No more
rumors and the wait of more than six years without seeing the iconic creatures
on the big screen. During the closing ceremony of the Pokémon World
Championships 2026 held in San Francisco, The Pokémon Company hit
the table by officially announcing its next full-length animated film
titled Pokémon: Wild Card, which is scheduled to be released in
theaters in 2027.
What really
caught all fans by surprise is that the project will leave aside traditional
adventures to focus its narrative for the first time on the competitive
universe of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG). The plot will
follow the emotional journey of a trading card game player and his
inseparable Mimikyu, showing the effort and determination it takes
to make his way to the tournament tables with the firm dream of becoming a
champion.
To ensure
stunning visuals, the animation will be handled by the acclaimed CloverWorks studio,
directed by Katsuhiko Kitada, recognized for his outstanding
previous work as unit director on The First Slam Dunk and
animation director on Attack on Titan. As if that were not enough,
the character designs will be under the signature of Akemi Hayashi,
who has shone with her strokes in renowned productions such as Lazarus and Banana
Fish, also counting on the general production of Story Inc. to
bring a fresh proposal to the movie theaters.
About
Pokémon
With this
announcement, Pokémon: Wild Card is consecrated as the 24th
film in the history of the franchise and the first animated feature film since
the release of Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle in
December 2020. After more than two decades of films focused on the main
television series and video games, the franchise takes a 180-degree turn by
taking the adrenaline of its collectible cards to a top-level cinematic format.
With a
stellar studio at the helm and Mimikyu in the starring role
