Pokmon: The First Movie originally released in Japan as Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back ( Gekijban Poketto Monsut: Myts no Gyakush?) is a 1998 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama the chief director of the Pokmon television series. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokmon franchise. The title can also be interpreted as Mewtwos Counterattack.As Pokmon were extremely popular when the film was released it was a box office hit worldwide. It primarily consists of three segments: Pikachus Vacation a 20+ minute feature focusing on the most popular Pokmon character Pikachu Origin of Mewtwo a 10-minute featurette that functions as a prologue to the main feature and Mewtwo Strikes Back the main 75-minute movie feature. However the United States dub version by 4Kids Entertainment omitted "Origin of Mewtwo" from the package before its U.S. theatrical run due to its dark nature[citation needed] as the target MPAA rating was a G it was partially restored in the movies release on VHS and DVD. The featurette was eventually dubbed and restored as a special feature in the U.S. release of the direct-to-video follow-up movie sequel Pokmon: Mewtwo ... >>