Heartwarming / Pokémon: The First Movie

• In the initial battle against Raymond, after Bulbasaur and Squirtle win against his Donphan and Machamp respectively, they both celebrate alongside Ash. Ash's love for his Pokémon is shown clearly, and even Bulbasaur, who started off prejudiced, has grown fond of him.
• At the beginning, when Brock is making his Lazy-Boy-No-Chew-Stew, Togepi is running around and almost falls off a cliff. Pikachu leaps off the table to rush after Togepi and save it.
• After Ash accidentally destroys Mewtwo's cloning machine and frees Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard and the other Pokémon. The first thing Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Squirtle do when freed is give Ash a hug.
  • Especially notable for Bulbasaur, who started off cynical to Ash originally, convinced a human would abandon him in a flash. After being freed, Bulbasaur awakens very groggy, but the moment he hears Ash's voice, he bolts up and runs up to him overjoyed.
    • You can hear Bulbasaur's realization that he is hearing his beloved trainer behind him as his tone when he first hears Ash call him is one of "Please let my ears be right..." and his second cry is pure delight.
• When Mewtwo starts nabbing everyone's Pokémon, we get two from Misty; the first is her hiding Togepi in her bag (making Togepi the only one who isn't captured) and the second is her angrily demanding that Mewtwo give Psyduck back after he's taken away.
  • The latter leads to a moment for Brock (which backfires unfortunately, allowing Vulpix to be kidnapped as well): when Misty snaps at Mewtwo over taking Psyduck, he stops, meaning for all their bickering. Misty's happiness is important to him and anything that upsets her upsets him.
• The moment when Mew swoops in out of nowhere to save Ash just before Mewtwo nearly killed him. He didn't know Ash very well by that point, and he didn't have to save his life. But he did it. Following that, he creates another ball and starts bouncing on it while mewing adorably like he was inviting Ash to play with him.
• When Team Rocket accidentally turns on Mewtwo’s cloning machine, Meowth is picked up and loaded onto the conveyor belt. Jessie and James immediately respond by jumping on the belt to help their teammate. They may be petty thieves, but they’re loyal to each other.
• The dubbed version of Mew gives a good speech about how wrath doesn't get you anywhere.
  Mew: (Meowth translates) You don't prove anything by showing off a lot of special powers, a Pokémon's real strength comes from the heart.
  • To be honest, dub Mew is about 20% more heartwarming than the japanese version.
• The scene where Ash gets turned to stone, and poor Pikachu keeps trying to wake him up started out very sad. It became a Moment of Awesome when Pikachu's tears and not its electricity brought him back.
  • Note that Charizard is also crying. For all his disobedience, he never wished Ash to be dead.
  • Even the Gyarados (a Pokémon that has a reputation of being vicious) are crying over him.
• Meowth's conversation with his clone.
  Meowth: We do have a lot in common. The same Earth, the same air, the same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different...well, who knows?
• After Ash's revival, all the Pokémon and their clones are seen getting along with each, including one of the Ninetails licking behind the other's ear. D'awww.
• "The human sacrificed himself to save the Pokemon. I pitted them against each other, but not until they set aside their differences, did I see the true power they all share deep inside. I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are."
  • Even more so in the Japanese version, where Mewtwo's Heel Realization is connected to the plot/message that's been discussed and explored throughout the movie. He finally realizes that it's pointless to prove that his race of clones is superior through force, loses the ego that he's been trying to feed throughout the movie, and decides that life is just worth living to the fullest, coexisting peacefully with other humans and Pokémon.
• The last lines of the movie make a great Bookend to the series in general. After Ash catches a glimpse of Mew he reminisces about his first steps.
  Ash: Hey what's that?
  Misty: What's what? I don't see anything.
  Brock: Except the sky.
  Ash: The day I left home to start my journey, I saw a really rare Pokémon. And just now I thought I saw another one.
  Misty: Well maybe you're seeing things Ash.
  Brock: Well maybe he's not.
  Ash: Well maybe we'll see.
  • Misty's second line is said with a playful teasing tone while Ash's last line in the exchange is full of the joy of the travels he's had so far with his friends and everything he's looking forward to.
• While a minor funny moment, before Meowth reveals that Jessie is a Lethal Chef, he at least thanks her before hand. One of the rare moments where a fellow member of Team Rocket cares about one and other. In this case Jessie offering to cook for a starving Meowth, and Meowth in turn turning her down politely.
• Just when Meowth is about to be pulled into the Pokemon Cloning Machine, he cries for help. Then James and Jessie throw themselves in to save him.
• The last shot of the movie is Team Rocket contently sitting in a field of flowers on a newly-restored, flourishing New Island, with no sign of there ever being a laboratory built there. Who knows how that happened, but no doubt it was through Mewtwo's intervention that the island was to take on new life.
• The Japanese Ending Theme ''Together With the Wind''. Just listen and let your heart melt.
• When Ash asks Mewtwo where he's going, Mewtwo's response speaks volumes about Ash's character:
  Mewtwo: Where my heart can learn what yours knows so well.
• Pikachu catching his clone after the latter collapses from exhaustion due to frantically hitting him in a fit of anger and desperation after Pikachu refused to fight him.
• In "Pikachu's Vacation", Pikachu trying to convince the bully Pokémon to help get Charizard's head out of a pipe (long story). It's also implied that the reason Pikachu is trying to save Charizard (who's usually an uncooperative jerk) in the first place is because he still sees him as a friend.
  • Not to mention the main Pokémon looking out for Togepi, complete with Squirtle and Pikachu trying to make silly faces for it, Bulbasaur rocking it and singing a lullaby, and Pikachu chasing after Togepi when it wanders off.
  • Pikachu initially tries to AVOID fighting the disruptive Pokémon, and according to Dexter's translation, was advising them not to resort to violence so they could "set a good example for the baby" (Togepi). However, once Raichu accidentally zaps Togepi while aiming at Pikachu, all bets are off, and Pikachu immediate goes in to retaliate.
  • While Charizard is normally a jerk, take a look at his face shortly after Ash lets him out of the Pokéball. Just seeing such an arrogant Pokémon looking so excited to be on vacation is downright adorable. In the same note, it's heartwarming to see Bulbasaur and Pidgeotto, who are most of the time serious, looking so happy.

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