How to Write a Pokémon Movie

We'd all like to write a Pokémon movie, I'm sure. But what if you don't know how, or you're worried that your script may be rejected? Don't worry, you've come to the right place. This page will give you a short guide on how to write a Pokémon movie - and we know the directors will love it.

Step one: Choose a location

The first thing you'll need to do is choose a location, in which the majority of the movie will be set. This can either be somewhere previously seen in the games or animé, such as the Orange Islands, or somewhere completely made up, such as a random island in the middle of the sea, or a rip-off of a place in the the real world, such as Venice. Have the scene for the location be set properly; one possibility could be to slowly zoom in, from a full view of the earth to a view of just the town or area, and then weave the camera around the buildings or trees. If there are no tall structures to weave around, just show the audience a panoramic view of the area. Once you've chosen your location, the next step is to make Ash and his friends travel to this place, be given a tour of the area, and then witness an event of some kind.

Step two: The event

The event should be something strange that will happen, resulting in the main character(s) in the movie, other than Ash and his friends, being met, and leading to steps three and four. This can be anything, so let your imagination go wild; it can range from the main characters landing on an island where they celebrate a certain legendary prophecy, to a young version of an old friend of Ash's travelling forward in time with Celebi. I would suggest something that involves step three, which is the legendary Pokémon that is starring in your movie, and maybe having a cut scene of what the antagonist is doing at that moment in time; for example, how close s/he is to Ash's location.

Step three: The Legend

It just isn't a Pokémon movie without a legendary Pokémon! Something must happen to this Pokémon, but generally, Pokémon movie writers stick to an antagonist trying to capture this Pokémon. The legendary will be the main focus of the plot after it is introduced. Try to incorporate some form of prophecy or myth surrounding the legendary Pokémon into the plot, such as what happened in it's past. How was it created? What is it's purpose? You could also use the idea that it will materialise in Ash's universe during the earth's time of greatest need; you could use this to let it help Ash save the day, or even have it save the day, with Ash's help.

Step four: The antagonist/battle/quest, and the end.

Now, the main part of the storyline; the antagonist attacking and trying to capture the legendary Pokémon, two or more legends battling each other, and/or a quest that Ash must complete to save the day. If you want to, you can use two, or maybe even all three of these ideas. Please note that Jessie, James and Meowth are never the antagonists, but either help Ash in his quest or "blast off" half way through the movie. To finish off, Ash must defeat the antagonist, stop the battle and/or complete the quest, but with as little help from his friends as possible, and quite a bit of help from the legendary Pokémon. The battling legendary Pokémon will be at peace, and the antagonist will be arrested. Ash and his friends will continue their journey.

Remember that the most successful movie reuse the plot of another! These movies are, after all, written for 7 year olds!