Seven-year wait ends: Pokémon heads back to theaters with a new movie

The 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco saved its biggest reveal for the end: a new feature-length animated film, Pokémon: Wild Card, shown off with a first teaser. The footage centers on a Pokémon Trading Card Game player and their partner Mimikyu — the Disguise Pokémon — signaling a story that leans into the TCG side of the universe.

Behind the camera, the movie is directed by Katsuhiko Kitada, with character designs by Akemi Hayashi. It ’s produced by Story Inc., and animation is being handled by CloverWorks. If the timing in the teaser holds, this would be the franchise ’s first big-screen outing since Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle — which opened in Japan in 2020 and reached the U.S. in 2021.

The teaser points to a 2027 release for Pokémon: Wild Card.

Aardman ’s Pokémon series heads to Disney+

The championships also debuted a teaser for a separate project: Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu. A “Behind the Scenes with Aardman — Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu” session walked fans through the show’s look and characters, with Pokémon’s Director of Original Animation Phil Rynda in attendance. The series is set to stream exclusively on Disney+ in 2027.

• Title — Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu
• Format — Animated series
• Platform — Disney+ (U.S.)
• Showcased by — A behind-the-scenes presentation with Aardman
• Target year — 2027

One more note from the event: the 2027 Pokémon World Championships are slated to take place in Singapore.