20th Pokémon Film Now Playing in Japan Source: Toho Co., Ltd. Official Site: pokemon-movie.jp (Japan)

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Toho has provided press notes and high-res images from the 20th feature-length Pokémon anime, POKÉMON THE MOVIE: I CHOOSE YOU! (???????????? ???????, Gekijoo-ban Poketto Monsutaa Kimi ni Kimeta!), opening in theaters across Japan this weekend. INTRODUCTION A new adventure, with a new friend... and the discovery of the new Pokémon! The 20th anniversary Pokémon movie celebration is here! POKÉMON THE MOVIE: I CHOOSE YOU! was made for "Pokémon Masters" of all ages; from young children to those fans who have followed Pokémon from the start. This anniversary work features the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh, seen by Satoshi and Pikachu in the first anime broadcast two decades ago. Picking up on the promise the two swore -- "Someday, we will set on a journey to find this Pokémon!" -- this movie presents a complete, original story. During their travels, Satoshi and Pikachu become friends, meet familiar allies and rivals, and encounter never-before-seen Pokémon. Among the new characters are a two Trainers: Souji (voiced by Kanata Hongo), a young boy hoping to become a Pokémon Professor, and a girl, Makoto (Shiori Sato), an energetic tomboy. There is also a mysterious old man, Bonji (Arata Furuta), who has studied Ho-Oh for many years, and a boy named Cross who plots to become the strongest Trainer. Furthermore, the mysterious Marshadow (Kouichi Yamadera) emerges from the shadows for the first time in this year`s movie. What is the purpose of this new Pokémon, and is it friend or foe? POKÉMON THE MOVIE: I CHOOSE YOU! is an impressive masterpiece, appropriate for the 20th anniversary, that will earn a special piece in the hearts of all Pokémon fans!

STORY To all Pokémon fans, This is the story of an `encounter` and a `promise`. The 20th anniversary work is here! Satoshi, from Masara Town, is 10 years old today, which means he’s now old enough to become a Pokémon Trainer. Ash dreams big about the adventures he will experience after receiving his first Pokémon from Dr. Okido... Yet, on the morning of his birthday, he sleeps in and is late at the Dr.’s laboratory. Unfortunately, almost all the Pokémon are already gone. The only one left is Pikachu, and he doesn’t seem to like Satoshi much. ("You don’t like me?" he asks. "I like you a lot!") But the bond between the two will get stronger and stronger, and, on the first day of their journey, they see the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh fly over them and they find one of its feathers. Then Satoshi and Pikachu promise each other: "Someday, we will set on a journey to find this Pokémon!" In their journey to achieve Satoshi’s dream of becoming a Pokémon Master, he meets other Trainers, Souji and Makoto, and Satoshi hears for the first time about Ho-Oh’s legend: "The rainbow feather will show you the way to Ho-Oh, and the one to follow it will become the Hero of the Legend." Followed closely by the Mythical Pokémon Marshadow, Satoshi goes to Mount Tensei to fight his powerful rival. Will Satoshi and Pikachu reach the top of the mountain and honor the promise they made when starting their journey? The adventure only begins as the two become "real partners"!

CREDITS World Premiere: Thursday, July 6, 2017 (Japan Expo) Japanese Theatrical Release: Saturday, July 15, 2017 (Nationwide Roadshow) Cast Satoshi (Ash Ketchum): Rica Matsumoto Pikachu: Ikue Otani Musashi (Jessie): Megumi Hayashibara Kojiro (James): Shinichiro Miki Nyarth (Meowth): Inuko Inuyama Narrator: Unshou Ishizuka Special Appearance Souji: Kanata Hongo Makoto: Shiori Sato Marshadow: Kouichi Yamadera Dr. Yukinari Okido (Professor Samuel Oak): Unsho Ishizuka Nurse Joy: Shoko Nakagawa Bonji: Arata Furuta Staff Director: Kunihiko Yuyama Original Concept: Satoshi Tajiri Screenplay: Shoji Yonemura Opening Song: "Aim to Become a Pokémon Master -20th Anniversary-" by Rika Matsumoto Executive Producers: Junya Okamoto, Toshio Miyahara Producers: Satoshi Shimohira, Susumu Matsuyama, Kenichi Arai Animation Supervisor: Yoichi Kotabe Animation Producer: Kouki Kamei Character Design: Sayuri Ichiishi, Norihiro Matsubara, Toshihito Hirooka Chief Animation Directors: Kazumi Sato, Satoshi Nakano Recording Director: Masafumi Mima Music: Shinji Miyazaki Production: Pikachu Project (Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, TV Tokyo, Takara Tomy, OLM) 2D Animation Production: OLM CGI: OLM Digital Distributor: Toho © Nintendo · Creatures · GAME FREAK · TV Tokyo · ShoPro · JR Kikaku © Pokémon © 2017 PIKACHU PROJECT

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About Toho Company. Ltd.

Founded in 1932 and headquartered in Tokyo, Toho Company, Ltd. is one of the leading entertainment conglomerates in Japan. Toho is best known worldwide as the producer of twenty-eight Godzilla motion pictures, based upon a character the company unleashed on the world back in 1954, and masterpiece films directed by Akira Kurosawa. Toho has been the number one distributor of motion pictures in Japan (both domestic and foreign) for over ten consecutive years since 2003.