Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns

Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns, released in Japan as Pocket Monsters: Mewtwo! Ware wa Koko ni Ari: MEWTWO SAGA (????????? ?????! ??????? MEWTWO SAGA, Poketto Monsut?: Myuuts?! Ware wa Koko ni Ari MEWTWO SAGA, "Pocket Monsters: Mewtwo! I Am Here 'MEWTWO SAGA'"), is a special hour-long episode of the Pokémon anime series, and is a direct sequel to Pokémon: The First Movie. It was first broadcast in Japan on December 30, 2000 and was released on VHS and DVD in Japan on March 21, 2001. It went direct-to-video in Australia on August 17, 2001 then in the United States and Canada on December 4, 2001 and in the UK on February 11, 2002 . The events of the specials take place during the fourth season of Pokémon: Johto League Champions. In the American dubbed version, the DVD (but not the VHS) features a second mini-feature in addition to the movie feature named The Uncut Story of Mewtwo’s Origin. This 10-minute segment was originally part of Mewtwo Strikes Back's running length in the Japanese version, but it was cut from the U.S. release of that movie because it was deemed too dark and morose for the film's American "G" rating. The German DVD release also includes the English language track. However, the DVD is now out of print across the world as the distribution rights for Warner Bros.' Pokémon movies and specials appear to have expired.