The first feature-length animated Pokémon movie in years puts the Trading Card Game at the center of a new story from CloverWorks.
Pokémon is finally returning to feature-length animation with a completely new story.
The Pokémon Company has officially announced Pokémon: Wild Card, a new animated feature created in partnership with Japanese animation studio CloverWorks. The movie will follow an aspiring Pokémon Trading Card Game player and their unusual partner, Mimikyu, as they chase their goals through the competitive world of the Pokémon TCG.
The project marks the first new feature-length animated Pokémon movie in years, following Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle.
Wild Card Puts the Trading Card Game Center Stage
Rather than following the traditional formula of Trainers traveling through the Pokémon world and battling with their Pokémon, Wild Card shifts its focus to the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
The official story follows a Pokémon TCG player and Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokémon. When the competition gets serious and the player must put their cards on the table, the pair will have to prove whether they have what it takes to achieve their goals.
The first teaser introduces the player at the center of the story alongside Mimikyu while putting Pokémon cards directly in the spotlight.
That focus immediately separates Wild Card from previous Pokémon movies and gives the franchise an opportunity to explore the strategy, competition and community surrounding the massively popular Trading Card Game.
CloverWorks is handling animation production for the movie. The Japanese animation studio has become widely known for projects including SPY x FAMILY, My Dress-Up Darling and Bocchi the Rock!.
Pokémon Has a Long History on the Big Screen
Pokémon: Wild Card continues a movie legacy stretching back nearly three decades.
Pokémon: The First Movie — Mewtwo Strikes Back became a major theatrical hit when it arrived in North America in 1999. The movie helped transform Pokémon’s already massive popularity across video games, television and trading cards into a legitimate theatrical phenomenon.
It was quickly followed in North American theaters by Pokémon the Movie 2000, Pokémon 3: The Movie, Pokémon 4Ever and Pokémon Heroes.
The franchise eventually moved away from regular wide U.S. theatrical releases, with later animated Pokémon movies often reaching international audiences through television, home entertainment, limited theatrical events or streaming.
Movies such as Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! and Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us brought animated Pokémon back to theaters through special event screenings during the late 2010s.
Pokémon also made a major live-action theatrical comeback with Pokémon Detective Pikachu in 2019. Starring Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Pikachu alongside Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton and Ken Watanabe, the movie became the biggest theatrical Pokémon release in years.
The most recent animated feature, Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, was the franchise’s 23rd animated movie. It opened theatrically in Japan in 2020 before making its international debut through Netflix in 2021.
That extended break makes Wild Card especially significant. Pokémon is not only returning to feature-length animation, but it is doing so with a story centered around one of the franchise’s biggest real-world pillars.
Mimikyu Gets the Spotlight in Pokémon: Wild Card
Mimikyu has remained a fan-favorite Pokémon since its introduction in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, and Wild Card gives the mysterious Ghost and Fairy-type Pokémon a prominent role alongside the movie’s human lead.
The choice also fits the movie’s competitive angle.
Instead of simply creating another traditional Pokémon adventure, Wild Card has the opportunity to explore the passion, pressure, and ambition surrounding Pokémon TCG players while still delivering the emotional bond between humans and Pokémon that has defined the franchise for decades.
With CloverWorks behind the animation and Mimikyu stepping into a major movie role, Pokémon: Wild Card represents a fresh direction for Pokémon on the big screen.
Pokémon: Wild Card is coming soon.
Read more News and Subscribe to our YouTube.
Discover more from Nerdtropolis - Movie News, Reviews, Interviews, and Trailers
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
