"Pokémon: Wild Card": the first Pokémon film in seven years arrives in cinemas in 2027

"Pokémon: Wild Card": the first Pokémon film in seven years arrives in cinemas in 2027

The Pokémon Company has announced a new feature-length animated film. "Pokémon: Wild Card" arrives in 2027, and its lead is a Pokémon TCG player rather than a trainer travelling between gyms.

The announcement came on 31 August, during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco.

What the film is about

The story centres on a card game player and his partner, a Mimikyu. The official synopsis is brief: when the time comes to put their cards on the table, will they have what it takes to achieve their goals?

The 39-second teaser shows the player in a yellow hoodie styled after Mimikyu's disguise. It is a well-chosen symbol, because Mimikyu naturally imitates Pikachu in the hope of being loved like the famous mouse, and here a human imitates Mimikyu.

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Who is making it

The biggest change is not in the story but in the production. This is the first Pokémon film in history not produced by OLM Inc. All 23 previous features came from that studio; Wild Card is the twenty-fourth and the first made elsewhere.

Animation is handled by CloverWorks, the studio behind "Spy x Family" and "Bocchi the Rock!". Katsuhiko Kitada directs, having previously worked on "The First Slam Dunk", "Attack on Titan" and "Naruto: Shippuden". Character designs come from Akemi Hayashi, whose credits include "Banana Fish". Story Inc. produces, with Toho distributing in Japan.

Seven years away

The most recent film in the series was "Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle" from 2020, which reached cinemas in Japan and arrived on Netflix worldwide a year later. The last production to genuinely play in cinemas outside Japan was "Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us" in 2018, in limited release.

Tsunekazu Ishihara, CEO of The Pokémon Company, stressed that the film's hero battles and strives for mastery, exactly like the audience gathered at the World Championships.

What we still do not know

No specific release date has been given, only the year. What does stand out is the wording used in the announcement: the film is coming in 2027 and beyond, which suggests either a staggered rollout or plans for further productions. No sequel or companion project has been named.

There is also nothing yet on a UK release date or distributor. Previous entries reached British audiences mainly through streaming, so a theatrical run here is not a given.

The wider picture

The film lands in an unusually busy period for the franchise. Pokémon's 30th anniversary celebrations are under way, the 30th Celebration trading card set goes on sale in September, and the tenth generation of games, titled "Winds" and "Waves", is due next year. Disney+ has separately greenlit the stop-motion series "Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu", also arriving in 2027.

Building a film around the card game rather than the video games is a clear signal: the TCG has become as important a pillar for The Pokémon Company as the games themselves.

The same ceremony also revealed the host of the 2027 World Championships. It will be Singapore.