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  Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie Production NotesYugi, a smaller than average high school student and an easy target for bullies, is given an ancient Egyptian riddle called the "Millennium Puzzle" by his grandfather, a local game shop manager. Yugi pieces the puzzle together and unexpectedly becomes the powerful "Game King." Now, when Yugi gets into sticky situations, the "Game King" takes over and protects Yugi and his friends.
Based on the trading card and television series phenomenon, "Yu-Gi-Oh!" is the story of Yugi, a boy captivated by the card game sweeping the nation: Duel Monsters! But there’s more to the game than meets the eye, for it contains ancient mystical energies that can change the course of history!
Deep below the sands of Egypt, an old evil has awakened. Anubis, who was defeated centuries ago by Yugi’s mysterious alter ego – the Pharaoh – has returned for revenge to destroy Yugi and take over the world! Can Yugi and friends conquer their most powerful foe yet before the planet is buried in the sands of time?
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Phenomenon
The brainchild of manga artist/writer Kazuki Takahashi, Yu-Gi-Oh! began as a comic book in Japan in 1996 and has flourished into an immensely successful global brand, spawning a highly rated animated television series, video game franchise and trading card game. Bringing Yugi to the big screen was the next logical step in taking the Yu-Gi-Oh! phenomenon to a whole new level. “Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie is a natural progression as Yu-Gi-Oh! remains one of television’s top-rated animated series,” says Alfred R. Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. “We look forward to building on the success of the brand for many years to come.”
The record-breaking Yu-Gi-Oh! television series debuted on Kids WB! in 2001 and currently airs in over 60 countries and 20 languages, consistently ranking #1 on U.S. network television. The show follows the adventures of mild mannered high school student Yugi Muto, who becomes a seemingly invincible hero when he plays his favorite card game. (Translated, Yu-Gi-Oh! means “King of Games.”)
The card game pits players against each other in “battles” fought using playing cards emblazoned with wildly imaginative creatures. Each card features different monsters, spells and traps with varying strengths and weaknesses. Duelists strategize to use the most powerful combination of cards from their “decks” to defeat their opponents and become master duelists.
Armed with special energies he absorbs from the Millennium Puzzle, a powerful ancient artifact he wears around his neck, Yugi and the Pharaoh – Yugi’s alter ego, whose spirit inhabits the Puzzle – join forces to battle various foes in their quest to save mankind and become the best duelist in the world.
“I think the key to Yu-Gi-Oh! and why it works in so many markets around the world is that kids can put themselves in Yugi’s shoes as he battles these incredible monsters,” observes Norman Grossfeld, President of Productions for Yu-Gi-Oh! licensee 4Kids Entertainment, who not only co-wrote the American adaptation and executive produced Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, but also produced the blockbuster Pokémon movie series. “Kids not only watch the story unfolding onscreen, they imagine themselves in it.”
 Yugi’s legions of young fans also identify with the character’s empowerment through his alter ego, the Pharaoh. “Yugi is not perfect; he’s your average high school student who has the same fears and self doubts that all kids have,” notes Yu-Gi-Oh! TV series writer-producer Mike Pecoriello. “But he has this other side to him, his alter ego, that he can call upon when he needs a confidence boost.”The popularity of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TV series sparked a worldwide phenomenon among fans who yearned to play a real life version of the card game. This excitement led to the creation of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist League, which counts over 600,000 participants, with card play taking place at over 4,500 retail locations.
20,000 Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts are expected to attend the 2004 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship, which takes place on July 25th in Anaheim, California, featuring the best duelists from around the globe facing off in the ultimate competition to determine the World Champion.
In addition, four new Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards have been created for the release of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, and will be free with the purchase of admission exclusively in theaters showing the film. Fans can also look forward to the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie soundtrack with music inspired by the film from featured artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Jean and Fatty Koo. A 4Kids Lane production and distributed by RCA Records, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie soundtrack will hit stores on August 10th, 2004.
Adapting Yu-Gi-oh! for the Big Screen
While the Yu-Gi-Oh! TV series was originally created for the Japanese market and later translated into English for American viewers, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie was developed specifically for Western audiences based on the overwhelming success of the franchise in the U.S. “In the past, we’ve gotten fully-produced episodes of the TV series from Japan, and we would edit the story and the music for American audiences,” Grossfeld explains. “What’s so exciting about Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie is that we created everything from scratch, specifically for our market. So, for the first time, American fans will see a Yu-Gi-Oh! story that nobody in the world has seen before.”
In creating the storyline for Yugi’s first big screen adventure, the Japanese filmmakers and the American production team faced the challenge of telling a complete story in less than 90 minutes, while remaining true to the spirit of the TV show, which tells a story over the course of a 50-episode season. The movie also needed to remain consistent with the television series while also appealing to audience members who aren’t familiar with the show. “We sought to create a complete story arc that works within the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, but at the same time stands on its own,” says Pecoriello.
In addition to crafting a self-contained, feature-length story for the movie, 4Kids and their Japanese partners also wanted to raise the stakes by exploring the dramatic possibilities inherent in the card game. “Part of our challenge was how to get the fans invested in the game in a way that they haven’t been in the past,” Grossfeld notes, “and how to build the drama of the card game so that kids can really put themselves in Yugi’s position.”
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie will transport fans to an exciting new dimension when Yugi finds himself engaged in a heated battle with his archrival Seto Kaiba, who is fiercely determined to finally defeat Yugi and claim the title of King of Games. Suddenly, the imaginary monsters in the players’ decks become real and the duelists are thrust into a dangerous realm where they must fight for their very lives – and the fate of the world. “In the show, when one player loses life points, he’s just losing the duel,” Pecoriello explains. “But in the film, the hazards of the game are much more real.”
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