Pokémon Lucario and the Mystery of Mew

Pokémon USA/Viz Media, color, two discs, NR, 135 min. plus supplements, Dolby Digital 2.0, fullscreen, Street: Sept. 19, $19.95; First Run: DVD premiere

Has it been only 10 years? It seems the wildly successful international anime franchise—videogames, TV series, trading cards and a plethora of licensed merchandise—based on an electronic "pocket monster" has always been around, much to the delight of hyper-attentive children with confused parents, who don't know Ash from Pikachu. This two-disc collector's edition pairs Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, the series' eighth feature-length film (and seventh DVD premiere), with hour-long Pokémon: The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, which aired in April on WB. The Lucario disc includes a slide show of character studies as well as a behind-the-scenes visit with director Kunihiko Yuyama. The five-minute clip shows Yuyama in Germany, scouting medieval castles for design ideas, and then in Japan, overseeing production in a room full of animators at computer terminals. A very basic "how to make a cartoon" lesson is included, as well as a look at 3D computer animation and the recording of the orchestral soundtrack. On the second disc is a text "letter from the director," which explains the discs are intended to show the franchise's evolution over the years and to celebrate the elaborate online world that has been created. Three links to said Web sites—one for ringtones and wallpaper, one for interactive learning games and the other for Pokémon.com—can be connected via the InterActual player that loads into your PC. This franchise may not have the visibility it did in the late '90s, but Pokémon still does a robust business.