Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 37-Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution Movie Discussion

As promised, this episode contains our discussion of the non-musical aspects of Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Anne from Pikapi Podcast joins once again to go over the art style, script, and other facets of the remake. We also talk about whether the movie got released the way we wanted, and what kind of CGI Pokemon movies we'd like to see in the future:

Links:
Pikapi Podcast

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 36-The music of "Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution" (Part 2)

In this episode, we continue our discussion of the music of Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me analyze the absence of "Brother My Brother", the score of the remake, and the opening sequence. After that, we review some social media comments and messages from the chat. If you want to know what we thought of the movie itself, we'll have that discussion in an upcoming episode.

Links:
Pikapi Podcast
Neil Jason Interview

Poke Press Digest Podcast: Episode 35-The music of "Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution" (Part 1)

This episode features the first part of a discussion of the music of Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. Anne from Pikapi Podcast helps me analyze both "Keep Evolving" and a new rendition of "Together With The Wind". After that, we begin talking about music that's not in this remake by going over "We’re A Miracle". If you want to hear even more about that song, be sure to listen after the outro:



Links:
Pikapi Podcast
PCN Event Info
First Movie Music Discussion

Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution Coming to Netflix?

Twitter user NLScavenger has dug up what appears to be a listing for a content rating for Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. The listing indicates that the film was submitted by Netflix, suggesting the movie will appear on the streaming service at some point. It's unclear what this means for the possibility of a theatrical release, as although Netflix has done theatrical runs for its movies, they have typically been limited distributions intended to qualify the films for award considerations (or constrained due to disputes with movie theater chains over exclusivity), sometimes followed by a subsequent expansion.

Further Reading:
IndyWire: Now That Netflix Saved the Paris Theatre, Here's What to Expect
Variety: ‘The Irishman’ Is Netflix’s Biggest Theatrical Release at Home and Abroad

What's Happening with the Western Release of "Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution"?

After debuting in Japan back in July, the latest animated Pokemon movie hasn't had much revealed about its Western release. While I can't tell you exactly how and when the movie will be released here, I have done a little digging and I have some ideas:

Transcript:

Earlier this year, a CGI remake of Mewtwo Strikes Back was released in Japan. It grossed similar numbers to "The Power of Us", and if it followed the same Western release pattern as that movie, it would be having a digital event right around the time this video is uploaded. However, aside from a bit of TCG merchandise, we really haven't seen anything, other than a comment from Fathom Events stating that they're not in charge of distributing it. Like many of you, I wanted to know what's happening, so I asked one of the folks at the press agency that represents Pokemon, and (somewhat predictably) all they could tell me was "stay tuned", which suggests there is a plan to release it at some point, but doesn't provide any real insight.

While it is possible the movie could go straight to TV, disc, or even a streaming service, the lack of any news on those fronts, along with the current market trends regarding remakes of 90's kids' movies, suggests to me that most likely the movie has been moved to some sort of wide release next year, probably smaller than Detective Pikachu but considerably larger than the digital events for the past few animated movies. If that is the case, the question becomes "when?" To find some possibilities, I looked at the schedule for movies in 2020, and it turns out there are some slots for "untitled event films", which could really be almost anything that studio is working on, but seem like logical options.

As for when we might get an actual announcement, the next opportunity I can see would be something related to the upcoming Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which as usual features a Pikachu balloon. If nothing comes out then, we'll probably have to wait until early next year, perhaps in conjuction with Pokemon Sleep, Mewtwo's birthday, or Pokemon Day. In any event, do you have any thoughts on this situation? Feel free to leave us a comment. Thanks.

Pokemon: The First Movie Ending Theme Comparison

Anne of Pikapi Podcast joins in to compare the Japanese and English ending themes of Pokemon: The First Movie. What do "Together With The Wind" and "We're A Miracle" have to offer, and which one will come out on top?

Additionally, I recently posted some bonus audio from that discussion:

If that's still not enough for you, here's a preview of our discussion of the second movie's ending themes:

The full version will be posted later, but you can hear it now as a timed exclusive on the Pikapi Podcast Patreon feed.