^ The idea in the Japanese version was that he was hit by both of the colliding attacks, and it did supposedly kill him. That's why the Pokemon tears, which were said to have revived the dead in that legend, were the only things that were able to bring him back to life. Turning to stone was the effect the two attacks had on his body, and what not.. and yeah. This is totally off-topic, by the way. >_>
As far as the Lucario movie goes, I think those were the closest things to actual death scenes that Pokemon has ever had. In the way of seeing the characters actually fading, and such. I was almost surprised that it happened, to be honest. Having not just one, but two characters die off in one movie. xD;
I remember the fan response to this movie was really good, though.