Pokémon: Jirachi, Wish Maker
Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker is the sixth movie associated with the Pokémon animated series, and is the first one featuring the characters from Advanced Generation. It was accompanied by the short Gotta Dance. It was released in theaters in Japan, but directly to video for the English version, due to the declining interest of Pokémon worldwide.
The featured song in this movie is Asuca Hayashi's Chiisaki mono in both the English and Japanese versions (however, the English version, titled Make a Wish, adds English lyrics in addition to the Japanese lyrics). This is also the first movie in which the original song is also used in the English version (that can be clearly heard). It is also the first time in which the names of the guest characters were the same in both the English and Japanese versions.
Plot
Gotta Dance
The plot centers around Team Rocket and their new base. The Pokémon of Team Rocket had managed to successfully captured three Whismur, which were to provide entertainment to Giovanni when he arrived. To force the Whismur to cooperate, Meowth had a baton that, when a switch was pressed on the end, made Pokémon dance uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Pikachu, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, and Lotad stumble upon the base, and attempt to free the Whismur. One of the running gags in the short would be how the dancing baton would be activated or deactivated by accident, which would lead to random accidental destruction of the base.
Jirachi: Wishmaker
The story revolves around the Millennium Comet, which appears in the night sky for seven days once every 1000 years. It is, at the same time, where the legendary Pokémon Jirachi awakens from a long slumber to absorb the comet's energy. This energy, in turn, is released into the Earth itself, making an area known as Forina grow. This time, however, a magician known as Butler, along with his longtime girlfriend Diane, unearth the stone that had encased Jirachi, and take it away from Forina.
Meanwhile, in celebration of the Millennium Comet appearance, Ash Ketchum and company arrive at a festival where May buys a seven-panelled novelty that is said to grant a person one wish if a panel is closed for each night the comet appears. When Ash and Max accidentally volunteer for one of Butler's magic tricks, Max is introduced to Jirachi, who takes a liking to the four main characters.
The intentions of Butler are soon revealed: he was a former scientist for Team Magma, who was seeking to resurrect the legendary Pokémon Groudon. Butler had devised the perfect system, but could not find the necessary amount of power. To this end, he had hoped to use the energy Jirachi absorbed for his own purposes. Seeing this danger, the Pokémon Absol, whose presence usually indicated impending disaster, takes Diana and Jirachi, along with Ash and friends, back to Forina. Unbeknownst to them, Butler had set a trap once they returned to where Jirachi was found, and manages to capture Jirachi.
When Butler sets his plan in motion, however, Groudon begins to turn Forina into a wasteland, and begins absorbing the life force of virtually every living creature in sight. When Diane is captured by Groudon, Butler realizes his longtime relationship with Diane is what was important, and, with Ash and Max's help, is able to reverse the process, setting everything back to normal.
Eventually, Jirachi reabsorbs the energy used to create Groudon, and leaves Max for another 1000 years of slumber. May, in all the excitement, forgets to close the last panel of her novelty, but simply brushes it off.
Cast
| Character | Japanese voice | English voice |
|---|---|---|
| Satoshi / Ash | Rika Matsumoto | Veronica Taylor |
| Haruka / May | Midori Kawana (as KAORI) | Veronica Taylor (speaking) Midori Kawana (singing) |
| Masato / Max | Fushigi Yamada | Amy Birnbaum |
| Takeshi / Brock | Yuuji Ueda | Eric Stuart |
| Pikachu | Ikue Ootani | Ikue Ootani |
| Jirachi | Tomiko Suzuki | Kerry Williams |
| Butler | Koichi Yamadera | Wayne Grayson |
| Diane | Riho Makise | Megan Hollingshead |
| Groudon | Katsuyuki Konishi | Katsuyuki Konishi |
| Musashi / Jessie | Megumi Hayashibara | Rachael Lillis |
| Kojirou / James | Shinichiro Miki | Eric Stuart |
| Nyasu / Meowth | Inuko Inuyama | Madeline Blaustein |
| Achamo / Torchic | Chinami Nishimura | Rachael Lillis |
| Sonans / Wobbuffet | Yuuji Ueda | Tara Jayne |
| Narrator | Unshou Ishizuka | Mike Pollock |