Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama
English Translation directed by Darren Dunstan
Starring the voices of Veronica Taylor, Amy Birnbaum, Eric Stuart, Ikue Ootani, Rachel Lillis, Madeline Blaustine, and Sean Schemmel.
Backstory
Holy moly, has it really been 8 movies? Have I really been watching this cartoon for 8 years? Who would have thought that, that one little anime I started watching in my final year of university would be one I still watch all these years later. And when that eight movie made it’s straight-to-DVD release in North America just a couple of weeks ago, I had to get it, mainly because I have all the other movies on DVD. Gotta catch ’em all, after all.
Plot
Our heroes – Ash, Brock, May, Max and Pikachu – are taking part in the festival at Cameron Palace. The festival celebrate Sir Aaron, a brave night who gave his life many centuries ago to stop a war. During the celebration, Ash accidentally releases Lucario – a legendary pokémon that belonged to Sir Aaron all those centuries ago. And, according to Lucario, Sir Aaron actually turned and fled from the battle. In the meantime, Pikachu is spirited away by Mew to the mysterious Tree of Beginning…a rock formation shaped like a tree. Our heroes, with Lucario as their guide, go on a quest to rescue Pikachu! And, they are joined in their quest by the Lara Croft-like Kidd Summers, who’s come to uncover the secrets of the Tree. it’s a journey deep into the heart of the Tree…and uncovers the truth about Sir Aaron.
What I Liked
Wall to wall pokémon-action. Kind of weird seeing Pikachu and Ash separated for so long…. But you get exactly what you expect.
What I Didn’t Like
Gee, it’s taken me this many movies to discover that it’s all getting kinda repetitive….
Final Assessment
Good, mindless fun.