Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light
Encyclopedia
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light, known in Japan
as is a 2004 anime film produced by Nihon Ad Systems
based on the second anime series of Yu-Gi-Oh!
.
This film was released in the United States before Japan, as it was commissioned by 4Kids Entertainment
, and was released in theatres in August 2004. The characters are the same as the English version of the Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters television show and their names retain their regional changes (i.e., Téa is Anzu in the Japanese version and Téa in all other versions). Unlike the TV series, the cards retain their appearance to their real world counterparts
in the English version. The movie was released in Japan in December 2004, which utilized the names, original sound effects and original soundtrack from the Japanese anime and featured ten minutes of additional animation.
The movie came out with a soundtrack
featuring various vocal artists (most notably The Black Eyed Peas
, who contributed the song "For The People"); however, the score for the movie was never released.
Meanwhile, Joey and Tristan hold off a mob of duelists wanting to duel Yugi for the Egyptian Gods (until Joey ends up dueling with and defeating all of them), with Yugi and Téa seeking refuge in Domino Museum, where they meet up with Yugi's Grandpa. They discover a new attraction on display, the Pyramid of Light, which resembles the Millennium Puzzle. Once Grandpa reads an inscription on the side of a sarcophagus, also part of the exhibit, Yugi has a strange vision about Kaiba. They wake up to find the pyramid stolen, the sarcophagus empty, Yugi wanting Téa to read him an ancient story of the pharaoh's past, and Mokuba standing outside. Mokuba says that Kaiba wants Yugi to come to the KaibaCorp Duel Dome immediately. Yugi does so, transforming into the Pharaoh on the way, and finds Kaiba ready to duel. He seals all the exits, forcing Yugi to duel him; Joey and Tristan, who have been chasing Yugi to see what he's up to, are also trapped.
During the duel, Yugi is starting to suspect that there are dark forces at work - especially when Kaiba activates a trap card called the Pyramid of Light, which not only bears a striking resemblance to the pyramid in the museum, but also removes the Egyptian Gods from play; it also sucks Yugi, Joey and Tristan's souls into the Millennium Puzzle, and later Téa as well. During the duel, as Yugi and Kaiba lose Life Points, they begin to lose their own life force as well. Before long, Kaiba has his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the field, but to Yugi's surprise, he sacrifices it to summon an even stronger monster, the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. Kaiba wants to humiliate Yugi by wiping him out with his own Egyptian Gods; since Pyramid of Light removed the Gods from play, Kaiba plans to play Return from the Different Dimension to get them under his control. Kaiba commands his Shining Dragon to use its special effect, which allows it to sacrifice itself to destroy the Pyramid of Light. Suddenly, a ghostly voice calls out and the effect is canceled. Anubis, the Egyptian Lord of the Dead whom the Pharaoh destroyed 5,000 years ago, is resurrected by Yugi's ebbing life force and rises up from behind Kaiba, throwing him aside and taking over the duel himself, all in the hopes of having his revenge against the Pharaoh.
Putting his faith into the cards, Yugi draws the Double Spell card, which allows him to discard a card to activate Monster Reborn from the graveyard. He uses it to revive Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon and destroys the Pyramid of Light, after it is weakened by Yugi inside the Millennium Puzzle, which also releases him, Joey, Tristan and Téa. Anubis then summons Theinen the Great Sphinx with the Pyramid of Light around his neck. Yugi then uses the Reverse of Reverse trap card to use the Return from the Different Dimension placed face-down by Kaiba to return the Egyptian God Cards and use them to defeat Anubis's monster. Anubis is seemingly defeated, but a giant jackal arises from the remains of the Pyramid and attempts to kill Yugi and his friends. Kaiba and Yugi join forces and summon the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, which destroys Anubis once and for all.
, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
, and AVP: Alien Vs. Predator, which took the #1 position. It is currently the #3 Japanese animated film in the US Box Office, after Pokémon: The First Movie
and Pokémon 2000.
ranked the film 68th in the '100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s', with a rating of 5%, based on 60 reviews, with the site's top critics giving it a rating of 0%. The film only grossed $19 million in the United States
and in Canada
, with only $29 million worldwide, making it a severe disappointment
compared to the first three Pokémon
films dubbed by the same company, which were highly successful, with a total worldwide gross of $363 million. The film is also currently the lowest rated animated film on Metacritic
, with an average of 15 out of 100, based on 18 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it is the second lowest behind Happily N'Ever After
.
cards Pyramid of Light, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, Sorcerer of Dark Magic and Watapon were given out as part of a promotional deal when moviegoers purchased tickets for this movie.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as is a 2004 anime film produced by Nihon Ad Systems
Nihon Ad Systems
, NAS for short, is a Japanese anime production and character merchandising company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the advertising agency Asatsu-DK. The "Ad" in its title is an abbreviation for "Animation Development". Along with animation studios Sunrise, Toei Animation and TMS Entertainment, it is...
based on the second anime series of Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh!
is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
.
This film was released in the United States before Japan, as it was commissioned by 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
, and was released in theatres in August 2004. The characters are the same as the English version of the Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters television show and their names retain their regional changes (i.e., Téa is Anzu in the Japanese version and Téa in all other versions). Unlike the TV series, the cards retain their appearance to their real world counterparts
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
The is a Japanese collectible card game developed and published by Konami. It is based on the fictional game of Duel Monsters created by manga artist Kazuki Takahashi, which is the main plot device during the majority of his popular manga franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and its various anime adaptations...
in the English version. The movie was released in Japan in December 2004, which utilized the names, original sound effects and original soundtrack from the Japanese anime and featured ten minutes of additional animation.
The movie came out with a soundtrack
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie Soundtrack
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the film Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light.-Track listing:# "You're Not Me" – Marty Bags# "For The People" – The Black Eyed Peas# "One Card Short" – James Chatton...
featuring various vocal artists (most notably The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
, who contributed the song "For The People"); however, the score for the movie was never released.
Plot
The events of Battle City (Season 3) and the Paradise arcs have just concluded, and Yugi now owns all three Egyptian God Cards. Seto Kaiba longs to finally defeat Yugi, and he suspects that since Maximillion Pegasus created the Egyptian God Cards, he would have also created a way to beat them. Kaiba heads off to Pegasus' retreat castle to find the card. Meanwhile a shadowy being breaks into Pegasus' safe and adds a card to the deck hidden inside. Kaiba arrives and challenges Pegasus to a duel, wagering his Blue-Eyes White Dragons for Pegasus' card that can beat the Egyptian Gods. Kaiba wins, and Pegasus' allows him to search his Deck for the card. To Pegasus' surprise Kaiba finds two cards, capable of defeating the God Cards. Kaiba leaves ignoring Pegasus' claims that there should only have been one card.Meanwhile, Joey and Tristan hold off a mob of duelists wanting to duel Yugi for the Egyptian Gods (until Joey ends up dueling with and defeating all of them), with Yugi and Téa seeking refuge in Domino Museum, where they meet up with Yugi's Grandpa. They discover a new attraction on display, the Pyramid of Light, which resembles the Millennium Puzzle. Once Grandpa reads an inscription on the side of a sarcophagus, also part of the exhibit, Yugi has a strange vision about Kaiba. They wake up to find the pyramid stolen, the sarcophagus empty, Yugi wanting Téa to read him an ancient story of the pharaoh's past, and Mokuba standing outside. Mokuba says that Kaiba wants Yugi to come to the KaibaCorp Duel Dome immediately. Yugi does so, transforming into the Pharaoh on the way, and finds Kaiba ready to duel. He seals all the exits, forcing Yugi to duel him; Joey and Tristan, who have been chasing Yugi to see what he's up to, are also trapped.
During the duel, Yugi is starting to suspect that there are dark forces at work - especially when Kaiba activates a trap card called the Pyramid of Light, which not only bears a striking resemblance to the pyramid in the museum, but also removes the Egyptian Gods from play; it also sucks Yugi, Joey and Tristan's souls into the Millennium Puzzle, and later Téa as well. During the duel, as Yugi and Kaiba lose Life Points, they begin to lose their own life force as well. Before long, Kaiba has his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the field, but to Yugi's surprise, he sacrifices it to summon an even stronger monster, the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. Kaiba wants to humiliate Yugi by wiping him out with his own Egyptian Gods; since Pyramid of Light removed the Gods from play, Kaiba plans to play Return from the Different Dimension to get them under his control. Kaiba commands his Shining Dragon to use its special effect, which allows it to sacrifice itself to destroy the Pyramid of Light. Suddenly, a ghostly voice calls out and the effect is canceled. Anubis, the Egyptian Lord of the Dead whom the Pharaoh destroyed 5,000 years ago, is resurrected by Yugi's ebbing life force and rises up from behind Kaiba, throwing him aside and taking over the duel himself, all in the hopes of having his revenge against the Pharaoh.
Putting his faith into the cards, Yugi draws the Double Spell card, which allows him to discard a card to activate Monster Reborn from the graveyard. He uses it to revive Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon and destroys the Pyramid of Light, after it is weakened by Yugi inside the Millennium Puzzle, which also releases him, Joey, Tristan and Téa. Anubis then summons Theinen the Great Sphinx with the Pyramid of Light around his neck. Yugi then uses the Reverse of Reverse trap card to use the Return from the Different Dimension placed face-down by Kaiba to return the Egyptian God Cards and use them to defeat Anubis's monster. Anubis is seemingly defeated, but a giant jackal arises from the remains of the Pyramid and attempts to kill Yugi and his friends. Kaiba and Yugi join forces and summon the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, which destroys Anubis once and for all.
English version
- Yugi Muto / Yami YugiYugi Mutouis the protagonist of the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. He is a young boy whose body becomes inhabited by the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh named when he completes the Millennium Puzzle.-Character design:...
- Dan GreenDan Green (voice actor)Daniel Alexander Green , is an American voice actor, voice director and script adapter who has worked for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post and Central Park Media... - Seto KaibaSeto Kaibais a fictional character and the anti-heroic tritagonist in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. As the majority shareholder and CEO of his own multi-national company, KaibaCorp, Kaiba aims to become the world's greatest player of the Duel Monsters card game...
- Eric StuartEric StuartEric Stuart is a voice actor, voice director, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. As the lead singer of his own band, the Eric Stuart Band , he is an award-winning independent artist with a growing US and international fan base.Stuart gained acclaim as a voice actor not only because of his... - Anubis - Scottie RayScottie RayScottie Ray , sometimes credited as Scott Rayow, is a voice actor who normally voices characters for properties of 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media and NYAV Post...
- Joey WheelerKatsuya Jonouchiis a fictional character and the deuteragonist in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! He is known as Joseph "Joey" Wheeler in the English-language anime and video games....
- Wayne GraysonWayne GraysonVinnie Penna is an American actor and voice actor who is mostly known for voice over under the name Wayne Grayson and has worked with 4Kids Entertainment, NYAV Post and DuArt Film and Video.... - Tristan Taylor - Greg Abbey
- Téa GardnerAnzu Mazaki, known in the English anime and English video games as Téa Gardner, is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!.Anzu's given name is sometimes written in hiragana next to the kanji in order to emphasize the fact that her name is read as "Anzu" instead of "Kyoko."-Character...
- Amy BirnbaumAmy BirnbaumAmy Birnbaum is an American voice actress, who works on the properties of 4Kids Entertainment.She has done many voiceovers for cartoons, mainly dubbing for English versions of anime. Her works can be found in anime dubs such as Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Sonic X , Magical... - Mokuba Kaiba - Tara Jayne
- Solomon Muto - Maddie BlausteinMaddie BlausteinMadeleine Joan Blaustein was an American voice actress...
- Maximillion Pegasus - Darren DunstanDarren DunstanDarren Dunstan is a Canadian born voice actor and an occasional stage actor currently based in New York City. He has provided voice-over and voice direction on several properties of 4Kids Entertainment....
Japanese version
- Yugi Mutou / Dark Yugi - Shunsuke KazamaShunsuke Kazamais a Japanese actor and singer affiliated with Johnny's Entertainment.-History:As a Johnny's Junior he was member of .He is also a member of TU→YU along with V6's Hiroshi Nagano, NEWS's Takahisa Masuda, Hey! Say! JUMP's Hikaru Yaotome and actor Tatsuya Takeda...
- Seto Kaiba - Kenjiro TsudaKenjiro Tsudais a Japanese voice actor and actor from Osaka Prefecture. He works at Stardust Promotion as an actor and Mediarte Entertainment Works as a seiyu.-Anime:*Air *Air Gear *Ashita no Nadja...
- Anubis - Kouji Ishii
- Katsuya Jonouchi - Hiroki TakahashiHiroki Takahashiis a Japanese voice actor best known for the role of Eiji Kikumaru in The Prince of Tennis, Kenji Harima in School Rumble and Katsuya Jonouchi in Yu-Gi-Oh. He works at Big Shot/Interchannel. He also has voice acted in some yaoi Drama CD's such as Love Neco, and Koi cha no Osahou...
- Hiroto Honda - Hidehiro Kikuchi
- Anzu Mazaki - Maki SaitoMaki Saitois a Japanese female seiyuu.-Voice roles:*Aishiteruze Baby *Good Morning Call *Meine Liebe...
- Mokuba Kaiba - Junko TakeuchiJunko Takeuchiis a Japanese voice actress employed by Love Live.Taking a well-trod path by many voice actresses, she often voices young male characters with generally very quirky and goofy personalities...
- Sugoroku Mutou - Tadashi MiyazawaTadashi Miyazawais a male Japanese voice actor. He is from Nagano, Japan. He is part of the talent agency KeKKe.-Anime:*Bakkyuu HIT! Crash Bedaman *Beast Wars II: Chō Seimeitai Transformers *Eyeshield 21...
- Pegasus J. Crawford - Jiro J. Takasugi
Box office
The film opened at 2,411 screens across the U.S and made a theater screen average of $3,934. By the end of the weekend, it made $9,485,494 and place #4 on the Box Office Top 10 behind CollateralCollateral (film)
Collateral is a 2004 crime thriller film starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It was directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie. It was Mann's first feature film to be shot mostly with high-definition cameras. Mann had previously used the format for portions of Ali and for his CBS drama...
, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is the 2004 sequel to 2001's The Princess Diaries.Most of the cast returned from the first film, including Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Héctor Elizondo, and Heather Matarazzo...
, and AVP: Alien Vs. Predator, which took the #1 position. It is currently the #3 Japanese animated film in the US Box Office, after Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie, originally released as , is a 1998 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, the chief director of the Pokémon television series. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise...
and Pokémon 2000.
Reception
The film had gained overwhelmingly negative response. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
ranked the film 68th in the '100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s', with a rating of 5%, based on 60 reviews, with the site's top critics giving it a rating of 0%. The film only grossed $19 million in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with only $29 million worldwide, making it a severe disappointment
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
compared to the first three Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
films dubbed by the same company, which were highly successful, with a total worldwide gross of $363 million. The film is also currently the lowest rated animated film on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, with an average of 15 out of 100, based on 18 reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it is the second lowest behind Happily N'Ever After
Happily N'Ever After
Happily N'Ever After is a 2007 American computer-animated film based on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. It is a Vanguard Animation production, released by Lions Gate Films on January 5, 2007...
.
Promotional cards
Attendees of the movie during its premiere (U.S. or Japan) got 1 of 4 free Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card GameYu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
The is a Japanese collectible card game developed and published by Konami. It is based on the fictional game of Duel Monsters created by manga artist Kazuki Takahashi, which is the main plot device during the majority of his popular manga franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and its various anime adaptations...
cards Pyramid of Light, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, Sorcerer of Dark Magic and Watapon were given out as part of a promotional deal when moviegoers purchased tickets for this movie.