To Pokémon fans who were there since the beginning, there is nothing more nostalgia-inducing than the global PokéMania phenomenon of the late ‘90s. If that’s you, then this newly uncovered video is a must-see.
The rare footage shows the first-ever Pokémon theme park attraction, Pokémon Island Adventure, which was held at Warner Bros. Movie World on Australia’s Gold Coast in 1999.Serving as a promotional event for the release of Pokémon: The First Movie, it only ran for a couple of months between December 1999 to January 2000, which may explain why footage and photos were previously so scarce.
The video surfaced after YouTube user Theme Park Ogre recently put out a “bounty” for footage of the attraction, which prompted fellow user Theme Park Time Capsule to upload an incredible six minute video of Pokémon Island Adventure.
The attraction is based on Nintendo 64 spin-off Pokémon Snap, allowing guests to walk around lovingly crafted sets based on the game’s various levels (such as the Beach, Volcano, and Cave). Recognizable songs from the Snap soundtrack also play, and there are many brilliant models of Pokémon favorites from the first generation to spot.
X user @AmyThunderbolt had a family member who worked at the park, and asked if she could keep the Meowth and Jigglypuff models before the event shut down. A few years ago, she shared a photo of the duo on her shelf.
My Meowth and Jigglypuff that came out of a Pokemon Snap themed ride from the early 00s ✨ finally found a spot for them. pic.twitter.com/YCVG0Vq87L
— Amy 😎 (@AmyThunderbolt) May 4, 2021
A Flickr album by James Colmer – who was the head production designer for Pokémon Island Adventure, according to YouTube user Mewisme700 – also shows 50 photographs of the sets, including some amazing shots of Professor Oak’s laboratory.
Like discovering a new species to add to the Pokédex, it’s always a wonderful surprise to uncover and preserve more Pokémon history such as this. The Nintendo Wire team would like to issue a big thank you to everyone involved in documenting this incredible find!
Images in the banner on this page are all credited to James Colmer.
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Written by Reece Heather
A lifelong Nintendo fan and a longtime editor at Zelda Universe, Reece will forever be grateful that he somehow dodged the Naughty List of Christmas 1998, when Santa delivered the life-changing gift of a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and Mario Kart 64. When he's not playing games, Reece is usually reading Punisher comics, delving helplessly into the weirdest depths of anime and manga, or spending time with his cocker spaniel Gracie -- the goodest girl ever!
