Pokémon fans have been given an exciting surprise, with a brand-new animated movie, Pokémon: Wild Card, announced during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships.
The upcoming film marks the franchise's first new Pokémon movie in seven years.
Tsunekazu Ishihara, President and CEO of The Pokémon Company, made the announcement during the ceremony, revealing that the movie will focus on a Pokémon Trading Card Game player who is determined to become a champion.
“For the first time in seven years, a new Pokémon movie is on its way,” Ishihara said.
He explained that the film's protagonist will be a Pokémon TCG player who is “battling and striving to be a champion”, drawing parallels with the competitors attending the World Championships.
Mimikyu takes the spotlight
A 39-second teaser for Pokémon: Wild Card was shown during the announcement.
The footage places a strong focus on the Pokémon Trading Card Game, with Mimikyu featuring prominently. The protagonist is shown sitting at a table with a Mimikyu card in play, hinting at the importance of the card game to the movie's story.
The animation will be handled by CloverWorks, the studio behind anime titles including My Dress-Up Darling and Bocchi the Rock!.
The film will be directed by Katsuhiko Kitada, with Story inc. serving as producer and Akemi Hayashi responsible for the character designs.
More Pokémon projects on the way
The teaser confirms that Pokémon: Wild Card is scheduled to begin releasing in 2027, although the wording “starting in 2027” and “beyond” has sparked speculation that the project could be part of something larger.
The movie is not the only new animated Pokémon project heading to screens.
Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu, which was first announced in 2025, is also scheduled for 2027.
Further details about the series, including its planned availability on Disney XD, were revealed during a panel at this year's PokémonXP event.
With both projects scheduled for 2027, Pokémon fans can expect a busy year for new animated adventures from the franchise.
Based on reporting by IGN .