
Some people hated that. They wanted the nostalgia of the original trio. But if you actually sit down and look at what the film achieves, it’s a much tighter narrative than the sprawling Indigo League season. It focuses on the Rainbow Wing. It focuses on Marshadow, a Pokémon that didn't even exist when the original show aired. It’s a bridge between the 1997 vibes and the modern Sun and Moon era mechanics.
Why the Pikachu Scene Broke the Internet
There is a moment near the end of the film that caused actual gasps in theaters. You know the one. If you haven't seen it, brace yourself. Pikachu talks. Like, actually speaks human words to Ash.
Is it telepathy? Is it a hallucination brought on by Ash literally dying (again)? The community is still split. But within the context of the film’s emotional climax, it serves a purpose. It’s the ultimate payoff for twenty years of friendship. It’s weird, yeah. It’s definitely jarring. But it’s also the kind of bold swing that makes this specific movie stand out from the other twenty-plus films in the catalog.
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Where to Stream and How to Catch Up
Finding where to watch this specific flick can be a bit of a moving target because the Pokémon International licensing deals are constantly shifting. Usually, it cycles through Netflix or the Pokémon TV app, but digital retailers like Amazon and Apple are the most reliable bets for a permanent copy.
- Netflix: Often carries the newer films like Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution or Secrets of the Jungle, but I Choose You! rotates in and out.
- Pokémon TV: The official app is great because it’s free, but the rotation is brutal. You might have to wait months for it to come back around.
- Physical Media: Honestly, buying the Blu-ray is the only way to ensure you can watch the high-bitrate version of that final Ho-Oh battle. The animation quality in the third act is genuinely stunning and gets crushed by low-end streaming bitrates.
The Controversy of the Missing Companions
We need to talk about the Brock and Misty elephant in the room. Removing them was a massive gamble. For many, Pokémon is the chemistry between those three. By replacing them with Verity and Sorrel, the movie lost some of that "found family" banter that defined the early seasons.
Verity is basically a stand-in for Misty (she’s a water-type trainer with a complicated relationship with her famous mother), and Sorrel is the "smart one" who wants to be a Pokémon Professor. They’re fine. They’re functional. But they don't have the decades of weight behind them. However, the film tries to make up for this by giving Ash a much more personal rivalry with Cross, a trainer who abandons his Charmander in a scene that is somehow even more heartbreaking than the original 1997 version.
Watching that poor Charmander sit in the rain on a rock... it still hurts. It doesn't matter if you're 8 or 38. That scene is a masterclass in making kids understand empathy.
Technical Brilliance and the Score
Visually, this is arguably one of the best-looking Pokémon movies ever made. The backgrounds are lush, and the use of 3D assets for the legendary birds—Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres—actually feels integrated rather than tacked on.
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The music is the real MVP, though. Shinji Miyazaki returned to rearrange the classic themes. When the updated version of the "Main Title" kicks in during the opening montage, it’s impossible not to feel a chill. It’s designed to weaponize your childhood memories, and it works.
The Marshadow Factor
Adding Marshadow to the Myth of Ho-Oh was a smart move for the "I choose you watch" experience. It added stakes that weren't there in the original series. In the 90s, Ho-Oh was just a bird that flew over a rainbow. Here, it’s a test of character. Marshadow acts as the "Guide from the Shadows," and its job is to basically corrupt the whole situation if the "Rainbow Hero" turns out to be a jerk.
This gives Ash some actual character growth. He isn't just a perfect hero; he gets frustrated, he says mean things to his friends, and he has to earn back his right to hold the Rainbow Wing. It’s a level of depth the early anime often skipped in favor of "Team Rocket shows up and blows up."
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
People think the movie is just a retelling of the first few episodes. It’s not. By the time the third act hits, the movie has completely diverged into a high-fantasy quest. It’s more like Lord of the Rings with pocket monsters than a sports anime.
The battle atop Mount Tensei is a chaotic, multi-Pokémon brawl that feels much more dangerous than your average gym battle. You have trainers being possessed by shadows and a literal god-bird descending from the heavens to challenge Ash. It’s epic. It’s over-the-top. It’s exactly what a 20th-anniversary celebration should be.
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Moving Forward with Your Pokémon Marathon
If you're planning a binge, don't stop here. This movie kicked off a short-lived "AU" (Alternate Universe) trilogy.
- I Choose You!: The origin story of the alternate Ash.
- The Power of Us: A much more grounded, ensemble-driven story that is actually many fans' favorite because of its unique art style and focus on community.
- Secrets of the Jungle: The Tarzan-inspired story of Zarude and Koko.
Watching these back-to-back shows a version of Ash Ketchum that is a bit more competent and a lot more focused on the legendary lore of the world rather than just collecting badges.
To get the most out of your viewing, pay attention to the credits. There’s a montage that pays tribute to every single one of Ash’s original companions. It’s a small olive branch to the fans who were mad about Brock and Misty being cut, and it’s a beautiful way to acknowledge that while this is a new timeline, the old one still matters.
Check the current listings on the Pokémon TV website first, as they often host movie marathons during the summer months or around Pokémon Day in February. If it's not there, digital rental is your friend. It’s worth the five bucks just to see the Ho-Oh fight in 1080p.