Pokémon: Wild Card Animated Film Announced for 2027
Pokémon is officially heading back to the big screen with a brand-new animated movie — and this time, the Pokémon Trading Card Game is taking centre stage.
The Pokémon Company has announced Pokémon: Wild Card, a new feature-length animated film that is currently planned for 2027.
The movie was revealed during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco, with a short teaser giving fans their first look at what is coming.
A Pokémon TCG Player Takes The Lead
Unlike the previous Pokémon movies that have traditionally followed Ash, Pikachu and their friends, Wild Card will introduce a completely new protagonist.
The official description says the movie follows a Pokémon TCG player and their partner Mimikyu.
The pair are chasing their goals, but when the time comes to “put their cards on the table”, the question is whether they have what it takes to succeed.
That’s about all Pokémon is revealing about the story right now.
We don’t yet know the name of the main character, exactly what their goal is, or what kind of journey they will be going on.
And honestly, I’m quite happy that Pokémon hasn’t given everything away just yet.
Mimikyu Is The Pokémon Partner
One thing we do know is that Mimikyu will be an important character in the movie.
The teaser shows the Pokémon alongside the TCG player, giving us our first glimpse at the relationship between the two characters.
Mimikyu is also a pretty interesting choice for a movie like this.
It’s a Pokémon with a lot of personality and mystery surrounding it, and seeing it paired with a Pokémon TCG player could make for a very different kind of Pokémon story.
The Pokémon TCG Is At The Centre
The biggest difference with Wild Card is obviously the Pokémon TCG connection.
Rather than simply having Pokémon battles happen around a character who happens to play cards, the official announcement specifically describes the protagonist as a Pokémon TCG player.
That makes the card game an important part of the movie’s premise.
We’ve seen the Pokémon TCG featured in animated projects before, including Pokémon: Path to the Peak, but Wild Card will take the concept into a feature-length animated movie.
It also feels like particularly good timing, considering 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
A New Pokémon Movie After Years Away
It’s been a while since we’ve had a brand-new feature-length Pokémon animated movie.
The most recent traditional animated Pokémon movie was Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, which was released in 2020.
Wild Card therefore marks Pokémon’s return to feature-length animated movie storytelling, with the new film currently scheduled to begin releasing in 2027.
There is currently no exact release date.
Pokémon has also not yet announced the theatrical release schedule for individual countries, so Australian fans will have to wait for more information about when and where they can see it.
Check Out The First Teaser
Alongside the announcement, Pokémon released a short teaser for Wild Card.
It’s only a brief look at the project, but it introduces the TCG player and Mimikyu and gives us our first taste of the movie’s animation.
The teaser definitely leaves us with more questions than answers.
And I think that’s exactly what Pokémon wants for now.
Pokémon Is Trying Something Very Different
One of the most exciting things about Wild Card is that Pokémon isn’t simply making another movie about travelling through a region, collecting Pokémon and taking on a villain.
Instead, we’re getting a story about someone who is passionate about the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
That opens up quite a few possibilities.
Could we see actual Pokémon TCG matches play out as part of the movie?
Could cards somehow influence what happens in the animated world?
Will we see familiar TCG characters, locations or concepts?
Right now, none of that has been confirmed, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Coming In 2027
For now, the information is simple:
Pokémon: Wild Card is coming in 2027.
There’s no confirmed month, exact date, cinema distribution information or Australian release date yet.
But we now know that a new feature-length Pokémon animated movie is officially in production, and it’s going to put the Pokémon TCG front and centre.
