MS006: Pokémon: Jirachi, Wish Maker

Pokémon: Jirachi, Wish Maker
Information
Staff credits	絵(え)コンテ (Storyboard) Hideki Sonoda 製作者(せいさくしゃ) (Producer(s) Choji Yoshikawa Tomoyuki Igarashi Takemoto Mori 演出(えんしゅつ) (Director(s)) Kunihiko Yuyama
Studio	OLM, inc.
Distributed by	Toho Company Ltd.
Licensed by	Miramax Films 4Kids Entertainment The Pokémon Company International
Budget	Unknown
In other countries
Japan	Release date July 19, 2003 Rating G Home video release December 19, 2003
Japan	Release date July 19, 2003 Rating G Home video release December 19, 2003
Anglosphere	Title Pokémon Release date(s) June 1, 2004 Rating(s)  G PG Home video release(s) June 1, 2004 Notes ^ a: signifies that it only applies to the US, UK, CA, AU, NZ and SG
Anglosphere	Title Pokémon Release date(s) June 1, 2004 Rating(s)  G PG Home video release(s) June 1, 2004 Notes ^ a: signifies that it only applies to the US, UK, CA, AU, NZ and SG

Jirachi: Wish Maker (Japanese: 七夜の願い星 ジラーチ Wishing Star of the Seven Nights: Jirachi; Official: Wishing Star of the Seven Nights) is the first Ruby and Sapphire series movie, and sixth of all Pokémon movies. It was first shown in Japanese theaters on July 19, 2003. It was released on video and DVD for North American audiences on June 1, 2004, distributed by Miramax Films.

Event Jirachi

Before Pokémon Colosseum came out, they made the movie Jirachi: Wish Maker. If you pre-ordered Pokémon Colosseum, you got a special bonus disk that had 3 things: A Pokémon Colosseum trailer, a Jirachi: Wish Maker trailer, and a chance to get a lvl 5 Jirachi in Ruby and Sapphire.

Short

Gotta Dance!

The plot centers on Team Rocket and their newest 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 is how the dancing Baton is activated or deactivated by accident, which leads to the accidental destruction of the base. Eventually, a Ludicolo and a Loudred are also involved.

Plot

The story revolves around the Millennium Comet, which appears in the night sky for seven days once every thousand years. It is, at the same time, when 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 and company arrive at a wide crater which is where the festival of the Milennium Comet is meant to be. They then decide to wait until morning and go to sleep

Butler and Diane

. While they're sleeping, the festival arrives. Pikachu, Ash's companion, wakes up and wakes all the others up and they watch the festival being set up. At the festival, May buys a seven-paneled novelty that is said to grant a person one wish if a panel is closed for each night the comet appears and is visible in the sky. When Ash and Max accidentally volunteer for one of Butler's magic tricks because Max hears a voice coming from the rock Diane is holding, and runs down to the stage, Max is introduced to Jirachi,

Jirachi brings Max lots of candy

who Max hears talking even from inside of the rock. Butler lets Max take the rock which hatches into Jirachi later that night. To test his wish granting ability, Max wishes for candy, lots of candy, and once it appears it is revealed that instead of creating the candy Jirachi teleported it from a stall in the festival.

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, an Absol, whose presence usually indicated impending disaster, takes Diane 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.

He attempts to harness Jirachi's power, but is interrupted inside the tent by Ash and his friends. With the help of Diane they take Butler's bus to Forina so that Jirachi can go home. Butler's Mightyena places a tracking device on the bus as it's leaving. As Ash and his friends travel along a bumpy terrain, the device falls off, but

Butler steals Jirachi's energy

Butler still discovers where they are going. He follows them there, once again steals Jirachi, and tries to take his power again. When Butler sets his plan in motion, however, a fake Groudon is created instead and begins to turn Forina into a wasteland, absorbing the life force of virtually every living creature in sight. When Diane is absorbed 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, causing Groudon to meltdown and die.

The fake Groudon

Eventually, Jirachi reabsorbs the energy used to create Groudon, and leaves for another thousand years of slumber. May, in all the excitement, forgets to close the last panel of her novelty, but simply brushes it off. Though she never reveals just what she wished for, she is confident it will come true. As the group leaves, Max hears Jirachi's voice saying that they'll be best friends forever.

Cast

• Ash Ketchum - Rica Matsumoto (Japanese)|Veronica Taylor (English)
• May - KAORI (Japanese)|Veronica Taylor (English)
• Brock - Yūji Ueda (Japanese)|Eric Stuart (English)
• Butler - Kōichi Yamadera/Kenji (Young Butler) (Japanese)|Wayne Grayson (English) (Debut)
• Max - Fushigi Yamada (Japanese)|Amy Birnbaum (English)
• Diane - Riho Makise (Japanese)|Megan Hollingshead (English) (Debut)
• Jessie - Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese)|Rachael Lillis (English)
• James - Shin-ichiro Miki (Japanese)|Eric Stuart (English)
• Meowth - Inuko Inuyama (Japanese)|Maddie Blaustein (English)
• Bogie - Papaya Suzuki (Japanese) (Debut)
• Team Magma (flashback)
• Narrator - Yukinori Ishizuka (Japanese) Mike Pollock (English)

Cameo Appearances

• Brendan

Additional voices

• Rachael Lillis
• Carlos Alazraqui
• Tara Strong
• Brian Drummond
• Danny Mann
• John DiMaggio
• Bob Bergen
• David Kaye
• Bill Farmer
• Scott Menville
• Lara Jill Miller
• Trevor Devall
• Dee Bradley Baker
• Cathy Cavadini
• Kevin Michael Richardson
• Rodger Bumpass
• Richard Ian Cox
• John Cygan
• Jim Ward
• Mona Marshall
• Kerry Williams
• Maddie Blaustein
• Jess Harnell
• Mike Pollock
• Nika Futterman
• Janice Kawaye

Pokémon

• Pikachu - Ikue Ōtani
• Torchic
• Absol (Debut)
• Jirachi - Tomiko Suzuki (Japanese)|Kerry Williams (English) (Debut)
• Electrike
• Tropius
• Groudon (Flashback) (Debut)
• Dusclops
• Mightyena
• Flygon (Debut)
• Salamence
• Altaria
• Swablu
• Virus Groudon - Katsuyuki Konishi (Debut)

Trivia

• This is the only film in which non-true Pokémon become the antagonist.
• Jirachi: Wish Maker is possibly has the longest time span of about eight days and seven nights. In contrast to most movies and episodes which it ranges from two days to two hours.
• This film is Eric Stuart's favourite/favorite Pokémon movie.
• Misty is mentioned in the English dub version of the movie.
• This is Megan Hollingshead's last voice work for Pokémon, as she left 4Kids to pursue a voice acting career in Los Angeles.
• This is the first Pokémon film to leave the original ending theme from the Japanese version. It was combined with lyrics written by Norman J. Grossfield entitled "Make a Wish" sung by Cindy Mizelle.
• When May sings the lullaby, her voice isn't dubbed by Veronica Taylor. Instead, it is taken from the Japanese version sung by KAORI. Though it could be very confusing for North American, British, and European audiences outside of Japan.
• When Butler tells Dusclops to use Will-O-Wisp, it says "Capitata". It is unknown how that made it into the English dub because it isn't the Japanese name for that move.
• On the home video cover art Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip are seen, but in the movie May's Torchic is the only one sent out. However, in the end credits, Treecko and Mudkip appear as fireworks.
• May's rival Drew would later be seen with a Flygon and Absol of his own in seasons eight and nine respectively.
• In the Hindi dub, this movie is renamed as Pokemon Movie: Jirachi Ka Wonder.
• The film was not released on DVD in Australia until 2016.
• This is the first Pokémon film not to have a theatrical release outside of Japan. Mostly due to the disastrous failure of Pokémon Heroes - Latios and Latias in the US, the previous Pokémon film released in the United States back in 2003.
• This is the first Pokémon film not to be designated an MPAA rating (due to being released as a direct-to-video film in the United States).
• This is, for so far, the only Pokémon movie in which Pikachu gets kidnapped by Team Rocket (though that was briefly).
• This is the first Pokémon film not to include a theme song from the series' season.
• This is the first time a Pokémon film included an opening title sequence and music cue suite from the Japanese release in an English dub.

Gallery

Diane

Butler

Diane

Butler