WandaVision Accused Of Stealing Its Story From Pokemon 3
Turns out originality really is dead, as one clever Pokefan has presented the theory that Marvel's Wandavision copied its entire plot from Pokemon 3: Spell of the Unown... a film that came out over 20 years ago.
Are Pokemon 3 And Wandavision Connected?
For the most part, the general premise of each Pokemon movie is surprisingly aligned with many of the same story beats and even thematic explorations. Over on The Gamer, there's a theory that the similarities between Spell of the Unown and Wandavision are quite uncanny.
It's fair to assume that Pokemon may have inspired Wandavision in a few ways. Topping it off, both pieces of media have been praised for their maturity in showcasing a more delicately human side of both the respective franchises.
The third Pokemon film is set in a town named Greenfield and follows the character Molly and her father, Professor Hale. Essentially, one night while experimenting with a Pokémon called Unown, Hale is sucked into a different dimension.
While lamenting the loss of her father, Molly accidentally activates a spell summoning more Unowns. This causes them to create a fortress of crystal surrounding her mansion, locking her in and ruining the surrounding town.
From here, the Wandavision similarities increase, as the Unowns make an Entei which believes it's her father. This allows Molly to retreat into her own world of make-believe after suffering the loss of her father, bending reality to her need and ignoring the outside world.
In both franchises, this is a premise that hits close to home for anyone who has lost someone, making for a relatable story on the overwhelming effect of grief and denial.
How Was Pokemon 3 Recieved?
For a relatively low budget film - running underneath $16 million total - Pokemon 3's box office returns of $68 million were quite outstanding, especially considering its poor critical reception at the time.
It seems that it's become more of a cult film over time, while its importance in growing the Pokemon movies beyond the one-dimensional narratives of the first two was imperative to the growth of the franchise.
Although it's impossible to know how much of Pokemon 3 the Wandavision writers took inspiration from - or if they drew from it at all - there's no denying some of the surface and deeper similarities between them. We're also more interested in analysing the other Pokemon stories to see how of them has rubbed off on pop culture.
