Note: This movie was eventually adapted into the third part of the dub's Digimon: The Movie ("Present Day"), and a significant part of the movie was cut out in order to accommodate for three movies being cut and repasted into one.
This movie is a Non-Serial Movie (see more details on Continuity Snarl below), but if the movie were to be placed in timeline, it would take place between between episode 14 and episode 15 of Adventure 02 (which are also the two episodes the movie was released between in terms of broadcast time).
In a flower field, a young boy plays happily with two baby Digimon. Suddenly, one of them, Chocomonnote , disappears, and a mysterious wind is left behind...
Some years later, Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori play with their Digimon at the beach, Sora practices flower arrangement, Koushirou does some work on his computer, Jou attends cram school, Taichi plays soccer, and Yamato practices playing the guitar. Hikari and Takeru go to visit Mimi in New York, but the fun is suddenly interrupted when Hikari suddenly hears a crying Digimon, saying that it’s looking for someone. Suddenly, a light emerges from Mimi’s Digivice and a wind swarms around them, and when it subsides, Mimi disappears - and we see that the older Chosen Children have also vanished mysteriously from whatever they were doing, the mysterious wind appearing in their place.
The boy from the flower field, now much older, finds a large, menacing Digimon (Wendimonnote ) in front of him, and the boy recognizes him as Chocomon. His other Digimon, Gumimonnote , having evolved to his Child form (Terriermon), attacks Chocomon.
Hikari and Takeru wonder where Mimi was taken to, and Takeru asks Hikari about the crying Digimon that she heard. Hikari says that she heard him right before Mimi disappeared and that he sounded very sad, and realizes that it’s nearby.
The boy continues to follow Gumimon and Chocomon as they fight, and Hikari and Takeru, trying to find the “crying Digimon”, find themselves running into the battle scene. Hikari identifies Chocomon as the crying Digimon, and the boy pleads with Chocomon, telling him that he’s Wallacenote . Hearing the name "Wallace," Chocomon steps back and fades away in the wind. Takeru calls out to Wallace and Hikari suddenly hears the voice of Taichi, and Takeru says that maybe Wallace knows something about all of this that’s going on. The boy runs off with Gumimon and Patamon flies off to follow him, and Hikari says that something is awakening.
The elder Chosen find themselves drifting into a mysterious world, finding it difficult to think or see what’s going on around them. Dazed, Yamato and Taichi urge Takeru and Hikari to be careful.
Wallace calls a friend, telling her to tell his mother that he's going to "Summer Memory," while Patamon watches over him. Hikari sends Daisuke an email asking him to save her brother, providing details on the situation, and Miyako helps them make their way to America via plane and hitchhike with a weird guy who’s into monsters and Japanese cars.
Wallace sneaks onto a train and heads towards Summer Memory, and Gumimon asks him if he's going to the flower field. Wallace asks Gumimon why he attacked Chocomon, even if it had turned out to not be Chocomon, and Gumimon replies that Chocomon was serious about attacking Wallace and that he had to protect Wallace. Wallace says that they should have tried to reason with him instead of attacking; Gumimon says that Chocomon isn't who he used to be, and Wallace refuses to hear it. As they continue to make their way to Summer Memory, Gumimon complains that it's hot and tells Wallace to call his mom, but Wallace shrugs it off and wonders if Chocomon will be at the flower field if he really is Chocomon, and if he is, what he should say to him. Gumimon only responds that Chocomon didn't like heat.
Hikari, Takeru, Tailmon, and Patamon make their own way to Summer Memory via train, and Hikari informs Takeru that Daisuke is coming (to Takeru's distress, as he had wanted to make Daisuke jealous with pictures of America). Suddenly, the train begins to enter another realm, while they see images of Chocomon on the windows. Takeru and Hikari's D-3s glow and they're thrown back into reality, but the train is stopped. Takeru and Hikari realize that everyone else on the train has vanished due to the mysterious wind, and the train is stuck in the middle of a bridge.
Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori, having arrived in Colorado via a plane called the Denver Bird, and Daisuke impatiently wants to see Hikari. Fortunately, a truck stops nearby and lets on another boy, and Daisuke manages to negotiate with the driver to let them on too. The boy in the truck turns out to be Wallace, and Chibimon is surprised to see another Digimon there. Miyako and Iori realize that he’s the boy referred to in the information Takeru and Hikari sent them.
When they get off the truck, Wallace expresses surprise that Japan has Digimon too, and explains that he learned Japanese from having a Japanese girlfriend once. Miyako figures that Wallace and Gumimon weren't the ones who took Taichi and the elder Chosen to another world, while Wallace attempts to flirt with her a little (to Daisuke's irritation). Iori asks Wallace where he met Gumimon, and Wallace says that his mother, who's always surfing the internet, found that an egg came out of her computer one day. Wallace says that Chocomon has been kidnapping children who have Digimon, and when Daisuke hears that Wallace had gotten off a train to call his mom, he laughs at him for being a Momma's Boy - only for the car that Miyako and Iori are using to hitchhike to leave without Daisuke and Wallace.
The elder Chosen wake up in the other realm, suddenly de-aged to three years younger...
After Wallace calls his mom, his Digivice beeps and they're attacked by Chocomon. Knowing that Chocomon is the Digimon who appeared in New York, Daisuke has Chibimon evolve to V-mon and attack him, after which he armor evolves to Fladramon. Chocomon withstands Fladramon's attacks and, while in the other realm, the elder Chosen sense that he's angry, all the while still de-aging.
Wallace tells Daisuke to stop the fight and continues trying to appeal to Chocomon, asking where he took the Japanese children and why he's doing this. Gumimon continues to insist that it's not the same Chocomon as before, and when Wallace insists that he's Wallace, Chocomon begins to say that he's not Wallace and demands to know where Wallace is. With Chocomon not recognizing Wallace and attacking him, Gumimon evolves to his Adult form (Galgomonnote ). Gumimon continues to attack Chocomon despite Wallace's protests, and as Chocomon disappears, Wallace tells him that he'll be waiting at the flower field.
The elder Chosen, still trapped inside the other world and still de-aging, find the area suddenly changed to that of a large field, and Koushirou speculates that they might be inside someone's heart.
Daisuke demands to know who the monster was and why Wallace had talked to him the way he did, but Wallace shrugs off his questions and tries to go off alone. However, Gumimon's having too much fun playing with Chibimon, and they decide to find another car to hitchhike in; however, since the road's destroyed, they’re forced to walk. As they continue on, Daisuke asks Wallace why he's going to Summer Memory, and when he's reluctant to tell, Gumimon tells Wallace that Chocomon is trying to make all of the kidnapped children younger, and is about to reveal his relationship to Chocomon before an awkward silence hits. Daisuke supplies a way to get to Summer Memory in the form of Lighdramon.
Daisuke and Wallace arrive at Summer Memory, where they meet with Miyako and Iori and Daisuke expresses disappointment that Hikari still isn't there. Iori and Miyako tell him that they've gotten an email from her, saying that Chocomon stopped their train, that they're getting to Summer Memory by bus, and that everyone on the train had disappeared. Wallace is a little unnerved to know that Chocomon has taken all of the people on the train, and the kids pressure him to give them the answers on who Chocomon is and why he’s doing this. Wallace recalls a memory of bandaging a wound on the young Chocomon and of Gumimon comforting him...
As Wallace walks off, Gumimon reveals to Daisuke that Chocomon is probably kidnapping Chosen Children in an attempt to find Wallace, but specifically wants to see the young Wallace. As Wallace has more memories of playing with Chocomon and Gumimon as a child, he refuses to say anything.
The children continue to hitchhike, and at night, when the kids take a rest to sleep, Wallace attempts to sneak off to the flower field. Daisuke catches him and asks if Chocomon is Wallace's Digimon. Now faced with no choice but to spill it, Wallace tells Daisuke that Chocomon and Gumimon were twins who came out of the same egg, and that one day, sevennote years prior, Chocomon had suddenly disappeared. note Daisuke remembers that seven years prior was around the time Taichi and Hikari first met a Digimon, and Wallace says that he's never been able to stop thinking about Chocomon even after he moved to New York, upset that Chocomon's turned into a monster.
Daisuke, realizing that Wallace has been fighting his own Digimon and therefore his own precious friend, breaks down and cries, saying that he would never be able to bring himself to do such a thing if something similar happened to V-mon. Knowing that they have to defeat Chocomon if they want to save Taichi and the others, Daisuke is conflicted, but Wallace tells him that it's something he shouldn’t cry over and says that Chocomon might turn back to normal if they meet at the flower field, meaning that they wouldn’t have to fight Chocomon but would still be able to save Taichi and the others. Daisuke, having regained his confidence with this idea, tells Wallace that he’d better not go off alone, and Gumimon arrives to back up this statement, saying that he’s coming too, even if it means having to fight the Chocomon whom he loved.
As the kids arrive at the flower field the next morning, an image of the baby Chocomon begins to hop around the world the elder Chosen are trapped in, hopping around and trying to find Wallace. The baby Chocomon sadly realizes that even if these kids are younger, none of them are Wallace, and in the real world, Chocomon begins to recognize the real Wallace as the boy he's looking for. Wallace invites him to come back to his senses and play with him like he used to, but he swipes at Wallace and Gumimon intervenes to protect him. Chocomon begins to rant that he "wants to go back, wants to go back," and Wallace tells him that they can't go back to the way things were before, but that they can start from where they are now. Chocomon refuses to accept this and suddenly releases a wave of darkness that begins corrupting the area around them.
In a fury, Chocomon evolves to his Perfect-level form (Andiramonnote ), and Wallace, knowing that Chocomon is unsalvageable, asks Daisuke if he will help him defeat Chocomon. Gumimon evolves to his Adult form, and V-mon, Armadimon, and Hawkmon armor evolve to Fladramon, Digmon, and Holsmon. Chocomon proves to be incredibly powerful, and deftly avoids their attacks. After a fashion of battling, he sinks into the lake and re-emerges in his Ultimate form (corrupted Cherubimon), summons a wave of darkness, and transports the kids to another realm where cold, black snow falls. Miyako realizes that the black snow is coming from Chocomon's heart.
Chocomon releases a massive wave that causes all of the Digimon to degenerate into their Child forms, unable to evolve again. Chocomon begins to manipulate and play with the Digimon like toys, and Wallace begs him to stop. Gumimon continues to fight back, declaring that he'll protect Wallace, and the Digimon return to their human partners, also echoing the sentiment. Wallace faces Chocomon, saying that what's in front of Chocomon is not Chocomon but something that's taken Chocomon and locked him away somewhere inside. Wanting to get Chocomon back by defeating the Digimon in front of him, he resolves to fight, and the others back him up.
Chocomon attacks, easily grabs the Digimon, and is about to eat them, but Angewomon and Angemon arrive just in time to interfere with Hikari and Takeru behind them. Hikari sees Chocomon and realizes that he's no longer the Digimon who was crying, and Chocomon fends off Angewomon and Angemon by using the black snow to heal himself. They're pulled into what they initially believe yet another realm, but Hikari says that it's actually the real world, and Chocomon is modifying it for his purposes.
As Angewomon and Angemon continue to fight, Daisuke and Wallace realize that they've suddenly become younger, with Miyako and Iori following suit. Takeru and Hikari realize that the next step might lead to everyone disappearing, and Angemon and Angewomon tell them that the only thing they can do is to combine light and hope to evolve them to Ultimate in the hopes that it'll lead to some kind of solution. Takeru and Hikari agree and Angemon and Angewomon inexplicably evolve to their Ultimate levels, Holydramonnote and Seraphimon, as a now de-aged Takeru and Hikari look on and marvel.
Chocomon attacks them and easily forces them to degenerate to Patamon and Tailmon, but the energy from them having evolved to Ultimate forms into two golden Digimentals, which Tailmon refers to as the Digimentals of miracles. Daisuke and Wallace use the two Digimentals to armor evolve V-mon and Gumimon to golden armored forms (Magnamon and golden-armored Rapidmon)
The two of them are strong against Chocomon, but Chocomon still manages to catch them and eat them. Inside Chocomon, the two of them begin to forget everything in the darkness, but Gumimon remembers that he must protect Wallace. Outside, the kids approach Chocomon, and Daisuke and Wallace yell their support, causing Gumimon and V-mon to hear their voices inside and remember them. All of the Digimon continue to push on, saying that they'll protect their friends, and when Chocomon gravely injures them, the children, getting younger and younger, stay by their side.
Remembering Wallace and Daisuke, while inside Chocomon, Gumimon and V-mon see the Champion form of Gumimon gesturing to himself and asking them to kill himnote . The two oblige and attack from inside, ripping Chocomon apart. The purified Chocomon smiles at Wallace in his last moments before he dissolves away, and as Gumimon and V-mon return to their human partners, Gumimon tells Wallace that while Chocomon was always sad, he smiled this time.
After everything is over and everyone is back to normal, Daisuke tells Wallace that someday, Chocomon will return. After they confirm Taichi and the others are safe, Wallace says that he'll visit Japan someday, and teasingly gives Hikari and Miyako kisses on the cheek before running off as an agitated Daisuke runs after him.
As Wallace calls his mother, saying that he'll be home soon, they see an egg at the shore of the water and go to retrieve it - and a frame after the credits shows the present-day Wallace accompanied by the Child-level Gumimon and Chocomon (Lopmon).
Tropes
- Artistic License – Geography: Daisuke, Iori, and Miyako are able to get from Japan to New York to Colorado and back to New York within one day...and they traverse the American portion of the trip by hitchhiking.
- Big "NO!": Chocomon does this when Wallace says he can't go back with him.
- The Casanova: Wallace shamelessly flirts with Miyako under the pretense that "it's good manners to compliment girls," and gives her and Hikari kisses on the cheek before departing. Daisuke is not amused.
- Character Development: The movie provides a small amount of it with Daisuke’s momentary moment of angst over whether he would be able to fight V-mon if something happened to him. It’s more than you’d get in Adventure 02’s main series, anyway.
- Continuity Snarl: Hoo boy, here we go. As stated above, this movie were in canon it would take place between episodes 21 and 22 of Adventure 02. However, there are just too many things that don’t make sense, including how on earth Tailmon manages to super-evolve to Angewomon when she shouldn’t be able to, how Angemon and Angewomon can go Ultimate at all, and why Daisuke doesn’t recognize Magnamon or the Digimental of Miracles when he comes across it in episode 20. Even worse, the dubbed version of episode 7 has Izzy make a direct reference to Willis, which brings him into the dub’s version of the Adventure 02 universe and with him a whole ton of contradictions. Then he makes a cameo in Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna, which suggests that it's also canon in the Japanese version. In an interview,the director has confirmed the thid movie is canon.
- To make things even more confusing, the drama CD The Door to Summer, which is generally appreciated for giving Daisuke some much-needed Character Development, takes place one year after this movie. The drama CD provides its own Continuity Snarl in that it completely ignores the ending of the movie, acting as if Wallace had never found Chocomon's DigiEgg and had not reunited with him as Lopmon. In Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna, Willis appears along Gumimon and Chocomon.
- Death Seeker: Chocomon is this in the dub. It's why he keeps saying "destroy."
- Digital Abomination: Cherubimon Fallen Mode, which at that point is little more than an avatar of whatever was possessing Chocomon in the first place.
- Drives Like Crazy: The weird guy that Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori hitchhike with.
- Eldritch Location: Cherubimon turns the flower field into one.
- Evil Laugh: Cherubimon has a quiet, high-pitched one.
- Fanservice Pack: Whereas the Digidestined girls are usually drawn with subtle to non-existent assets, in this film, Yolei is given a more noticeable bust and Kari even gets some bounce.
- Free-Range Children: Wallace hitchhikes all the way between New York and Colorado, and all he does before starting his journey is tell his friend to tell his mom that he's going to Summer Memory. That said, he still has to tell his mom not to worry that he's running away, claiming that he’s making a "manly trip." In addition, Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori manage to get on a plane all the way to America and hitchhike to Colorado, taking a rest to sleep, without much fuss.
- Humanoid Abomination: Wendimon and his later forms are the Digimon equivalent of this. He shimmers around the edges when agitated.
- Hypocritical Humor: Daisuke teases Wallace for being a Momma's Boy...and then some time after asks if it's okay for him to call his mom.
- Male Gaze: The only explanation for the shot of Hikari's butt as she struggles over the train seat after she and Takeru are attacked.
- Mental World: Chocomon traps the original Digidestined in his mindscape.
- Mind Screw: The entire movie feels like it's part of an acid trip, what with Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori managing to get on a plane to America with little time and effort and hitchhike to Colorado with a guy who likes monsters for some reason, Cherubimon causing the area around him to turn into some Eldritch Location, Angewomon and Angemon miraculously evolving to Ultimate out of nowhere, the lack of an explanation on how Chocomon became corrupted in the first place...all while extremely trippy music plays during the battles with Chocomon. The dub makes a valiant effort to make a logical story by loosely tying it to Our War Game! and trying to turn some of the surrealism into over-the-top humor, but is ultimately unable to change the fact that this movie makes no sense.
- Pink Mist: When Magnamon and Rapidmon destroy Cherubimon from within, Cherubimon coughs up a pinkish cloud. In the dub, it's accompanied by a splattering sound.
- Pistol-Whipping: Galgomon hits Wendimon with one of his arm cannons hard enough to send the latter flying through a billboard.
- Pulling Themselves Together: Cherubimon can re-form its body even after being completely disintegrated by Angemon and Angewomon.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Chocomon has red eyes in his Wendimon and Andiramon forms.
- Riddle for the Ages: Just what exactly caused Chocomon to disappear in the very beginning while playing with Wallace and Gummymon?
- Soundtrack Dissonance: The original Japanese version of the movie likes to make use of calm, almost jazzy music throughout most of the movie, even in the tense scenes. It makes the whole thing feel more surreal than it already is.
- Subhuman Surfacing Shot: Antylamon retreats into a lake to evolve, then slowly emerges from the water as Cherubimon. The sequence is accompanied by unsettling background music and close-up shots on the creature's body, serving to highlight what a horrible Eldritch Abomination it has become.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Cherubimon has gold eyes.
- Super-Speed: Chocomon has this as Andiramon.
- Swallowed Whole/Eat Me: Cherubimon does the former to Magnamon and Rapidmon in the original by regenerating his head behind them when they think he's down. The dub turns it into the latter.
- Theme Twin Naming: Wallace still refers to Chocomon and Gummimon by the names they had in their baby forms. Averted in the dub, where he refers to Terriermon by his actual name, but still refers to Wendimon as Chocomon.
- Translation Convention: Surprisingly not used in several conversations where it should either be employed or use actual English instead; Wallace speaks over the phone to his mother in Japanese, given that Daisuke makes fun of some of some of the stuff he says (then again, given that Daisuke had understood the crazy car-loving driver, he might have just happened to understand some of the "English" Wallace used).
- Wallace also uses Japanese with an affected English accent to both his mother and to Chocomon in certain phrases for some reason. It's never really explained.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The original Chosen that were taken by Chocomon and deaged to kid age for some reason don't appear again after Chocomon appears and tries to call for Wallace. We know that they were returned somehow, but we don't see any of them again for the rest of the movie or see what their reactions were about the place.
