Pokémon Live! (partially found professional recording footage of musical; 2000-2001): Difference between revisions

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==Plot and Production==
==Plot and Production==
The play begins with Ash, Misty, and Brock setting out for a Pokémon Gym, in response to a challenge from a mysterious Gym Leader. The challenge stipulates that anyone who can defeat the Gym Leader's Pokémon in a battle will win a special "diamond badge". Afterwards, it is revealed that the challenge was set up by Team Rocket leader Giovanni, who has created a powerful Pokémon named MechaMew2, and intends to use it for world domination.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokémon_Live! Wikipedia page for Pokémon Live!] Retrieved 31 Dec '16</ref>
The play begins with Ash, Misty, and Brock setting out for a Pokémon Gym, in response to a challenge from a mysterious Gym Leader. The challenge stipulates that anyone who can defeat the Gym Leader's Pokémon in a battle will win a special "diamond badge". Afterwards, it is revealed that the challenge was set up by Team Rocket leader Giovanni, who has created a powerful Pokémon named MechaMew2, and intends to use it for world domination.
   
   
The musical used live-action actors for both characters and Pokémon, albeit with some exceptions for string-controlled characters. A DVD release was alluded to in promotional material, such as a page on the Pokémon website from the time, but was presumably abandoned around the same time the show's planned UK tour had to be cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20011019041628/http://www.pokemon.com/events/live.html Archive of the official Pokémon website mentioning a home video release] Retrieved 31 Dec '16 '''|''' Archived 19 Oct '01</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20030104055909/http://pkmn.co.uk/?viewnews=1034880570 News article on the UK tour's cancellation] Retrieved 31 Dec '16 '''|''' Archived 04 Jan '03</ref>
The musical used live-action actors for both characters and Pokémon, albeit with some exceptions for string-controlled characters. A DVD release was alluded to in promotional material, such as a page on the Pokémon website from the time, but was presumably abandoned around the same time the show's planned UK tour had to be cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20011019041628/http://www.pokemon.com/events/live.html Archive of the official Pokémon website mentioning a home video release.] Retrieved 31 Dec '16</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20030104055909/http://pkmn.co.uk/?viewnews=1034880570 News article on the UK tour's cancellation.] Retrieved 31 Dec '16</ref>


==Search for the American Show==
==Search for the American Show==
After the show ended in 2001, it was largely forgotten by the general public. However, interest in ''Pokémon Live!'' was revived in April of 2016, when popular YouTuber Chadtronic created a video on the topic entitled "The Mystery Of ''Pokémon Live!''".<ref name="mysteryofpokemonlive">[http://youtu.be/OpJhTN-QSQ8 Chadtronic's The Mystery Of ''Pokémon Live!''", containing many comments from Chris Mitchell] Retrieved 31 Dec '16</ref> The video contained comments from the musical's production stage manager, Chris Mitchell, who had previously uploaded a bootleg recording of the Chicago show in a series of 7 parts. Mitchell cited lack of interest and monetary concerns as the reason for the show's failure, claiming that "[the] Pokémon craze was not as big in 2000 as it was in 1999."<ref name=mysteryofpokemonlive/>
After the show ended in 2001, it was largely forgotten by the general public. However, interest in ''Pokémon Live!'' was revived in April of 2016, when popular YouTuber Chadtronic created a video on the topic entitled "The Mystery Of ''Pokémon Live!''. The video contained comments from the musical's production stage manager, Chris Mitchell, who had previously uploaded a bootleg recording of the Chicago show in a series of 7 parts. Mitchell cited lack of interest and monetary concerns as the reason for the show's failure, claiming that "[the] Pokémon craze was not as big in 2000 as it was in 1999.


He also confirmed that a high-definition multi-camera version was shot but never released for unknown reasons and that it was currently lost in the archives of the respective rights holders. Reportedly, Mitchell himself has repeatedly tried to obtain a copy of the professional recording but has been unsuccessful. Chadtronic ended the video by starting the hashtag #FindPokemonLive and encouraging anyone with information to contact him.
He also confirmed that a high-definition multi-camera version was shot but never released for unknown reasons and that it was currently lost in the archives of the respective rights holders. Reportedly, Mitchell himself has repeatedly tried to obtain a copy of the professional recording but has been unsuccessful. Chadtronic ended the video by starting the hashtag #FindPokemonLive and encouraging anyone with information to contact him.


The search did bring forth some new information, such as a promotional video in which Brock's actor mentions the DVD release, as well as the script for the musical.<ref>[http://youtu.be/8Wr_U6CRLTY&t=20m5s A behind-the-scenes video where the DVD release is mentioned.] Retrieved 31 Dec '16</ref><ref>[http://fanpop.com/clubs/pokemon/articles/87449/title/original-pokemon-live-script Script for the musical] Retrieved 31 Dec '16</ref> However, it was ultimately unsuccessful in its goal of finding the professional recording, and interest died back down after a few months.
The search did bring forth some new information, such as a promotional video in which Brock's actor mentions the DVD release, as well as the script for the musical.<ref>[http://youtu.be/8Wr_U6CRLTY&t=20m5s A behind-the-scenes video where the DVD release is mentioned.] Retrieved 31 Dec '16</ref><ref>[http://fanpop.com/clubs/pokemon/articles/87449/title/original-pokemon-live-script The script for the musical.] Retrieved 31 Dec '16</ref> However, it was ultimately unsuccessful in its goal of finding the professional recording, and interest died back down after a few months.


{{Video|perrow  =4
{{Video|perrow  =4
Line 33: Line 33:
   |description4 =Clip from the unreleased professional recording, from "Pokémon Insider: The Video" VHS.
   |description4 =Clip from the unreleased professional recording, from "Pokémon Insider: The Video" VHS.
}}
}}
 
{{Video|perrow  =1
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =OpJhTN-QSQ8
  |description1 =Chadtronic's The Mystery Of ''Pokémon Live!''", containing many comments from Chris Mitchell.
}}
==International Versions==
==International Versions==
===Dubai Show===
===Dubai Show===
While the U.S. show remains elusive, in October of 2016, a professional recording of Pokémon Live actually ''did'' surface - albeit, from the Dubai performance of the show. The video was uploaded by MiG Ayesa, the actor of Ash for this particular performance, and was uploaded to YouTube as a response to the popularity of the ''Pokémon GO'' app.
While the U.S. show remains elusive, in October of 2016, a professional recording of Pokémon Live actually ''did'' surface - albeit, from the Dubai performance of the show. The video was uploaded by MiG Ayesa, the actor of Ash for this particular performance, and was uploaded to YouTube as a response to the popularity of the ''Pokémon GO'' app.


The performance appears to be significantly different from the American production, with lower production values and a shorter run time of 50 minutes. In addition, multiple music numbers and even entire characters have been removed, such as Professor Oak, and Delia (Ash's mother). Still, the video gives a decent representation of what the U.S. recording may have looked like and provides new hope that it may surface some time in the near future.
The performance appears to be significantly different from the American production, with lower production values and a shorter run time of 50 minutes. In addition, multiple music numbers and even entire characters have been removed, such as Professor Oak, and Delia (Ash's mother). Still, the video gives a decent representation of what the U.S. recording may have looked like and provides new hope that it may surface sometime in the near future.


It seems like these Dubai performances resulted from a mix of people and companies from different countries. The cast, director, and producer were completely Australian. The wardrobe came from the U.S.A. The sound effects and music were also aided by a British sound company.
It seems like these Dubai performances resulted from a mix of people and companies from different countries. The cast, director, and producer were completely Australian. The wardrobe came from the U.S.A. The sound effects and music were also aided by a British sound company.
Line 47: Line 51:
   |description1 =The Dubai performance of the musical.
   |description1 =The Dubai performance of the musical.
}}
}}
 
===Mexican Show===
The musical, now dubbed as ''Pokémon El Espectáculo En Vivo'' (or ''Pokémon The Live Show'') was performed for one day only on May 27th, 2001 at the "Auditorio Nacional" (or National Auditorium) in Mexico City.<ref>[https://twitter.com/auditoriomx/status/760567369462722560 Tweet from Auditorio Nacional.] Retrieved 25 Dec '18</ref><ref>[http://pokemex.com/2001/05/15/pokemon-live-en-mexico Pokémex article on ''Pokémon Live!'' in Mexico.] Retrieved 16 Mar '18</ref> It aired on Canal 9 on August 17th, 2001 with a runtime of 2 hours.<ref>[http://hemeroteca.informador.com.mx/Cache/1793378647/00112-01.tif "El Informador" Newspaper TV listing of ''Pokémon El Espectáculo En Vivo''.] Retrieved 03 Jul '18</ref> Unfortunately, all recordings of this televised event are non-existent.
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
Mexicanpokemonlive1.jpg|Ash standing next to Pikachu.
Mexicanpokemonlive2.jpg|Dance sequence from "Pikachu, I Choose You!".
Mexicanpokemonlive3.jpg|Ash, Pikachu, and Mewtwo.
</gallery>
===Portuguese Show===
===Portuguese Show===
The Portuguese version of the show went on from March 21 to March 27, 2002.<ref>[http://youtu.be/Im8kNju_bjM Portuguese commercial of ''Pokémon Ao Vivo''] Retrieved 29 Dec '17.</ref> A 6-minute clip of the Portuguese version, showing parts of You and Me and Pokemon has been uncovered March 3rd. [http://web.archive.org/web/20111105020553/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7llT8IgHkr4&gl=US&hl=en The clip] was originally uploaded by a YouTube user, [[http://web.archive.org/web/20090908143752/http://www.youtube.com/user/craenerX craenerX (aka Cláudio Vasconcelos)] but has since been deleted.  
Following the Mexican show was a final tour in Lisbon, Portugal. The show, now dubbed as ''Pokémon Ao Vivo'' went on from March 21st to March 27th, 2002 at the Pavilhão Atlântico.<ref>[http://youtu.be/Im8kNju_bjM Portuguese commercial of ''Pokémon Ao Vivo''] Retrieved 29 Dec '17</ref> A 6-minute clip of the Portuguese version, showing parts of You and Me and Pokémon has been uncovered March 3rd. [http://web.archive.org/web/20111105020553/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7llT8IgHkr4&gl=US&hl=en The clip] was originally uploaded by a YouTube user, [http://web.archive.org/web/20090908143752/http://www.youtube.com/user/craenerX craenerX (aka Cláudio Vasconcelos)] but has since been deleted.  


{{Video|perrow  =2
{{Video|perrow  =1
   |service1    =youtube
   |service1    =youtube
   |id1          =JCzLyftOoqg
   |id1          =JCzLyftOoqg
   |description1 =A Portuguese clip of the musical.
   |description1 =A Portuguese clip of the musical.
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =Im8kNju_bjM
  |description2 =Portuguese commercial of ''Pokémon Ao Vivo''
}}
}}
 
====cranerX's Deleted ''Pokémon Live!'' Videos====
====cranerX's Deleted Pokémon Live! Videos====
There are more clips of ''Pokémon Live!'', which he deleted, for unknown reasons.  
There are more clips of ''Pokémon Live!'', which he deleted, for unknown reasons.  


Line 76: Line 82:
"Sorry, but this video is in portuguese Neste clip, os nossos amigos estão a caminho do ginásio de Giovanni, e como sempre, vão por uma floresta. Nota: Este vídeo está muito imcompleto, pois apenas possui +/- 10 segundos. Atenção: Provavelmente este será o último clip que eu vou postar. Por enquanto..."</font>
"Sorry, but this video is in portuguese Neste clip, os nossos amigos estão a caminho do ginásio de Giovanni, e como sempre, vão por uma floresta. Nota: Este vídeo está muito imcompleto, pois apenas possui +/- 10 segundos. Atenção: Provavelmente este será o último clip que eu vou postar. Por enquanto..."</font>


===Mexican Show===
==See Also==
Following the Portuguese tour was a final tour in Mexico. The musical, now dubbed as ''Pokemon El Espectáculo En Vivo'' (or ''Pokemon The Live Show'') was preformed for one day only on May 27, 2001 at the "Auditorio Nacional" (or National Auditorium) in Mexico City.<ref>[http://pokemex.com/2001/05/15/pokemon-live-en-mexico Pokémex article on ''Pokémon Live!'' in Mexico] Retrieved 16 Mar '18</ref> It aired on Canal 9 on August 17, 2001 with a runtime of 2 hours.<ref>[http://hemeroteca.informador.com.mx/Cache/1793378647/00112-01.tif "El Informador" Newspaper TV listing] Retrieved 03 Jul '18</ref> Unfortunately, any recordings of this televised event are non-existent.
*[[Pokémon "Computer Warrior Porygon" (lost unaired English dub of anime episode; 1998)]]
*[[Pokémon "The Legend of Dratini" (non-existent unaired English dub of anime episode; 1997)]]
*[[Pokémon "Battle Aboard the St. Anne" (found first American broadcast version of anime episode; 1998)]]
*[[Pokémon "Battle of the Quaking Island! Barboach VS Whiscash!!" (partially found unaired episode of anime; 2004)]]
*[[Pokémon "Cream of the Croagunk Crop" (found original "Hiroki version" of anime episode; 2008)]]
*[[Pokémon "Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan!" (partially found unaired two-part episode of anime; 2011)]]
*[[Pokémon 3: The Movie (lost first draft of script of anime film; late 1990s)]]
*[[Pokémon 3D Adventure: Mew o Sagase! (lost 3D short of anime; 2005)]]
*[[Pokémon 4D: Pikachu's Ocean Adventure (partially found 4D short of anime; 2006)]]
*[[Pokémon! I Choose You! (found original Japanese airing of anime series pilot; 1997)]]
*[[Pokémon "It's New Year's Eve! Pocket Monsters Encore" (lost unaired special of anime series; 1997)]]
*[[Pokémon "Pocket Monsters, Fall Special!" (found "clip show" episode of anime series; 1997)]]
*[[Pokémon "Pocket Monsters, Winter Special!" (lost unaired "clip show" episode of anime series; 1998)]]
 
==External Link==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokémon_Live! Wikipedia page for ''Pokémon Live!''.] Retrieved 31 Dec '16


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 16:43, 16 February 2020

Pokemonlive.jpg

Photo of the show's original cast.

Status: Partially Found

Pokémon Live! was a live-action musical based on Nintendo's popular Pokémon franchise. Touring the United States from September 2000 to January 2001, the show was approximately 90 minutes long and was produced by Radio City Entertainment, 4Kids, and Nintendo. A professionally-recorded version of the musical, was shot at one of the Chicago shows and was planned for airing TV and a release on home video. However, these plans fell through, and no full recordings of the U.S. show have surfaced, outside of bootlegs.

Plot and Production

The play begins with Ash, Misty, and Brock setting out for a Pokémon Gym, in response to a challenge from a mysterious Gym Leader. The challenge stipulates that anyone who can defeat the Gym Leader's Pokémon in a battle will win a special "diamond badge". Afterwards, it is revealed that the challenge was set up by Team Rocket leader Giovanni, who has created a powerful Pokémon named MechaMew2, and intends to use it for world domination.

The musical used live-action actors for both characters and Pokémon, albeit with some exceptions for string-controlled characters. A DVD release was alluded to in promotional material, such as a page on the Pokémon website from the time, but was presumably abandoned around the same time the show's planned UK tour had to be cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".[1][2]

Search for the American Show

After the show ended in 2001, it was largely forgotten by the general public. However, interest in Pokémon Live! was revived in April of 2016, when popular YouTuber Chadtronic created a video on the topic entitled "The Mystery Of Pokémon Live!. The video contained comments from the musical's production stage manager, Chris Mitchell, who had previously uploaded a bootleg recording of the Chicago show in a series of 7 parts. Mitchell cited lack of interest and monetary concerns as the reason for the show's failure, claiming that "[the] Pokémon craze was not as big in 2000 as it was in 1999.

He also confirmed that a high-definition multi-camera version was shot but never released for unknown reasons and that it was currently lost in the archives of the respective rights holders. Reportedly, Mitchell himself has repeatedly tried to obtain a copy of the professional recording but has been unsuccessful. Chadtronic ended the video by starting the hashtag #FindPokemonLive and encouraging anyone with information to contact him.

The search did bring forth some new information, such as a promotional video in which Brock's actor mentions the DVD release, as well as the script for the musical.[3][4] However, it was ultimately unsuccessful in its goal of finding the professional recording, and interest died back down after a few months.

Chris Mitchell's recording of the show.

A "making of" video for the musical.

Michael Slade (writer of the musical) interview.

Clip from the unreleased professional recording, from "Pokémon Insider: The Video" VHS.

Chadtronic's The Mystery Of Pokémon Live!", containing many comments from Chris Mitchell.

International Versions

Dubai Show

While the U.S. show remains elusive, in October of 2016, a professional recording of Pokémon Live actually did surface - albeit, from the Dubai performance of the show. The video was uploaded by MiG Ayesa, the actor of Ash for this particular performance, and was uploaded to YouTube as a response to the popularity of the Pokémon GO app.

The performance appears to be significantly different from the American production, with lower production values and a shorter run time of 50 minutes. In addition, multiple music numbers and even entire characters have been removed, such as Professor Oak, and Delia (Ash's mother). Still, the video gives a decent representation of what the U.S. recording may have looked like and provides new hope that it may surface sometime in the near future.

It seems like these Dubai performances resulted from a mix of people and companies from different countries. The cast, director, and producer were completely Australian. The wardrobe came from the U.S.A. The sound effects and music were also aided by a British sound company.

The Dubai performance of the musical.

Mexican Show

The musical, now dubbed as Pokémon El Espectáculo En Vivo (or Pokémon The Live Show) was performed for one day only on May 27th, 2001 at the "Auditorio Nacional" (or National Auditorium) in Mexico City.[5][6] It aired on Canal 9 on August 17th, 2001 with a runtime of 2 hours.[7] Unfortunately, all recordings of this televised event are non-existent.

Portuguese Show

Following the Mexican show was a final tour in Lisbon, Portugal. The show, now dubbed as Pokémon Ao Vivo went on from March 21st to March 27th, 2002 at the Pavilhão Atlântico.[8] A 6-minute clip of the Portuguese version, showing parts of You and Me and Pokémon has been uncovered March 3rd. The clip was originally uploaded by a YouTube user, craenerX (aka Cláudio Vasconcelos) but has since been deleted.

A Portuguese clip of the musical.

cranerX's Deleted Pokémon Live! Videos

There are more clips of Pokémon Live!, which he deleted, for unknown reasons.

Here is the list of the videos deleted by craenerX (not complete)

  • Pokémon Live! - You and Me and Pokemon (V.2)
  • Pokémon Live! - Introducao ao Team Rocket
  • Pokémon Live! - Ash, Misty e Brock na Floresta
  • Pokémon Live! - Discurso de Giovanni e primeira cena
  • Pokémon Live! - It will all be mine

The video, Pokémon Live! - Ash, Misty e Brock na Floresta was uploaded on Jun 14, 2008, with a run time of 1 min 28 sec. Here is the found description of the video:

"Sorry, but this video is in portuguese Neste clip, os nossos amigos estão a caminho do ginásio de Giovanni, e como sempre, vão por uma floresta. Nota: Este vídeo está muito imcompleto, pois apenas possui +/- 10 segundos. Atenção: Provavelmente este será o último clip que eu vou postar. Por enquanto..."

See Also

External Link

References