Pokemon The Movie 2000
a Learning Experience
you're going to
take your kid to see Pokemon The Movie 2000. You wouldn't deprive your
kid of the experience, would you? Hey, you meanie, stifle that thought.
realize you have
to go, you might as well make the best of it by turning the flick into
one of those magic parental moments: a learning experience. Here's how.
The plot of
the main film
(there's a short film beforehand) is simple, and not particularly
from most recent James Bond movies. In a nutshell, a bad guy wants to
a powerful undersea Pokemon.
To lure it
out of the ocean,
he captures two other powerful ones whose absence causes the world's
to go haywire. The Pokemon trainer Ash must save the planet by freeing
these force-of-nature Pokemon from captivity.
filmmakers don't make
the effort to twist this plot into an environmental message. That's
you come in.
outside the cinema
with the movie's poster, which reads, "This summer, one person can make
all the difference." Ask your kid if he or she can make all the
in saving the planet. Don't press it. Just plant the seed.
the way home, explain
how vulnerable the world's weather really is to small changes in the
For example, explain how volcanic eruptions, like the one in Krakatoa
Indonesia in 1883, affect weather around the world by spreading a layer
of ash in the air, cooling temperatures and damaging crops and even
famine. Throw in that word "ash" and the kid will listen to anything.
segue from that into
a talk about how the plastic rings that hold a 6-pack of soda can choke
a seabird, and how maybe having fewer seabirds will lead to more or
of some other kind of animal. Or talk about how conserving paper might
save a few trees that produce oxygen. Play it by ear.
is, whether the
Pokemon creators intended it or not, the film is ripe for your
on how your kid can make all the difference in saving the planet. Now
$8.50 (plus popcorn, soda, candy and parking) well spent.