Seven years after Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, The Pokémon Company has just dealt its next hand. Pokémon: Wild Card — an all-new anime feature film — was unveiled at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco, and it is heading to cinemas starting in 2027.
A Pokémon Movie Like No Other
Wild Card marks a sharp pivot from three decades of creature-catching road trips. Instead of a young trainer battling gym leaders and chasing legendary Pokémon, the story centres on a competitive Pokémon Trading Card Game player striving to become a champion — with the Ghost-type Mimikyu as their mysterious partner. As the official tagline puts it: “When the time comes to put their cards on the table, will they have what it takes to achieve their goals?”
The TCG angle is a first for the main Pokémon film franchise, and the 39-second teaser leans into a notably darker, more urban visual tone than its predecessors. The protagonist wears a Mimikyu-inspired hoodie and is shown hunched over a card table in a neon-lit cityscape, cards fanned in hand — while an ethereal Mimikyu hovers above.
CloverWorks Takes on the Challenge
Animation production is handled by CloverWorks — the studio behind Spy x Family, Bocchi the Rock!, and My Dress-Up Darling — under the direction of Katsuhiko Kitada, who previously worked on Attack on Titan. Character designs are by Akemi Hayashi, with Story inc. producing. The combination of CloverWorks’ track record with emotionally grounded, character-driven stories and Kitada’s experience with intense drama makes Wild Card one of the most intriguing Pokémon productions in years.
Mimikyu Steps Into the Spotlight
Mimikyu has long been a fan favourite — the Ghost/Fairy-type who disguises itself as Pikachu out of a desperate wish to be loved is practically a franchise icon at this point. Giving it the starring partner role in a feature film is a choice that will resonate hard with the fandom. The teaser keeps its true form ambiguous, showing only glimpses: a glowing spectral silhouette above the city, and a brief close-up of something distinctly unsettling beneath that familiar costume.
Big News for Singapore’s Pokémon TCG Scene
For Singapore fans, Wild Card lands at a particularly charged moment. The city-state is already gearing up to host the 2027 Pokémon World Championships at Singapore EXPO in August — the first time the global championship comes to Southeast Asia. A film built around competitive TCG play is perfectly timed to ride that wave.
Singapore also has a thriving Play! Pokémon community, with regional qualifiers running throughout the year as part of the 2026–27 Pokémon Asia Championship Series. Whether Wild Card gets a simultaneous Singapore cinema release alongside its 2027 debut has not been confirmed — but given the franchise’s theatrical track record here (Secrets of the Jungle screened locally in 2021), it is reasonable to expect one. We will update as The Pokémon Company announces specific release markets.
More details — full cast, specific release dates, international distribution — are expected closer to the theatrical premiere. For now, the official teaser is on The Official Pokémon YouTube channel. Follow our Manga & Anime coverage for updates as they come.