Pokemon - Giratina and the Sky Warrior

Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior is the United States title for the 11th Pokémon movie and the second movie in the Diamond & Pearl trilogy, originally released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl the Movie: Giratina and the Bouquet of the (Frozen) Sky: Shaymin which was directed by Frank Marshall and Ron Howard and written by Chris Terrio and Roger Allers, it was released in Japanese theaters on July 19, 2008 and was released in Japan on DVD on December 19, 2008. The film premiered on February 13, 2009 in the USA in theaters and on Cartoon Network and was released on Region 1 DVD on March 31, 2009 and was then premiered on May 23 on Jetix in the UK. It aired in Pakistan on August 21, 2011 on Cartoon Network Pakistan.

The movie was officially announced in a teaser trailer attached to the end of the previous film, Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai. In the trailer, Regigigas was shown appearing from beneath the ground. This is the only teaser since Pokémon 3: The Movie to feature anything beyond a title and a release date. The theme song for the film is "ONE", by Crystal Kay, and "This is a Beautiful World", by Aaron Brotherton for the English dub.

The dub title was first revealed by Sarah Natochenny on her résumé, and was later confirmed on the official Pokémon website.

In the United Kingdom, the movie was released on DVD on 28 November 2011 by Universal.

Pre-release
In addition to Regigigas, Dialga and Palkia were shown in both the teaser trailer and on the first poster for the film. Giratina's appearance and the current working title of the film were revealed in a second teaser trailer towards the end of 2007. In the March issue of CoroCoro Comic, it was revealed that Giratina has two forms: "Altered Forme," the form seen in the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games as well as on the film's first poster; and "Origin Forme", which is seen in the final poster. The Origin Forme is the form Giratina takes when it travels between dimensions. Shaymin was also confirmed to appear in the March issue of CoroCoro Comic. In another trailer, it is shown that Giratina can travel through dimensions by a strange purple wind that look like streaks of power. Giratina's dimension called the Reverse World is shown in a trailer as a bottomless foggy place with floating islands, covered with strange green materials like moss or grass.

In one of the teaser trailers it was said that "the battle of time and space is not over yet!", implying a direct connection to the previous film. The final poster for the film does not contain images of either Dialga or Palkia, although Dialga is shown battling Giratina in a trailer released in March 2008, on the official website for the film. The Origin Forme of Giratina is shown on the final poster with the tagline: "Pokémon will follow the new light."

In a new trailer released on April 18, 2008, it is shown that Shaymin is able to communicate by telepathy, and it befriends the group. In the same trailer, it shows Shaymin glowing while floating in the air. Just recently it was confirmed in the June Issue of CoroCoro that its new form is actually a Sky Forme.

People who bring their Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games and Nintendo DS to theatrical showings of the film are able to download a level 50 Shaymin to their game cartridge via wireless connection. Those who pre-ordered their film tickets are also able to download a level 100 Regigigas into their games. This special Regigigas unlocks an event in the game: the original Regis appear in three separate locations. Fans were also able to obtain a special Shaymin, which when transferred to Platinum, unlock the new item the "Gracidea Flower" in Floaroma Town which allows Shaymin to change forms (these events are only for Platinum).

Plot
After the fateful events of Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, Shaymin, a hedgehog-like legendary Pokémon, is drawn into a battle between Dialga and Giratina, who drags both Shaymin and Dialga into the Reverse World. A frightened Shaymin uses her powers to escape through a portal back to the normal world, Dialga following after he disables Giratina's ability to venture to Earth by trapping it in an infinite time loop. The battle is witnessed by Newton Graceland, a specialist on the Reverse World, and by the film's antagonist Zero.

Shaymin survives, ending up in a beautiful seaside town (Bergen) where it runs into Ash Ketchum, Dawn, Brock and their Pokémon, causing mayhem whilst trying to steal Ash's lunch. Shaken by its experience, Shaymin falls ill but healed at the local Pokémon Center. Ash is frustrated by its pompous attitude, but he and his friends agree to take Shaymin to the Flower Garden, so it and others of its kind can migrate and grow a new garden where they go, through a process called flower bearing. Team Rocket appear and try to run off with Shaymin, only for a portal to the Reverse World to open and swallow them, Shaymin, Ash, Pikachu, Dawn and Piplup.

In the Reverse World, the kids encounter Giratina but are rescued by Newton, who explains the distorted world is an alternate dimension which reflects Earth, and he was trapped in the dimension five years ago whilst studying it. The balance between time, space and the Reversed World was damaged during Dialga and Palkia's fight in the previous film. Giratina targets Shaymin, angry that it helped Dialga escape from it, prompting Newton to send the kids and Pokémon back to Earth, but Team Rocket are too slow to follow. Zero, seeking Shaymin's power, attacks the kids with his army of Magnemite, Magneton and Magnezone, forcing them to escape onto a departing train.

The kids befriend several train passengers, Shaymin making contact with a Gracidea flower and transforms into its Sky Forme, altering its appearance to a deer-like state and allowing it to fly. Zero's Pokémon attack, but Shaymin, Pikachu and Piplup blast them out of the train. The kids board a ferry heading to the mountain where the Shaymin live, but are sucked into the Reverse World again, followed by Zero and his Pokémon. Giratina attacks the group after Shaymin provokes it before transforming back to its normal form, Newton and Team Rocket saving the kids. Zero appears, reveals he was Newton's assistant, and plans to use Shaymin's powers to open a portal for Giratina to return to Earth. Shaymin panics, opening a portal and sends everyone, save Team Rocket, back to Earth to Shaymin's home.

Freed from the time loop, Giratina is captured by Zero, who is using a device to absorb its abilities. The device was originally built by Newton, but he cancelled the project upon learning that the device would kill Giratina. Zero uses the device with the intention of becoming ruler of the Reverse World and destroying Earth. Ash, Dawn, Pikachu, Piplup, Chimchar, Buizel, Buneary, and Ambipom attack Zero's ship whilst Newton is able to shut down the device, releasing Giratina. However, it collapses from exhaustion and nearly dies, but Shaymin revives it. Zero flees to the Reverse World to destroy Earth, damaging the mountain's glacier, awakening Regigigas, who comes to save the glacier aided by a herd of Mamoswine, along with Dawn's Buneary and Swinub.

Ash, Pikachu, Shaymin, Chimchar, Turtwig, and Giratina battle Zero, whose attack ship is empowered with Giratina's abilities. Chimchar and Turtwig are trapped by claws on Zero's ship, causing Ash to recall them. Shaymin uses the full extent of its power to open a portal, dragging everyone back to Earth, with Zero being frozen in the glacier, whilst Giratina returns Ash and Pikachu to Earth and restores the damage Zero has caused, before departing to track down Dialga. Shaymin is finally able to perform flower bearing, before migrating in Sky Forme with the rest of its kind. During the end credits, Newton rescues Zero who is then arrested, whilst Ash, Dawn and Brock send bouquets of flowers to their respective families.

Box office and reception
It took the second Japanese box office, beaten by Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea during the July 19–20 weekend. Giratina to Sora no Hanataba: Shaymin saw 982,000 viewers spending ¥1,018,770,000 (approx. US$9,463,400) to see the film. It eventually raked in just 10% less than the previous year's film, Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai.

Reception was mixed on IMDB.com, with users giving the anime film a 6.2 out of 10, based on 425 reviews. Critics' reviews on certain websites were surprisingly decent, praising the film's visuals and animation.

Release
This was the first Pokemon film to be distributed by Universal Studios Home Entertainment in North America. It was also the first anime film that Universal has ever distributed in the country. It was later re-released on Region 1 DVD on July 7, 2015 by Viz Media. Universal Studios Home Entertainment also released the film in several European countries, including the United Kingdom.