Director Kunihiko Yuyama received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 17th Japan Film Review Grand-Prix for his work on Pocket Monsters. The 17th Japan Film Review Grand-Prix, which comprises of 14 film critics and movie journalists, chose the Theatrical Version Pocket Monsters series for the Lifetime Achievement Award as it celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2007.

Pikachu also appeared at the award ceremony and according to an interpreter it was "A very honorable prize it got and it is moved deeply today." The decision to award the Pocket Monsters series the Lifetime Achievement Award wasn't too hard for the Japanese Grand-Prix critics. As of 2007, there has been 10 theatrical versions of Pocket Monsters with approximately 43 million people seeing them at the theater. The series has also generated a box-office revenue exceeding 46 billion yen.

Director Kunihiko Yuyama who has dealt with the entire series stated that "We are currently producing the 11th movie in the series. The joy of this award is that it is a vote of encouragement and I want to continue making movies towards the children, the fathers, the mothers, and the youth who are waiting to watch them at the theater." A cartoonist, Mr. Takeshi Nagai, who appeared by the presenter encouraged "I want you to do your best with Pikachu to continuously promote the pride of the animation culture in Japan around the world."

Source: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/