Pokémon is back with a new movie, because of course it is. The franchise that refuses to let its catchphrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” be anything more than a cry for help from the merchandising department has announced Pokémon: Wild Card, a film about a Pokémon Trading Card Game player and their trusty sidekick Mimikyu. Because what the world really needed was a movie about playing cards.
The film, set to premiere in 2027, is being made in partnership with Japanese animation studio CloverWorks, because who needs original ideas when you have a built-in audience of nostalgic adults and children who will watch anything with Pikachu in it? According to the official Pokémon website, the movie “tells the exciting story of a Pokémon TCG player and his partner Mimikyu” as they try to achieve their goals, presumably by collecting all the rare cards and becoming the greatest player of all time. Yawn.
The Never-Ending Cycle of Nostalgia
This latest announcement comes hot on the heels of Pokémon’s new distribution deal with Disney, which will see the streaming giant release a new stop-motion animated series, Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu. Because what’s a franchise without a dozen different TV shows and movies to keep track of? It’s not like the Pokémon company is just milking the same cow for all it’s worth or anything. And with Disney on board, you can bet your bottom dollar that the merchandising opportunities will be endless. Somewhere, an executive is rubbing their hands together in glee, thinking about all the money they’ll make from selling Pokémon-themed toys and clothes to parents who just want to shut their kids up for five minutes.
The last time Pokémon was in U.S. theaters was with the live-action/animated hybrid film Detective Pikachu, which starring Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Pikachu, because who doesn’t want to hear Deadpool’s sarcastic voice coming out of a cute, yellow creature? The film made over $430 million worldwide, but apparently, that wasn’t enough to greenlight more live-action Pokémon projects. Maybe that’s because the people in charge realized that the only thing more exhausting than a never-ending cycle of superhero movies is a never-ending cycle of Pokémon movies.
A Franchise That Refuses to Die
Pokémon has been around for decades, and it shows no signs of slowing down. From the original games to the TV shows, movies, and trading card games, it’s a franchise that has become a cultural phenomenon. But with great power comes great responsibility, and it feels like the people in charge of Pokémon are more interested in making a quick buck than in actually creating something new and interesting. Pokémon: Wild Card is just the latest example of this, a movie that feels like it was made solely to sell more Pokémon cards and toys. And with the Disney deal in place, you can bet that we’ll be seeing a lot more of this in the future.
As the entertainment industry continues to mistake familiarity for originality, it’s hard not to feel like we’re just stuck in some kind of never-ending loop of nostalgia. The Content Mines remain fully operational, churning out remake after remake, sequel after sequel, and reboot after reboot. And in the middle of it all is Pokémon, a franchise that has become synonymous with nostalgia and excitement, but also with exhaustion and desperation. Somewhere, a Focus Group earned another bonus for telling executives exactly what they wanted to hear. And so, the cycle continues, with no end in sight. Joy.
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
