As far as modern kids are concerned (Pokémon obsessives to a boy and girl), it is probably completely beside the point to claim that Disney is still the brand beside which all animation is judged. Disney's wild, creative but beautifully-controlled set-pieces, eccentric memorable characters, and sheer rush of colour tower over anything on offer here.

All children currently devouring the TV series, trading cards, and games will celebrate this film as a happy extension of their activities. In a picture where the animation is adequate and often bland, and the pace of some scenes needs sorting out, the Pokémon world is certainly captured in all its frenzy. As an aid to interpreting the action, you should know that Pokémon means pocket monsters, which come in 150 varieties and are often let loose by their trainers to engage in battle. Sounds tempting? Well, it would if you were 12.

Crucial to this universe are Ash Ketchum, a noisy, self-confident young trainer, and his pet Pikachu, whose speciality is giving off waves of electricity. The plot involves the biggest and best Pokémon competition ever, hosted on New Island by Mewtwo, a strange sort of evil kitten which soars through the air. Its jolly plan is to terminate mankind, and Pokémon-kind, by employing extremely useful Pokémon clones.

There are occasional outbreaks of moral-minded finger-wagging (the only real comparison with Disney), but the main focus of the film is the many battle scenes which, even when cluttered and top-heavy, are always bursting with detail and life.

Read a review of the sequel.

Read a review of "Pokémon 3: The Movie".

Read a review of the DVD.