Pokémon Live!

Pokémon Live!
Gotta catch 'em
Cover of the cast recording CD release of the show.

Pokémon Live! was a musical stage show that toured the United States on September 22, 2000 to January 19, 2001. Plans for some 2002 performances in the United Kingdom were also made, but later canceled. Despite that, Pokémon Live! was invited to perform in Dubai, U.A.E. at Al Mamzar Park in the duration of March 2001, coinciding with the annual Dubai Shopping Festival. The musical was based on the Pokémon anime series, using similar characters, clothing, and story elements. Approximately 90 minutes in length, it told the story of Ash Ketchum, Misty and Brock as they travel to a contest to win the much sought-after Diamond Badge. The event turns out to be part of a plan by the evil organization Team Rocket and its diabolic leader Giovanni to take over the world. The music of the show consisted of songs previously released on the Pokémon anime soundtracks Pokémon 2BA Master and Totally Pokémon, as well as new songs.

The show was successful, but it was largely ignored by critics. It has never received a video release, even though Pokémon's official site contained a statement for quite some time implying that such a release would appear. A cast recording CD of the show, however, had a limited release.

A Portuguese version of the show, produced by television company SIC, was performed from March 21 to March 27, 2002 at the Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon. Amateur video clips of one of these performances, made by someone who attended the show, were released on YouTube in June 2008. Since 2013, they have all been deleted. A Dutch adaptation of the musical was performed on April 6 and 7, 2002, at the Sportpaleis in Belgium.