The film earned less at the box office than its predecessor, Pokémon: The First Movie, but was still a financial success and received better (albeit still negative) reviews upon release.

Lawrence sets out in his flying hovercraft to the heart of the Orange Islands to capture the three legendary birds, referred to as the Titans of Fire, Ice, and Lightning.

Meanwhile, Ash Ketchum and his companions, Misty and Tracey Sketchit, get caught in a freak storm, and are washed ashore on Shamouti, set in the center of the Orange Islands.

Taken to Fire Island by sea captain Maren, Ash and Pikachu find Moltres' treasure, but are interrupted by Team Rocket.

Ash and Co. manage to escape, gaining Zapdos' treasure in the process, and are transported back to Shamouti by a mysterious water spout revealed to be Lugia.

To make it through the legendary birds' battle, Ash is assisted by Team Rocket, courtesy of a speedboat made from a dingy and the helicopter's discarded propeller, wishing to save the world to continue their villainy.

Misty and Tracey rescue Ash and Pikachu, who venture to Shamouti Island's shrine and place the final treasure with the others.

Melody plays Lugia's song on her Ocarina, ending the storms and bringing peace to the legendary birds.

Team Rocket reaches the island a day later and is told by Slowking that the audience saw their heroics; the trio begin debating over whether they should change their ways or stay the same.

[1] On March 2, 2000, Warner Bros. announced they had acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film outside Asia from 4Kids Entertainment, following the success the two companies had with Pokémon: The First Movie.

In accommodation with the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, a digitally remastered version of the film was released on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play on February 27, 2016.

"[15] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 28 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

He also compared it favorably to the first movie, stating, "...unlike its predecessor, 'Pokémon 2000' doesn't assume that everyone who sees it will know how to tell Togepi from Bulbasaur or Squirtle from Pikachu.

[19] At the 2000 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the film was nominated for "Worst Achievement in Animation" and "The Remake or Sequel Nobody Was Clamoring For".

The melody of has been noted as having a close resemblance to Rick Wakeman's theme for the film The Burning, with the two opening bars being identical.

The song drew new attention in 2011 due to Republican candidate Herman Cain quoting the lyrics as part of his campaign for President of the United States.