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EP069

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← EP068 : Make Room for Gloom
Original series
EP070 : Go West Young Meowth →
Lights, Camera, Quack-tion
EP069.png
  EP069  
ポケモン・ザ・ムービー！
Pokémon the Movie!
First broadcast
Japan November 5, 1998
United States October 8, 1999
English themes
Opening Pokémon Theme
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening めざせポケモンマスター
Ending タイプ・ワイルド
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 米村正二 Shōji Yonemura
Storyboard 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki
Assistant director 井硲清高 Kiyotaka Itani
Animation director 志村泉 Izumi Shimura
Additional credits

Lights, Camera, Quack-tion (Japanese: ポケモン・ザ・ムービー！ Pokémon the Movie!) is the 69th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on November 5, 1998, and in the United States on October 8, 1999.

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

Blurb

A famous movie director comes to town and everybody wants to be the star. Since he only wants Pokémon in his movie, Ash, Brock, Misty and Team Rocket fight hard to make sure it's their Pokémon that will star opposite Wigglytuff.

Plot

Ash and his friends are at a campsite, training for the Pokémon League, when they meet a Trainer named Katrina. Though Brock tries to make an advance, Ash quickly accepts an offer to battle her Raichu with Pikachu. However, before the battle begins, Team Rocket suddenly appears with a net in an attempt to steal Pikachu, but they catch Raichu instead. After they realize this, Raichu breaks free, and uses a Thunderbolt and Mega Kick to knock Team Rocket over. As they are preparing to send Team Rocket flying, a voice yells, "Cut!" It turns out that during this entire exchange, they had been filmed without their knowledge by a producer.

The producer introduces himself (in the style of Team Rocket's motto, much to their bewilderment) as Cleavon Schpielbunk, an acclaimed director. Though Ash and Misty had never heard of him, Brock easily recognizes him as the producer of his favorite movie, I Saw What You Ate Last Tuesday. Schpielbunk reveals he is in the area to cast a Pokémon for his all-Pokémon production, Pokémon in Love, after his male lead, an Abra, had teleported off the set over its costar, a Wigglytuff with a prima-donna attitude. Everyone is interested in being part of the movie, and send out their Pokémon to audition, including Pikachu, Raichu, Arbok, Weezing, Meowth, Vulpix, and Psyduck (though Misty originally wanted Staryu). The Pokémon easily pass though after showing off their dancing skills.

Then, Schpielbunk wants the Pokémon to sing. However, as if on cue, Jigglypuff appears and puts everyone to sleep. After waking up, Schpielbunk wants everyone to sing with Wigglytuff. When Meowth mentions to her that he works alone, he and Team Rocket's other Pokémon are attacked with Double Slap. As a result, an enraged Team Rocket leaves to comfort their Pokémon. After realizing that the show business is tough, Pikachu, Raichu, and Vulpix dejectedly leave the stage. Only Psyduck, who Misty claims is too stupid to get off the stage, gets the part. Brock comes to Psyduck's defense and claims that it was only acting stupid.

Later, Brock asks Schpielbunk for a plot summary of Pokémon in Love, and learns that Psyduck and Wigglytuff are lovers who are caught in a family feud between Psyduck's fellow Water types and Wigglytuff's Normal types. However, just as the movie reaches a climactic battle, ruffian Fighting types appear, and a stray arrow hits Psyduck, fatally wounding him. The family feud ends after Wigglytuff shows remorse over Psyduck's death. While Brock is amazed at Schpielbunk's brilliance, Misty claims that it isn't original at all, instead being similar to Romeo and Juliet. Despite this, Ash and his friends agree to assist the production. Meanwhile, Team Rocket begins plotting their revenge on behalf of their Pokémon.

Schpielbunk begins filming by shooting the climactic scene, with Staryu providing rain effects, Pidgeotto providing wind effects, and Pikachu and Raichu among the large mass of Normal and Water types for thunder effects, as Pikachu and Raichu have their respective groups attack each other. However, as Wigglytuff and Psyduck prepare to enter the fray, Pikachu is thrown into Wigglytuff, and it responds adversely. Just then, smoke fills the area and Team Rocket appears. However, this only causes all of the Pokémon to turn their attention on Team Rocket and then Schpielbunk orders his crew to join the brawl.

Ash and his friends take the opportunity to pose in front of the now-unattended camera, but they refocus when Team Rocket gets the upper hand and kidnaps all of the Pokémon, except Psyduck, with the help of a large magnet on a crane. As both Misty and Wigglytuff prompt Psyduck to take action, Psyduck manages to snap and, in his brief moment of Psychic powers, uses Confusion to free everyone and send Team Rocket flying. As Psyduck passes out from exhaustion, Wigglytuff comes over to him, concerned, while Ash leads all of the Pokémon to cheer for Psyduck.

That night, Ash is worried as another day was wasted from not training, but Brock and Misty console him. Schpielbunk expresses his belief that Ash's adventures would be great movie material, and that any male lead would have plenty of female fans. This piques Brock's interest and he immediately tries to sign up. Meanwhile, Wigglytuff and Psyduck are alone by the lake, while Team Rocket is precariously stuck in a tree over a steep descent.

Major events

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Debuts

Humans

Pokémon debuts

TV episode debuts

Characters

Humans

Dare da?

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Snorlax (US and international), Wigglytuff (Japan)

Trivia

Errors

  • When Ash and his friends meet Katrina, the bottom of Misty's shorts is dark-blue instead of light-blue.
  • In one scene, Pikachu's tail turns completely brown.
  • In one scene, the inside of Raichu's right ear—where it should be yellow—is colored brown like the rest of the ear.
  • At the end of the episode, when Team Rocket is hanging off a tree, Meowth's feet are colored cream instead of their usual color.
  • Raichu's miscolored ear

    Raichu's miscolored ear

  • Pikachu's miscolored tail

    Pikachu's miscolored tail

  • Meowth's miscolored feet

    Meowth's miscolored feet

Dub edits

  • Pikachu's Jukebox: Together Forever
  • The curry that Brock is making at the beginning of the episode is referred to as chili in the English dub.
  • Team Rocket's "network news flash" is originally them expressing surprise at capturing Pikachu so early.
  • Cleavon Schpielbunk said he won the "Golden Growlithe" in the English dub, yet the statue that's being shown behind him is an Arcanine. In the original, he just said he was a two-time winner at the Binnes Film Festival.
  • In the English dub, I Saw What You Ate Last Tuesday is a reference to the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. Originally, the film that Brock liked was called There's Nothing I Like More Than Breakfast.
  • Katrina has actually seen the aforementioned movie in the original, whereas in the English dub, she says she "almost saw it".
  • In the English dub, when the Pokémon are dancing, the Pokémon Dance Mix plays as background music. In the original, Lucky Lucky was played instead.
  • When Pikachu and Raichu simulate lightning for the climactic showdown, in the English dub, they both use Thunder Shock. In the original they both use Thunder.
  • Meowth's "two paws down" line in the English dub is a reference to the film critics "Siskel and Ebert" who, in their show At the Movies, gave films either a "Two Thumbs up" or "Two Thumbs Down" review. In the original, he just says them blasting off is the same as always.
  • Misty's mention of Brock being a "great choice" for Schpielbunk's new movie was originally her requesting if she could be in it as well.
  • In the Hungama TV, Cleavon Schpielbunk's name was changed to Karan Johar, a real-life Indian film director.

In other languages



← EP068 : Make Room for Gloom
Original series
EP070 : Go West Young Meowth →
Project Anime logo.png This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.
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