It’s time to catch them all. We’re not talking about the monsters themselves, but the cards inspired by them: that is the aim of the protagonist in the upcoming Pokémon feature film for cinemas, the first feature to hit theatres in seven years. Its name will be ‘Pokémon: Wild Card‘ and it will drift away from Ash Ketchum’s adventures and the latest heroes of the animated series to present us with a blank slate.
The details that have been released are scarce yet enticing. During the closing of the international Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco, the first teaser trailer for the project was revealed, focusing on a new unseen hooded character who is ready to take a risk with their deck. Their companion Pokémon is the adorable Mimikyu, a Ghost/Fairy-type creature that mimics the appearance of a Pikachu to earn the same level of admiration. And there is also the line closing the official Japanese poster that says ‘Mimic you’ (I copy you).
Back to the cinema
This will be the 24th Pokémon movie, and the changes it brings are highly noticeable. The first is that the animation studio handling the project shifts to CloverWorks, known for ‘Spy x Family Code: White’ and the animated series from which it derives. They will take the reins of the franchise to steer it in a new direction, and they will do so without Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, who rests in peace after his anime concluded years ago.
The change of lead is striking, since since his retirement The Pokémon Company has not dared to release a feature film in theaters. That happened in 2020, when ‘Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle’ arrived in Japanese cinema screens in December. On the rest of the planet it was a direct streaming release in 2021 due to the pandemic, and the wait has been long since then.
Popularity on the rise
Although the brand hasn’t released a film in quite a while, Pokémon as a franchise seems to be at one of its best moments. The video game market holds a strong lead with the ninth generation of creatures, the success of mobile adventures like ‘Pokémon TCG Pocket’ and ‘Pokémon Go’, and other highly successful experimental projects such as the stop-motion animated series ‘Pokémon Concierge’, exclusive to Netflix.
The arrival of ‘Pokémon: Wild Card’ could coincide with the launch of the tenth generation of new creatures, also planned for 2027. It will kick off with the video games ‘Pokémon Wind’ and ‘Pokémon Wave’, the first entries released exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.
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