Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai

Pokémon the Movie: The Rise of Darkrai[lower-alpha 1] is a 2007 Japanese animated adventure film based on, produced by OLM, Inc. and distributed by Toho. The film was directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and written by Hideki Sonoda. It is the tenth animated installment in the Pokémon film series created by Satoshi Tajiri, Junichi Masuda and Ken Sugimori.

Pokémon the Movie: The Rise of Darkrai
Japanese Theatrical release poster
Japanese劇場版ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド&パール ディアルガVSパルキアVSダークライ
HepburnGekijōban Poketto Monsutā Daiyamondo Pāru Diaruga tai Parukia tai Dākurai
LiterallyPocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl the Movie: Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai
Directed byKunihiko Yuyama
Produced byChoji Yoshikawa
Mikihiko Fukazawa
Junya Okamoto
Takemoto Mori
Screenplay byHideki Sonoda
Based onPokémon Diamond and Pearl
by Satoshi Tajiri
Junichi Masuda
Ken Sugimori
Starringsee below
Music byShinji Miyazaki
CinematographyTakaya Mizutani
Edited byToshio Henmi
Production
company
OLM, Inc.
OLM Digital
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • July 14, 2007 (2007-07-14) (Japan)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office$47.3 million

In the film, Palkia and Dialga, two creatures known as Pokémon that are never meant to meet, meet in the space between dimensions. The brawling causes disturbances in the space around Alamos Town. The townsfolk of blame the events on a nightmare-causing Pokémon called Darkrai, which is trying to protect the town from Palkia and Dialga. The film was released in Japan on July 14, 2007. Two sequels have been released, Pokémon: Giratina & the Sky Warrior in 2008 and Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life in 2009.

Sarah Brightman performs the movie's theme song, a cover of "Where the Lost Ones Go" titled "Be With You (Itsumo Soba ni)" (ビー・ウィズ・ユー〜いつもそばに〜, Bī Wizu Yū ~Itsumo Soba ni~). The cover also features Chris Thompson.

Plot

A hundred years ago, Godey, the architect who designed an enormous set of musical instruments in Alamos Town called the Space-Time Towers, had a nightmare which he wrote down in his diary, which is later discovered by his great-grandson, the scientist Tonio. The nightmare foretold that two entities that should never have met would cross paths in the space-time rift. Their wrath from this meeting will envelop the town, and cause its collapse. In a garden designed by Godey, Darkrai, a nightmare-causing Pokémon hated by everyone else, opened its heart to a girl called Alicia, who invited Darkrai to stay in the garden. Godey realized the nightmare was telling him to make a music disc for "Orácion",[lower-alpha 2] a song with the power to soothe the fiercest rage, for future use. Years later, Darkrai saved the life of Alicia's granddaughter Alice after she tripped and fell from a cliff.

In the present, Godey's foretelling comes true when the Pokémon Palkia, who can control space, and Dialga, who rules over time, cause disturbances in the air around Alamos Town as they brawl in the space between dimensions. At the same time, Ash Ketchum, Brock, and Dawn arrive in the town for Dawn's next Pokémon Contest inside the Space-Time Towers. Palkia and Dialga's clashing causes a disturbance in space which damages the garden. Baron Alberto believes this is the work of Darkrai. While battling Alberto's Lickilicky, Darkrai makes Ash fall asleep and creates a nightmare where Palkia attacks Ash. Darkrai then appears before disappearing down a hole that Ash and his Pikachu are sucked into.

The next day, Palkia, injured and attempting to hide from Dialga, emerges in Alamos Town. It moves the town to another dimension with no way of escaping. Darkrai reappears in the town square telling someone to go away. Alberto, joined by Ash, Dawn, and other Pokémon trainers, engage in combat with it. Outraged, Darkrai traps many Pokémon in the town square in nightmares. Later that evening, Tonio finds Palkia resting between the Towers. Darkrai tries to attack the resting Palkia. Ash then realizes that Palkia was the one that Darkrai was telling to go away and that Darkrai's nightmare was warning Ash about Palkia.

As Palkia is about to hit Darkrai with one of its attacks, Dialga arrives, opens fire on the two and immediately runs into Palkia. As Palkia and Dialga brawl, the entire town slowly starts to collapse. After Alice finds the "Oración" music disc, Ash and Dawn climb up to the music disc player on the Space-Time Towers' skybridge while Brock helps evacuate the townspeople. Tonio reveals that if Palkia and Dialga collide once more, the dimension they are in will be destroyed. When Palkia and Dialga discharge their attacks, Darkrai crosses the attacks' line and forms a sphere around itself to block the attacks, engulfing and immobilizing Palkia and Dialga in the process.

After breaking free, Palkia and Dialga both attack Darkrai, causing it to disintegrate. Ash and Dawn realize that the Space-Time Towers are no-longer charged, so Pikachu along with Dawn's Pachirisu use their electrical powers to charge the Towers as they play the "Orácion" disc. The song successfully calms Palkia and Dialga down. Dialga flies away, and Palkia's wound heals. Ash and Dawn successfully plead to Palkia to restore the lost parts of the town, returning Alamos Town to how it originally was, and the townspeople and Pokémon rejoice and return home. Later, the group mourns the loss of Darkrai, with Alice thanking it for its efforts. They then find Darkrai standing on top of the Space Tower.

In the end credit montage, Dawn fails to win a ribbon at her Pokémon contest.

Setting

The Rise of Darkrai is set in an area based on Barcelona, Spain.[1] The staff visited this area in September 2006 to form a basis for the movie’s setting. Yuyama travelled there with screenwriter Hideki Sonoda and composer Shinji Miyazaki. Places in The Rise of Darkrai are inspired by places in Spain - the Space-Time Towers and Oración featured are based on the uncompleted Sagrada Família and the Park Güell, respectively, in Barcelona. The name of the architect behind the Space-Time Towers, Godey, and the name of his descendant, Tonio, bear homage to the name of Sagrada Família's architect, Antoni Gaudí.

Cast
Character Japanese English Notes
AshRica MatsumotoSarah NatochennyA Pokémon trainer who wishes to be a Pokémon Master.
DawnMegumi ToyoguchiEmily BauerA Pokémon trainer who wishes to be a Pokémon Coordinator.
BrockYūji UedaBill RogersA Pokémon trainer who wishes to be a Pokémon Breeder.
PikachuIkue ŌtaniAn Electric Type Pokémon and Ash's partner.
DarkraiKōji IshizakaBill RogersA Mythical Dark-Type Pokémon that causes nightmares.
TonioKōji Yamamoto
Daisuke Sakaguchi (child)		Rich McNannaA scientist and Alice's longtime friend.
AliceRosa KatoKhristine HvamA tour guide and a music student capable of playing the leaf whistle.
Baron AlbertoKōichi YamaderaAx NormanA rich, snobby Lickilicky trainer
KaiRyūji AkiyamaSean ReyesAn Empoleon trainer who also competes in the Pokémon contest.
MauryHiroshi YamamotoJoshua SwansonA Torterra trainer who also competes in the Pokémon contest.
AllegraShoko NakagawaElisabeth MorinelliAn Infernape trainer who also competes in the Pokémon contest and wins.
AliciaChiharu SuzakaKayzie RogersAlice's grandmother
NarratorUnshou IshizukaRodger Parsons

Development and release

As with all Pokémon films, it was announced in Japan after the ending credits of the previous Pokémon film; in this case, Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea. On January 25, 2008, Cartoon Network revealed the title to be Pokémon: The Rise Of Darkrai, with a preview that aired on February 1, 2008 as part of a two-hour premiere involving a tag team battle at 8 PM ET/ PT, and was shown on Cartoon Network on February 24, 2008 in the United States at 7 pm ET/PT. This is the first English dub done by DuArt Film and Video instead of TAJ Studios. In the UK, the movie was released on DVD by Network DVD, who specialise in distributing old British TV shows. Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the film on DVD in Northern European countries. It was later re-released on DVD in the UK with the other Diamond and Pearl movies as part of the 4 disc Diamond & Pearl Collection from Manga Entertainment, released on May 21, 2018. It was then later re-released as a separate title again by Manga Entertainment on April 15, 2019.

Box office

The Rise of Darkrai topped the Japanese box office charts in the first three days of its release. With a revenue of ¥1.13 billion ($9.26 million) from 1,074,000 viewers, the movie performed better than its predecessor Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea.[2] The Rise of Darkrai eventually earned a franchise record of ¥5.02 billion (US$47 million ).[3] It was the fourth highest-grossing film in Japan of 2007, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Hero and became the highest grossing anime film of 2007.[4]

Overseas, the film grossed $258,295, including $159,141 in Hong Kong and $99,154 in Taiwan.[5] Worldwide, the film grossed $47,258,295.

Critical reception

The film received mostly positive reviews. The Anime News Network gave the film a B−.[6]

Notes
  1. Japanese: 劇場版ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド&パール ディアルガVSパルキアVSダークライ, Hepburn: Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā Daiyamondo Pāru Diaruga tai Parukia tai Dākurai, lit. "Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl the Movie: Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai"
  2. Spanish for "Prayer"

References
  1. "Diaruga VS Parukia". Archived from the original on 2007-03-24. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
  2. "ポケモン映画「ディアルガVSパルキアVSダークライ」初登場1位＆3日で興収11億円突破" (in Japanese). PokeAni. 2007-07-18. Archived from the original on 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  3. "Japanese Box Office: Top 10 Anime Movies of 2007 - Update". Anime News Network. February 1, 2008.
  4. "2007 Japan Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  5. "Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā Daiyamondo to Pāru Diaruga Tai Parukia Tai Dākurai (Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl) (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  6. Pokemon- The Rise of Darkrai Dub. DVD - Review - Anime News Network
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