Key Takeaways
- Pokemon just announced Wild Card, a new theatrical movie set for 2027, its first since 2020’s Secrets of the Jungle.
- The film centers on a Pokemon TCG player and his partner Mimikyu, making it the first Pokemon movie built around the trading card game instead of the anime or the video games.
- CloverWorks is producing it with director Katsuhiko Kitada, whose resume includes Attack on Titan and Naruto: Shippuden, a real step up in talent for this franchise.
Jump to:
- What We Actually Know
- Why the TCG Angle Is the Smart Move
- It’s Been a Minute Since the Last One
- My Honest Take
I’ll be honest, I’m not the guy in my group chat who still has strong opinions on Pokemon. That’s usually somebody else’s beat. But Pokemon just announced a new movie called Wild Card, and something about this one actually caught my attention.
It dropped Saturday at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Pokemon World Championships in San Francisco, and the internet noticed immediately.
What We Actually Know
Wild Card is set for a worldwide theatrical release in 2027. The teaser is only 39 seconds long, but it shows a Pokemon TCG player in a yellow hoodie clearly styled after Mimikyu, sitting at a table mid card game with the ghostly little Pokemon right there next to him.
That’s the whole hook so far. A card player and his partner Mimikyu. No word yet on a full cast, a real synopsis, or what the plot actually is beyond that single image, but Pokemon has never needed much more than one strong visual to get people talking.
Why the TCG Angle Is the Smart Move
Every Pokemon movie up to this point has pulled from the anime or the video games. Wild Card is the first one built around the trading card game specifically, and honestly, that’s overdue. The TCG has had a wild couple of years. Pokemon keeps finding new ways to cross over into stuff nobody expected, and the card game itself has turned into its own culture with grading, resale markets, and a genuinely competitive scene.
Making a movie about a kid who lives inside that world instead of just catching Pokemon in the wild is a way to bring in an audience that grew up on the games but drifted away from the anime years ago. It’s a smart pivot, and it says the people running this franchise are paying attention to where the actual money and passion are right now.
It’s Been a Minute Since the Last One
This is the first Pokemon movie since Pokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle in 2020, which went straight to Netflix in most of the world. Before that you’re talking about a franchise that used to put out a theatrical movie almost every single year going back to the 90s.
The director is Katsuhiko Kitada, who’s worked on Attack on Titan and Naruto: Shippuden, and CloverWorks is producing. That’s a real step up in production talent for this franchise, and it tells me Pokemon isn’t treating this as a quick cash grab. They waited seven years and brought in people who know how to make something actually look good.
My Honest Take
I like this more than I expected to. Pokemon movies have leaned kid-friendly and simple for a long time, and building one around the card game instead of the usual monster-catching formula at least gives them a reason to try something different visually and tonally.
If you or your kid has a stack of cards sitting in a shoebox somewhere, the current TCG booster boxes are still flying off shelves, and I’d bet Wild Card gives that whole hobby another bump once it actually hits theaters in 2027. I’m cautiously excited on this one until we get an actual trailer with more than 39 seconds of footage to judge.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Pokemon Wild Card release?
Pokemon: Wild Card is set for a worldwide theatrical release in 2027. An exact date hasn’t been announced yet.
What is Pokemon Wild Card about?
The film follows a Pokemon Trading Card Game player and his partner Mimikyu. It’s the first Pokemon movie built around the TCG rather than the anime or video games.
Who is making Pokemon Wild Card?
CloverWorks is producing the film, directed by Katsuhiko Kitada, whose past work includes Attack on Titan and Naruto: Shippuden.
Is this the first Pokemon movie in years?
Yes. Wild Card is the first Pokemon movie since Pokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle in 2020, which released on Netflix.
