As kid-prompted pop-cultural phenomena go, there have been far more obnoxious fads than Pokémon's onslaught of TV shows, trading cards, toys, video games, kitchen utensils, clothing, and movies. The colorful and appealingly rendered characters have more imagination behind them than most transparent merchandising ploys, and the animated adventures frequently contain at least the semblance of an actual story. That said, any novelty Pokémon might have had for anyone outside its targeted consumer demographic will have worn off before the arrival of this, the second full-length Pokémon movie in a year. An unimpressive feat of animation, Pokémon The Movie 2000 (known elsewhere under the curious title Phantom Pokémon: Lugia's Explosive Birth) stars whiny audience surrogate Ash, who with his human and Pokémon companions must once again save the world in what an off-screen narrator dubs "his greatest adventure yet." Whether or not Pokéfans will agree depends less on the actual quality of the film than Pokémon's position in relation to the kiddie zeitgeist, as well as P2K's ability to stoke the fires by expanding the Pokémon mythology and presenting a wide variety of colorful, collectible, marketable fighting animals. Pokémon hasn't quite been supplanted, and since this film features appearances by such beloved Pokémon as Pikachu, Charizard, Squirtle, Meowth, Jigglypuff, Psyduck, Mr. Mime, and Spearow—not to mention the haplessly villainous Team Rocket—P2K should find its audience with scarcely any trouble. As with the first Pokémon movie, the feature is preceded by a nearly wordless short, "Pikachu's Rescue Adventure." In it, eagle-eyed viewers will no doubt spot Bulbasaur, Pidgeot, Wartortle, Poliwhirl, Zapdos, and Slowbro. The especially observant will even pick out Ninetales, Marowak, and Alakazam, so keep your eyes peeled.