Digimon: The Movie
Digimon: The Movie is a 2000 American-Japanese film adaptation produced by Saban Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Fox as part of the Digimon franchise. The film used footage from the short films Digimon Adventure (1999), Digimon Adventure: Children's War Game![2] (2000), and Digimon Adventure 02: Digimon Hurricane Landing!! / Transcendent Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals (2000).
| Digimon: The Movie | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | by Toei Animation |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Shigeru Ando |
| Edited by |
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Production company |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million[1] |
| Box office | $16 million |
Digimon: The Movie had cut more than 40 minutes of scenes from the individual Japanese films to save time and introduced several changes in tone, dialogue, and plot.[3] Owing to the number of changes made, it is considered an original work by the press.[4] Upon release, the film received generally negative reviews from critics. Despite this, the film was a box office success, grossing over $16 million worldwide against a production budget of $5 million.
Plot
Angela Anaconda short
Angela Anaconda and her friends line up to watch Digimon: The Movie, but Nannette and her friends cut in line and invite Mrs. Brinks to block her view. Angela imagines herself Digivolving[lower-alpha 1] into Angelamon to defeat Mrs. Brinks and Nannette. However, the audience realizes they are in the wrong theater and leave.
Eight Years Ago
A Digi-Egg appears from Tai and Kari's computer, which hatches and Digivolves into Agumon. Tai chases Agumon and Kari out into the night, where a second Digi-Egg appears in the sky to reveal a Parrotmon. As the neighborhood watches, Agumon Digivolves to Greymon to fight but is knocked out. When Tai reawakens Greymon with Kari's whistle, he defeats Parrotmon and disappears with him.
Four Years Later
An infected Digi-egg appears on the Internet and hatches into a Digimon that devours computer code. Izzy and Tai are warned by Gennai, and Greymon and Kabuterimon enter the internet but are overwhelmed when it quickly digivolves into Infermon. A boy from Colorado named Willis contacts Izzy and encourages him to find a way to slow Infermon down.[lower-alpha 2] Tai tries to recruit backup, but he only succeeds in enlisting Matt, T.K., and their Digimon. On the second encounter, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon go up against Infermon's final form, Diaboromon. Diaboromon overpowers the DigiDestined when emails flood in from people around the world watching the battle on their computers, causing WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon to slow down. Diaboromon duplicates himself and infects computers at the Pentagon, starting a 10-minute timer that will launch two nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles: one headed for Colorado,[lower-alpha 2] the other for the DigiDestined's neighborhood.
WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon fight the multitude of Diaboromon but are defeated when the e-mails cause them to lag. Tai and Matt manage to become digital and enter their computers. Through the collective power of the children watching, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon are revived and DNA Digivolve into Omnimon. Omnimon destroys the Diaboromon copies, and Izzy redirects the e-mails to the original Diaboromon to freeze him in place long enough for Omnimon to destroy him. The missiles are disabled, but the same virus that created Diaboromon tracks down Willis and corrupts Kokomon.[lower-alpha 2]
Present Day
While in New York City, T.K. and Kari witness a battle between Willis, Terriermon, and a corrupted Kokomon.[lower-alpha 3] Kokomon insists that Willis "go back", and so Willis returns to Colorado. Kari tips off Davis, Yolei and Cody, who head for Colorado and meet Willis and Terriermon hitch-hiking on the way.
Willis reveals his history with Diaboromon and that the same virus has infected Kokomon.[lower-alpha 2] Willis vows that he must confront Kokomon himself, but is touched by Terriermon's vow of support and Davis' solidarity. In the final battle with Kokomon's Mega form, the DigiDestined are overwhelmed until Kari, T.K., Angemon and Angewomon arrive. Angewomon and Angemon are able to release Golden Digi-Eggs to Davis and Willis, and Veemon and Terriermon Golden Armor Digivolve to Magnamon and Rapidmon. Kokomon de-ages all the DigiDestined, and they realize that "go back" meant to go back in time to when the virus first attacked. The two Golden Digimon allow Kokomon to swallow them, and destroy the virus from within. Kokomon is healed, but fades away. After bidding the DigiDestined farewell, Willis and Terriermon find Kokomon's Digi-egg on a beach.
Voice cast
| Character | Voice |
|---|---|
| Tai Kamiya | Joshua Seth |
| Matt Ishida | Michael Reisz |
| Izzy Izumi | Mona Marshall |
| Sora Takenouchi | Colleen O'Shaughnessey |
| Joe Kido | Michael Lindsay |
| Mimi Tachikawa | Philece Sampler |
| T.K. Takaishi | Wendee Lee ("Eight Years Ago" & "Four Years Later") Doug Erholtz ("Present Day") |
| Kari Kamiya | Lara Jill Miller |
| Agumon | Tom Fahn Michael Lindsay (Greymon) Joseph Pilato (MetalGreymon) Lex Lang (WarGreymon) |
| Gabumon | Kirk Thornton |
| Biyomon | Tifanie Christun |
| Tentomon | Jeff Nimoy |
| Palmon | Anna Garduno |
| Gomamon | R. Martin Klein |
| Patamon | Laura Summer Dave Mallow (Angemon, Seraphimon) |
| Gatomon | Edie Mirman |
| Davis Motomiya | Brian Donovan |
| Yolei Inoue | Tifanie Christun |
| Cody Hida | Philece Sampler |
| Willis | Bob Glouberman |
| Veemon | Derek Stephen Prince Steven Jay Blum (Flamedramon, Raidramon, Magnamon) |
| Hawkmon | Neil Kaplan Steven Jay Blum (Poromon) |
| Armadillomon | Robert Axelrod Dave Mallow (Upamon) Tom Fahn (Digmon) |
| Terriermon | Mona Marshall Michael Sorich (Gargomon) Lex Lang (Rapidmon) |
| Red Greymon | Bob Papenbrook Peggy O'Neal (Botamon) Brianne Siddall (Koromon) Michael Sorich (Agumon) |
| Parrotmon | David Lodge |
| Diaboromon | Paul St. Peter Brianne Siddall (Kuramon) |
| Kokomon | Paul St. Peter Wendee Lee (little Kokomon) |
| Gennai | Mike Reynolds |
Development
Background
Toei Animation had animation fairs every spring and summer with featurettes showcasing their current animated titles.[3][9] The first Digimon short film was Digimon Adventure (デジモンアドベンチャー, Dejimon Adobenchā), directed by Mamoru Hosoda in his directorial debut[10] and released on March 6, 1999 for the Toei Animation Spring 1999 Animation Fair. The film grossed ¥650 million.[11]
The second short film, Digimon Adventure: Children's War Game! (デジモンアドベンチャー ぼくらのウォーゲーム!, Dejimon Adobenchā: Bokura no Wō Gēmu!),[2] was originally released on March 4, 2000 for the Toei Animation Spring 2000 Animation Fair and later served as the inspiration for director Mamoru Hosoda's 2009 film Summer Wars. The film grossed ¥2.166 billion.[12] The film's ending theme song is "'Haru' Ichōchō" (「春」イ長調) by AiM.[13]
Digimon Adventure 02: Part I: Digimon Hurricane Landing!! / Part II: Transcendent Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals (デジモンアドベンチャー02: 前編 デジモンハリケーン上陸！！ / 後編 超絶進化！！ 黄金のデジメンタル, Dejimon Adobenchā Zero Tsū: Zenpen: Dejimon Harikēn Jōriku!! / Kōhen: Chōzetsu Shinka!! Ōgon no Digimentaru) was released on July 8, 2000 for the Toei Animation Summer 2000 Animation Fair. It was directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi. The film was screened in two parts, with Ojamajo Doremi #: The Movie screening in between. The film grossed ¥120 billion. The film's ending theme song is "Stand By Me ~Hitonatsu no Bōken~" (スタンド・バイ・ミー～ひと夏の冒険～, Sutando Bai Mī ~Hitonatsu no Bōken~) by AiM.[14]
Writing
After the first two Pokémon films, Fox wanted to replicate its success by having a theatrical feature for Digimon as well. The only films produced for Digimon at that time were Digimon Adventure (1999), Digimon Adventure: Children's War Game![2] (2000), and Digimon Adventure 02: Part I: Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!!/Part II: Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals (2000), which were all seasonal featurette films.[3] As the three films were respectively 20, 40, and 60 minutes long, footage was condensed to fit 85 minutes.[3][9] Digimon Adventure was used as basis for the "Eight Years Ago" sequence, Children's War Game! in the "Four Years Later" sequence, and Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals in the "Present Day" sequence.[3][15]
The last film included in the compilation, Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals was heavily cut, including a subplot featuring the older DigiDestined being captured and de-aged by Wendigomon, because Saban Entertainment lacked funding to produce a full two-hour movie.[15] Alongside of that, "culturally awkward" Japanese elements are removed, and many North American jokes were written into the script.[16] Prior to the release of Digimon: The Movie, the film led to a dispute between Saban Entertainment and the Screen Actors Guild. The Screen Actors Guild negotiated for actors contracted under them to be paid residuals over home video and subsequent television broadcasts, as they felt Digimon: The Movie was considered an original work due to the dialogue deviating from the original script.[17]
Writer Jeff Nimoy wanted to use the first two films in Digimon: The Movie and release the third film separately as a television movie, but the idea was overruled and Fox insisted on having the third film in order to promote Digimon Adventure 02.[8] In order to connect the stories of the different movies together, Nimoy and Bob Buchholz rewrote Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals to include Willis being involved in Diaboromon's creation.[18][8] Nimoy had been disappointed with this decision, and it was one of the factors that led him and Buchholz into leaving the writing team near the end of Digimon Adventure 02's run in North America.[8] Originally, Nimoy had Tai narrate the movie, but as Tai did not make an appearance in the third part of the movie, he changed it to Kari.[8] An early version of the official website listed Willis' name as his name in the Japanese version, Wallace,[19] until it was changed to "Willis" in the final version.[20] The film's theme song is the "Digi Rap", a remix of the theme song from the English version of Digimon Adventure. The track is performed by Josh Debear under the name "M.C. Pea Pod" and Paul Gordon.[21]
The Angela Anaconda short at the beginning of the film was later re-released as an episode in the television series titled "Good Seats" on January 15, 2001, with all dialogue mentioning Digimon removed.[22]
Marketing and distribution
Taco Bell promoted Digimon: The Movie the summer before the film's release via a summer partnership with the franchise from July 13, 2000 to September 9, 2000. Participating restaurants offered toys and other collectibles with purchase of their kids' meals.[23][24] When the film debuted in domestic theaters, a limited edition "Digi Battle" trading card was given out with every admission, with a total of 12 cards obtainable.
On March 20, 2019, The Walt Disney Company acquired the rights to Digimon: The Movie as part of their acquisition of 21st Century Fox (which 20th Century Fox reunited with the Fox Kids/Saban Entertainment library).[25]
Reception
Box office
Digimon: The Movie opened at #5 in the box office (being shown in 1,825 theaters)[26] and earned $4,233,304 on the opening weekend.[1] The film's run ended on December 3, 2000 at #56 drawing in a weekend gross of $19,665 grossing a total of $9,631,153 domestically.[27] The movie also drew in $1,567,641 in the UK after its release on February 16, 2001 and $2,200,656 in Germany the same year. It earned a total of $16,643,191, making it a minor box office success compared to its budget of $5 million.
The international success of Digimon: The Movie led Toshio Suzuki to contact Mamoru Hosoda to direct Howl's Moving Castle, though he later left the production due to creative differences.[28][29]
Critical reception
The film received generally negative reviews by critics. According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 24% of critics have given the movie a positive review based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 4/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Digimon is better than Pokemon, but it's still a predictable movie with mediocre animation."[30] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 20 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[31] Lawrence van Gelder of The New York Times describes the film as "noisy and ill-conceived", as it focused too much on "morphing monsters" and too little on "storytelling talent" and animation.[32] Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail gave the film two stars, noting that the "scenes alternate between kitschy cuteness and spectacular violence, with only a nod toward plot, character development, and motivation".[16] Paul Trandahl from Common Sense Media gave the movie three stars, complimenting the film's visuals, but cited criticism in its lack of emotional attachment towards the characters and the plot alienating parents and newcomers.[33]
At the 2000 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the film won the award for "Worst Achievement in Animation".[34] However; the magazine Animage conducted a list of the "Top 100" anime productions in January 2001, and Digimon: The Movie placed 88th on list.[35]
Soundtrack
| Music from the Motion Picture Digimon: The Movie | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | September 19, 2000 |
| Genre | Alternative rock, pop punk, hip hop, ska punk |
| Length | 50:16 |
| Label | Maverick |
| Producer | Paul Gordon; Eric Valentine; Fatboy Slim; Mumble C / DJ Moves; Susan Rogers; Paul Q. Kolderie; Howard Benson; Josh Debear |
Music from the Motion Picture Digimon: The Movie is the original motion picture soundtrack for the film, Digimon: The Movie, released September 19, 2000 on Maverick Records on CD and compact cassette.[36] The film score was composed by Shuki Levy, Udi Harpaz and Amotz Plessner, and was performed by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.[37][38]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Digi Rap" | Shuki Levy, Paul Gordon, Kussa Mahchi | MC Pea Pod (Josh Debear), Paul Gordon | 3:11 |
| 2. | "All Star" | Gregory D. Camp | Smash Mouth | 3:20 |
| 3. | "The Rockafeller Skank" (Short Edit) | John Barry, Norman Cook, Terry Winford | Fatboy Slim | 4:02 |
| 4. | "Kids in America" | Marty Wilde, Ricky Wilde | LEN | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Hey Digimon" | Shuki Levy, Paul Gordon, Kussa Mahchi | Paul Gordon | 2:31 |
| 6. | "One Week" | Ed Robertson | Barenaked Ladies | 2:52 |
| 7. | "The Impression That I Get" | Dicky Barrett, Joe Gittleman | The Mighty Mighty Bosstones | 3:17 |
| 8. | "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads" | Chris Demakes, Vinny Fiorello, Roger Manganelli | Less Than Jake | 3:13 |
| 9. | "Run Around" | Jeremy Sweet, Shuki Levy, Kussa Mahchi | Jasan Radford | 2:09 |
| 10. | "Nowhere Near" | Tim Cullen | Summercamp | 2:21 |
| 11. | "Spill" | Daniel Castady, David Hyde, Graham Jordan, Christopher Messer | Showoff | 2:16 |
| 12. | "Here We Go" | Jeremy Sweet, Shuki Levy, Kussa Mahchi | Jason Gochin | 2:25 |
| 13. | "Digimon Theme" (hidden track) | Paul Gordon, Shuki Levy, Kussa Mahchi | Paul Gordon | 3:00 |
| 14. | "Change Into Power" (hidden track) | Paul Gordon, Shuki Levy, Kussa Mahchi | Paul Gordon | 2:35 |
| 15. | "Let's Kick It Up" (hidden track) | Paul Gordon, Shuki Levy, Kussa Mahchi | Paul Gordon | 3:12 |
| 16. | "Going Digital" (hidden track) | Jeremy Sweet, Shuki Levy, Kussa Mahchi | Jasan Radford | 3:00 |
| 17. | "Strange" (hidden track) | Jeremy Sweet, Shuki Levy, Kussa Mahchi | Jasan Radford | 2:48 |
See also
Notes
- Digivolution (進化, Shinka) is the process by which a Digimon evolves into a higher-leveled, more powerful form.[5][6][7]
- In the Japanese version of the films, Willis only appeared in Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!!/Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals (the basis for the segment "Present Day") and had no connection to the events depicted in Digimon Adventure ("Eight Years Ago") and Children's War Game! ("Four Years Later"). The English version rewrote Willis' backstory to include his involvement with Diaboromon in order to connect the movies together.[8]
- Kokomon is the name of the In-Training form that was first infected. Kokomon's Champion, Ultimate and Mega forms appear in the film but the Digimon is consistently referred to as Kokomon by the characters.
References
- "Digimon: The Movie (2000) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
- "「デジモンアドベンチャー ぼくらのウォーゲーム！」がYouTubeで配信中 4月16日までの期間限定". ITmedia (in Japanese). March 22, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Review Press. p. 348. ISBN 978-1-55652-591-9.
- "「僕のヒーローアカデミア」劇場版が北米での日本アニメ興行収入ランキングトップ10入り". Gigazine (in Japanese). October 9, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- "Publisher description for Digimon World: Prima's Official Strategy Guide / Elizabeth M. Hollinger". Library of Congress. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- "Digital Monsters Take Over the World as Bandai America Unveils its Fall Digimon Toy Line". Anime News Network. February 17, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- "DIGIVOLVING SPIRITS デジモン超進化魂 スペシャルページ 魂ウェブ". Bandai (in Japanese). Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- McFeely, Chris (2005). "Retrospective with Jeff Nimoy". Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- Patten, Fred (2004). Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews. Stone Bridge Press. p. 340. ISBN 978-1880656921.
- Frank, Allegra (October 20, 2018). "Getting fired from a Miyazaki movie was 'a good thing' for this anime director". Polygon. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- "キネマ旬報ベスト・テン85回全史 1924-2011". Kinema Junpo (in Japanese). Japan: Kinema-Junposha.Co.Ltd. May 17, 2012. p. 586. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- "キネマ旬報ベスト・テン85回全史 1924-2011". Kinema Junpo (in Japanese). Japan: Kinema-Junposha.Co.Ltd. May 17, 2012. p. 600. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- "「春」イ長調". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- "スタンド・バイ・ミー～ひと夏の冒険～". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- Aitchison, Sean (April 2, 2019). "The Weird History of Digimon: The Movie's Banger Soundtrack". Fanbyte. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- Lacey, Liam (2000). "Digiconfusion from a parallel universe". The Globe and Mail.
- De Mott, Rick (April 14, 2000). "Saban, SAG Struggle Over Digimon Dub Dispute". Animation World Network. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- Duke, Paul F (June 15, 2000). "Fox sets 'Digimon' pic". Variety. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- "DigimonMovie.com". Fox Family Properties. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- "Digimon: The Movie characters: Willis". Fox Family Properties. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- Ressler, Karen (February 19, 2016). "Digimon, Transformers: Robots in Disguise Musician Paul Gordon Passes Away". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- "Angela Anaconda Episodes Season 2 (2001)". TV Guide. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- "Yo Quiero Taco Bell and Digimon". QSR Magazine. June 29, 2000. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- "Taco Bell Digimon Promotion". Anime News Network. September 30, 2000. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- Peters, Megan (December 17, 2017). "Disney's Fox Acquisition Includes 'Digimon' Rights". Comicbook.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- Clements, Jonathan (2013). Anime A History. Palgrave. ISBN 978-1-84457-390-5.
- Loo, Egan (August 30, 2009). "Miyazaki's Ponyo Slips to #13 with US$2 Million". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- Leak, Brian (October 25, 2018). "'Mirai' Director Mamoru Hosoda On The Importance Of Family And Childhood Memories". Forbes. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- Brady, Tara (October 30, 2018). "Mamoru Hosoda's poignant and strange inversion of It's a Wonderful Life". Irish Times. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- "Digimon - The Movie (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- "Digimon: Digital Monsters Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- van Gelder, Lawrence (October 6, 2000). "FILM IN REVIEW; Digimon: The Movie". The New York Times. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
- Trandahl, Paul. "Digimon: The Movie Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- "2000 23rd Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards". Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
- "Animage Top-100 Anime Listing". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- "Digimon: The Movie-soundtrack". Fox Family Properties. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- Digimon: The Movie end credits
- "Udi Harpaz: Composer - Digimon: The Movie". Udi Harpaz. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
External links
- Digimon: The Movie on IMDb
- Digimon: The Movie at AllMovie
- Digimon: The Movie at Box Office Mojo
- Digimon: The movie (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia