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Pokémon: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, later released in Japan as The Terrifying Mirage Pokémon (???????????? Senritsu no Mir?ju Pokemon) is a special hour-long episode of the Pokémon anime series created for the tenth anniversary of the franchise. This special premiered on Kids' WB on April 29, 2006 (with the Kayzie Rogers version). It became available on DVD in the United States on September 19 that year as a special feature on the 2-disc Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew release (with the Sarah Natochenny version), and the original dub aired on October 28 in the same year on Cartoon Network. In Japan the special was available for download as ???????????? on the official site from October 13-October 31, 2006.
Pokémon: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon | |
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English poster | |
Genre | Action, Science Fiction |
Written by | Shinzo Fujita |
Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama (chief) Masamitsu Hidaka |
Starring | Jamie Peacock Ikue ?tani Bill Rogers Michele Knotz Billy Beach Shin-ichiro Miki Satomi K?rogi Katsuyuki Konishi Rodger Parsons |
Composer(s) | Shinji Miyazaki |
Country of origin | Japan United States |
Original language(s) | Japanese English |
Production | |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company(s) | OLM, Inc. Shogakukan Production |
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Chronology | |
Preceded by | Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns |
This special marked the first time English-language production was handled exclusively by Pokémon USA (now known as The Pokémon Company International) and TAJ Productions. Previously, 4Kids Entertainment (now known as 4Licensing Corporation) was mostly responsible for the Pokémon anime English dub. As a result of this change, costs were cut, and the English-language version of the special featured an all-new voice cast, replacing the original voice actors for many major characters, many of whom had worked on the show for eight years. The only three who returned were Rodger Parsons as the narrator, Jimmy Zoppi, who voice many characters like Gary Oak but now provides the voice for James and Meowth, and Kayzie Rogers, who voices over 50 Pokémon, now provides the voice of Max (and also voiced Ash for the original version of the special).
This change caused controversy among many fans. It was announced at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con that the version available on DVD would be improved from that aired on TV, with dialogue being re-recorded after the new voice cast became more familiar with their roles, and after Ash was given another new voice actor, Sarah Natochenny. The redub was included as a bonus disc on the home media release of Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.