Digimon Adventure (film)

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Digimon Adventure
Digimon Adventure film.png
Film poster
Japanese name
Kanji デジモンアドベンチャー
Transcriptions
Revised Hepburn Dejimon Adobenchā
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda
Written by Reiko Yoshida
Based on Digimon
by Akiyoshi Hongo
Produced byHiromi Seki
CinematographyShigeru Andô
Edited byYasuhiro Yoshikawa
Music by Takanori Arisawa
Production
company
Distributed by Toei
Release date
  • March 6, 1999 (1999-03-06)
Running time
20 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office ¥650 million

Digimon Adventure (Japanese: デジモンアドベンチャー, Hepburn: Dejimon Adobenchā) is a 1999 Japanese animated short film directed by Mamoru Hosoda. A part of the Digimon media franchise, Digimon Adventure is the first Digimon film, and serves as a prologue to the 1999–2000 anime television series of the same name. The film was released in theaters in Japan on March 6, 1999, the day before the release of the Digimon Adventure television series.

Contents

Plot

In Tokyo, a creature hatches from an egg that emerges from a computer screen in the home of Taichi Yagami / Taichi "Tai" Kamiya and his younger sister Hikari Yagami / Kari Kamiya. Upon being cared for by the children, it transforms into a dinosaur-like creature that begins wandering the streets of the city. A second egg appears in the sky over Tokyo, from which a bird-like creature emerges. Taichi, Hikari, and several other children witness the two creatures fight; with Taichi and Hikari's encouragement, the dinosaur emerges victorious and both creatures vanish.

Cast

Character name Voice actor
JapaneseEnglishJapanese [1] English
Fox Family Worldwide/Saban
(2000)
Sound Cadence/Discotek
(2024)
Taichi Yagami Taichi "Tai" Kamiya Toshiko Fujita Joshua Seth
Hikari YagamiKari Kamiya Kae Araki Lara Jill Miller
Koromon Chika Sakamoto Peggy O'Neal (Botamon)
Brianne Siddall
Michael Sorich (Big Agumon)
Bob Papenbrook (Red Greymon)
Peggy O'Neal (Botamon)
Brianne Brozey
Michael Sorich (Big Agumon)
Bryce Papenbrook (Red Greymon)
Taichi's MotherTai's Mother Yoshiko Sakakibara Dorothy Elias-Fahn
Taichi's FatherTai's Father Hiroya Ishimaru Doug Erholtz
Miko the Cat Yumi Tōma Michael Sorich
Parrotmon David Lodge
Truck Driver 1 Jeff Nimoy
Truck Driver 2 Bob Buchholz

Ai Nagano, Shizuka Okohira  [ ja ], Shoko Kikuchi, and Yū Sugimoto provide the voices of children.

Production

Digimon Adventure director Mamoru Hosoda Hosoda Mamoru from "The World of Mamoru Hosoda" at Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2016 (33644165075).jpg
Digimon Adventure director Mamoru Hosoda

Digimon Adventure was directed by Mamoru Hosoda, written by Reiko Yoshida, and produced by Toei Animation. It is the first of two Digimon movies directed by Hosoda, preceding Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! (2000). [2] The film was originally conceived as a standalone project based on the Digital Monster virtual pet created by WiZ [3] [4] and Bandai, with character designs by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru  [ ja ] that were inspired by 1970s comic book artwork. Following the launch of the manga series Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 in the manga magazine V Jump in 1998, Toei elected to make the manga's protagonist Taichi Yagami / Taichi "Tai" Kamiya the primary character of Digimon Adventure; the film was ultimately re-developed into a prologue for the 1999 television series of the same name, which began production a month and a half after the film began production. [5]

As he was unable to place the events of the film in the same time period as the 1990s-set Digimon Adventure television series without creating plot inconsistencies, Hosoda's original concept for the film was a story in which Taichi's father / Tai's father and his Digimon partner travel around Tokyo against the backdrop of the 1964 Summer Olympics; [5] the proposal was rejected, and Hosoda was instead instructed to create a kaiju film. [5] Faced with the difficulty of creating a kaiju film in the film's 20 minute length, Hosoda and Yoshida elected to focus principally on the film's climactic fight scene. Concerns around plot inconsistencies between film and television series were resolved by placing the events of the film several years before the events of the series. [5]

Release

Digimon Adventure was released in theaters in Japan on March 6, 1999, [6] a day before the release of the Digimon Adventure television series. [7] It was released as part of the Spring 1999 Toei Animation Fair, alongside Yu-Gi-Oh! and Doctor Slump: Arale's Surprise Burn . [8] A DVD collecting Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! was released on October 13, 2000, for rental, [9] and on January 21, 2001, for purchase. [10]

The film's theme song is "Butter-Fly" by Koji Wada. [11]

In North America, footage from Digimon Adventure was edited with footage from the films Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! (2000) and Digimon Adventure 02: Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Transcendent Evolution! The Golden Digimentals (2000) to create Digimon: The Movie , which was released in theaters on October 6, 2000. [12]

In July 2023, Discotek Media announced plans to release both Digimon: The Movie and the individual films. The films were given new dubs featuring surviving members of the original cast, including Joshua Seth, Michael Reisz, and Lara Jill Miller, as well as new cast members, such as Bob Papenbrook's son, Bryce Papenbrook, as Red Greymon. [13] It was released on December 17, 2024. [14]

Reception

Digimon Adventure, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Doctor Slump: Arale's Surprise Burn collectively grossed ¥ 650 million (2001) [15] (equivalent to ¥670.41 millionor US$ 6.15 million in 2019) [16] .

Producers of Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris which was released on the same day as Digimon Adventure, largely praised the Digimon film, and later noted in an interview that the film is inspiring and made them to realize that they should seek to create entertainments like Digimon Adventure. [17]

Crunchyroll praised Digimon Adventure as an "endearing short film," praising Hosoda's "admirable" direction and storytelling in spite of the largely commercial purpose of the film. [18] Writing for Polygon , Allegra Frank concurs that while the film is attached to a " Pokémon -like multimedia machine," it has "heart, and humor"; [7] Chris Cimi of Otaquest similarly notes that while the film is "made to sell toys and games, Hosoda proved his aptitudes for resonance and charismatic visual story-telling clear as day." [19]

Related Research Articles

Digimon, short for "Digital Monsters", is a Japanese media franchise, which encompasses virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films, and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures that inhabit a "Digital World", which is a parallel universe that originated from Earth's various communication networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agumon</span> Fictional character in Digimon franchise

Agumon (アグモン) is a fictional character from the Japanese multimedia franchise Digimon. It is a reptile-like Digimon who has appeared in various parts of the Digimon franchise including anime, manga, toys, video games, trading card games, and other media.

<i>Digimon Adventure</i> (1999 TV series) 1999 television anime created by Akiyoshi Hongo

Digimon Adventure, also known as Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 1 in English-speaking territories, is a 1999 Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation in cooperation with WiZ, Bandai and Fuji Television. It is the first anime series in the Digimon media franchise, based on the Digital Monster virtual pet released in 1997.

<i>Digimon Tamers</i> 2001 Japanese television anime

Digimon Tamers is a Japanese anime television series and the third television series in the Digimon franchise, produced by Toei Animation. The series takes place in a new setting separate from the preceding series, Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02, where the characters utilize cards from the collectible card games. The series aired in Japan from April 2001 to March 2002.

<i>Digimon Adventure 02</i> Japanese anime television series

Digimon Adventure 02, marketed as season 2 of Digimon: Digital Monsters in English-speaking territories, is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It is the sequel to Digimon Adventure, and the second anime series in the Digimon franchise. The series aired in Japan from April 2000 to March 2001. It was originally licensed in North America by Saban Entertainment and aired in the US from August 2000 to May 2001.

<i>Digimon Frontier</i> 2002 Japanese television series

Digimon Frontier is the fourth anime television series in the Digimon franchise, produced by Toei Animation. Unlike the previous series, the main characters can merge with ancient spirits known as the "Legendary Warriors" to become Digimon themselves.

<i>Digimon: The Movie</i> 2000 film by Mamoru Hosoda and Shigeyasu Yamauchi

Digimon: The Movie is a 2000 animated film produced by Saban Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Fox as part of the Digimon franchise. The film used footage from the short films Digimon Adventure (1999), Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! (2000), and Digimon Adventure 02: Hurricane Touchdown!! (2000), while the events of the film take place during Digimon Adventure (1999–2000) and Digimon Adventure 02 (2000–01).

<i>Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!</i> 2000 anime film

Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!, also known as Digimon Adventure: Children's War Game!, is a 2000 Japanese anime short film directed by Mamoru Hosoda and produced by Toei Animation. A part of the Digimon media franchise, Our War Game is a sequel to the 1999–2000 anime television series Digimon Adventure and is the second Digimon film overall. The film premiered in Japan on March 4, 2000 as part of the Toei Anime Fair ; in North America, portions of Our War Game were included in the 2000 film Digimon: The Movie. Hosoda has cited Our War Game! as a major influence on his 2009 film Summer Wars, with critics noting numerous similarities between the films. The events of the film take place during the first season of Digimon Adventure.

<i>Digimon Fusion</i> Japanese anime television series

Digimon Fusion, known in Japan as Digimon Xros Wars, is the sixth anime television series in the Digimon franchise, produced by Toei Animation. The series was broadcast on TV Asahi between July 2010 and March 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tai Kamiya</span> Fictional character in the Digimon franchise

Taichi "Tai" Kamiya, known as Taichi Yagami in Japan, is a fictional character in the multimedia franchise Digimon. He first appeared in the Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 manga, where he is sent to the Digital World to meet his Digimon companion Zeromaru, in order to save it from multiple enemies. An alternate version of Tai appears in Toei Company's 1999 series as the main protagonist of Digimon Adventure, a supporting character in Digimon Adventure 02 and once again as the protagonist of the films Digimon Adventure tri. and Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna. In this timeline, Tai is the leader of the first season DigiDestined. He is adventurous and a born leader, and is usually the first to spring into action. He is partnered with the dinosaur-like Agumon in the Digimon Adventure anime series.

<i>Digimon Adventure tri.</i> Japanese anime film series

Digimon Adventure tri. is a Japanese adventure anime film series produced by Toei Animation. Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Digimon franchise, the six-part series serves as a direct sequel to the first two television series, Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02 and follows the high school years of the first eight "Digi-Destined".

<i>Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna</i> 2020 Japanese film

Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution – Kizuna is a 2020 Japanese animated adventure film directed by Tomohisa Taguchi and written by Akatsuki Yamatoya based on the Digimon franchise by Akiyoshi Hongo. Produced by Toei Animation with animation by Yumeta Company and distributed by Toei, Last Evolution – Kizuna is set in the same continuity of the first two Digimon television anime series, and serve as a series finale of the original Digimon Adventure story. Last Evolution – Kizuna was released in Japan on February 21, 2020.

<i>Digimon Adventure</i> (2020 TV series) Japanese anime television series

Digimon Adventure is a Japanese anime television series. It is the eighth anime series in the Digimon franchise and a reboot of the 1999–2000 anime television series of the same name that follows the adventures of children in the world of Digimon, struggling to prevent a series of disasters spreading into real world.

References

  1. Hosoda, Mamoru (director) and Yoshida, Reiko (writer) (March 6, 1999). Digimon Adventure (film) (in Japanese).
  2. Camp, Brian (May 21, 2013). "Mamoru Hosoda Exclusive Interview". Otaku USA . Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  3. "渡辺けんじスペシャルインタビュー" [Kenji Watanabe Special Interview]. デジタルモンスター ART BOOK Ver.1~5&20th[Digital Monster ART BOOK Ver.1~5&20th]. Bandai. December 9, 2017.
  4. "デジモンペンデュラム開発者インタビュー" [Digimon Pendulum Developers’ Interview]. デジタルモンスター ART BOOK Ver.PENDULUM[Digital Monster ART BOOK Ver.PENDULUM]. Bandai. November 21, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 DIGIMON MOVIE BOOK. Shueisha. January 2001. ISBN   978-4087790955.
  6. "Digimon Adventure". Toei Animation List of Works. Toei Animation . Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Frank, Allegra (October 20, 2018). "Getting fired from a Miyazaki movie was 'a good thing' for this anime director". Polygon . Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  8. "Animation Festivals". Kids Web Japan. Ministry of Foreign Affairs . Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  9. "デジモン DVD" (in Japanese). Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  10. "Digimon Adventure". CD Japan. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  11. "[デジモンテイマーズ] ホームページ Interview with Koji Wada". Dimps Corporation (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  12. Fahey, Mike (October 6, 2020). "20 Years Ago Digimon: The Movie Premiered, And It Wasn't Great". Kotaku . Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  13. "Discotek to Release 3 Digimon Films With New Uncut English Dub Featuring Classic Cast". Anime News Network. July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  14. https://collider.com/digimon-movies-blu-ray-original-dub-cast/
  15. "洋画配給収入". BIGLOBE (in Japanese). Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  16. 1868 to 1938: Williamson J., Nominal Wage, Cost of Living, Real Wage and Land Rent Data for Japan 1831-1938 , 1939 to 1945: Bank of Japan Historical Statistics Afterwards, Japanese Historical Consumer Price Index numbers based on data available from the Japanese Statistics Bureau. Japan Historical Consumer Price Index (CPI) – 1970 to 2014 Retrieved 30 July 2014. For between 1946 and 1970, from "昭和戦後史" . Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  17. Nikkei Entertainment (JP), 2007, Volume January 2001, Nikkei Business Publications
  18. "LE FILM DU DIMANCHE : Digimon Adventure: Bokura no War Game!". Crunchyroll (in French). March 22, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  19. Cimi, Chris (June 9, 2021). "Mamoru Hosoda's TOEI Origins and What Could Have Been". Otaquest. Retrieved July 29, 2021.