Product Details

• Actors: Veronica Taylor, Rachael Lillis, Eric Stuart (III), Madeleine Blaustein, Ikue Ootani
• Directors: Michael Haigney, Kunihiko Yuyama
• Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Unknown)
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: August 21, 2001
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005LKI1
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,600 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Pokemon 3 - The Movie" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The most elaborate of the features to date, Pokémon 3: The Movie, Spell of the Unown introduces new Pokémon that debuted in the fall of 2000 in the Gold- and Silver-edition Gameboy games. En route to the Johto Tournament, Ash, Brock, and Misty visit the mountain village of Greenfield, where they encounter an 8-year-old girl named Molly. Her father, Professor Spencer Hale, disappeared when he set off to study the Unown, a group of 26 Pokémon that resemble letters. The Unown build a baroque crystalline shell around Molly's palatial home, send the leonine Entei to watch over her, and grant whatever she wishes--except the return of her father. What Molly really wants is a family: she refers to Entei as her father and has him kidnap Ash's mom to be her mother. Ash charges to the rescue with the help of Pikachu, Charizard, and Cyndaquil. In the climactic battle, Ash is joined by Brock and Misty, as well as the usually villainous Team Rocket. ("We figure if we don't help you, we're outta showbiz," Meowth explains.) Molly's father eventually reappears, but the viewer never sees the reunion with his daughter. Ash, Molly, and the other two-dimensional characters simply don't fit into three-dimensional, computer-generated crystal settings, and large sections of Pokémon 3 look like two movies unsuccessfully spliced together. A short is also included, "Pikachu and Pichu," in which the popular electric Pokémon wanders through a big city, getting into mischief with the mouselike Pichu brothers. --Charles Solomon

Product Description

ASH AND PIKACHU FACE THEIR GREATEST POKEMON CHALLENGE EVER WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER THE UNOWN. CAN ASH RESCUE A YOUNG ORPHAN NAMED MOLLY FROM THE MYSTICAL FORCES THAT THREATEN TO TRANSFORM HER LIFE INTO A DREAMWORLD PRISON. ALSO, INCLUDES THE BONUS SHORT PIKACHU AND PICHU WITH THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS POKEMON.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Way Better Than Barney, August 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Pokémon 3: The Movie [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I'm a mom. I enjoy the warmth and humor shared between the Pokemon characters, and I admire the cartoon makers for their ingenuity. Most of all, I appreciate the values of friendship, kindness and responsibility that the Pokemon stories teach. There are no really bad guys in Pokemon movies-- just people or beings who aren't thinking clearly. And there are no hard feelings in the end. Everyone comes to an understanding. In this movie, little Molly has been motherless. Then she loses her father. So, feeling her world spinning out of control, she kidnaps a new mom and creates a powerful dad Pokemon and becomes extremely dominating. She is afraid of being hurt again, so she encapsulates her abode in spiky crystals. Excellent psychology! Yet in the end, she has to face reality and learn to cope as a lonely child, with the help of friends, of course. No fairy tale, happy-ever-after-with-the-prince endings. Pokemon movies give real lessons in living. I watched my child soaking in lessons about coping and also about having empathy for others.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Spell of the Unown (Lord of The Crystal Tower), July 10, 2001

By 

"lugia2010" (St Albans, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pokemon 3 - The Movie (DVD)

I wasn't sure if this movie would be anywhere near as good as Revelaton Lugia, the second Japanese Pokémon movie. However, when I saw the original Japanese version in January, I knew that it was! Something previously unheard of in a Pokémon film was developed: a plot! In this movie, the characters all have clear, simple objectives and we know from the start what this film is going to be about. This doesn't mean that the movie doesn't have its moments of suspense. This structure simply allows the movie to progress more 'naturally', without some of the restrictive assumptions that were made in the first two films, such as having Pikachu in every other frame!

The Spell of the Unown tells the story of the legendary Pokémon Entei and the Unown, and how one little girl's unhappiness almost brought about disaster. The movie starts with the Molly's (the little girl) father disappearing. We also learn later that her mother has disappeared also. Feeling alone and sad, Molly discovers the box of Unown letters that had been found where her father was last seen. These letters (which are symbols of the Unown) summon forth a hoard of Unown, that seem to sense her unhappiness and try to make her wishes come true. Thus, the legendary Pokémon Entei is summoned, whom Molly believes to be her father. The Unown form a crystal tower around the mansion where Molly lives, which slowly begins to extend into the surrounding countryside. Also, Molly asks Entei to find her a mother. Once kidnapped, Ash begins his efforts to rescue her from Molly's 'crystal tower'.

I won't spoil the ending for you, but the message behind this movie is that of the bond between parents and their children. All of the Pokémon movies have themes (in Mewtwo Strikes Back we learned that senseless fighting was wrong - in the second movie the theme was that of believing in yourself), and this movie is the first to portray that message so clearly inside the film. One of the final scenes in the end credits is that of Molly being reunited with her real mother.

The 'Pichu and Pikachu' short was great! Perhaps not quite so good as the original 'Pikachu's Summer Vacation' but still great. For the first time, the original Japanese music was carried over from Japan and left in the US editon. I am all for this as the US music tends to be somewhat inappropriate for the shorts, always being far too kiddy.

As usual, the animation and CGI are up to their normal high standards, and the background music for the film was very good. Again, it was a shame that the movie score was made overly 'poppy', but this was balanced out by the retention of the original score for the short 'Pichu and Pikachu'. The music for the short was all carried over from the original Japanese production.

Overall, this movie is evidence that the US producers have listened to fans' requests to keep to the original storyline as much as possible. It's also nice to see that this film was completely Tracy free! This film is recommended to all ages, even those who may find the television series a little stodgy. Most parents won't have much say in it anyway...

~Sakurai Charizard

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT MOVIE!, March 31, 2001

By 

Ash Ketchum 2 (Westford, MA, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

You all will LOVE this Movie! I must say, WB did a good job with the "less advertising hype" this time around, as to avoid UNWANTED critic nagging. Anyway, the third Pokemon film is VERY cool! Let's have a look:

The OVA, "Pikachu And Pichu" is in short, another OVA with Pikachu and the other Pokemon who are Trained by Ash-tachi being left alone for a little while again. Only this time, Two Pichu Brother's moon and anger Pikachu, so he gets angry and chases after them. After he catches up to them, this silly OVA goes for a non-stop comedy spree! See it for yourself in a manner of Days...

The main Movie, "The Spell Of The Unown" is about a Professor named Professor Spencer Hale, whom has a 5 year old Daughter whom he raises by himself (his wife passed away)and cares about very much. As a Pokemon Researcher, hearing about ancient Pokemon Hieroglyphics is excting news for him! But when these Hieroglyphics turn out to be the Ancient and mysterious Pokemon, the Unown, they send him into another dimension. Alone and sad, with only the servants in her mansion and no family, his daughter Molly crys and Prays.(in the Japanese version, the DIRECT translation of Her Prayer is: "Please my sweet days, return to me!") She hopes Her Parents will return, but instead the Unown come, and THEY help Her! The Unown have the ability to turn Human thoughts and emotions into reality! Her whole mansion is turned into a Crystal Tower, and the Unown's Spell has the Legendary Fire Dog Pokemon Entei, be Her new Father, in place of Her missing one. In the meantime, the area, (in the Japanese version, it is called "Greenfield") Ash just finishes a tied up match with another Trainer, and is surprised to see His Mother and Prof. Oak there on vacation! Molly then decides Delia will be the PERFECT new Mom, and Entei kidnaps Her for Molly. Now Ash and His Friends must all confront Molly's imigination, Entei Himself, and the Unown, if Ash wishes to get His Mother back, otherwise HE WILL be an orphan missing His Parents!

Oh, WB is cheap and is behind by a few Episodes, so here is some differences You will see in the Movie, (when it ACTUALLY takes place, 6 Eps from Today) compared to where WB is rught now:

Ash's Squirtle has left. Ash has a Totodile. Ash has a Shiny Noctowl. Misty's Poliwag evolved into Poliwhirl.

Oh, and one more thing, your NOT seeing things, Charizard returns!