Pokémon: Wild Card Anime Film Revealed for 2027 With CloverWorks

The Pokémon Company has revealed Pokémon: Wild Card, a new feature-length animated film scheduled for theatrical release in 2027. The project follows a Pokémon Trading Card Game player and his partner Mimikyu, with CloverWorks handling animation and STORY inc. overseeing planning and production.

What the teaser establishes

The first teaser builds its mystery around the card game rather than a familiar journey led by a Pokémon Trainer. It opens on a gleaming card before turning it over to reveal a shadow shaped like Mimikyu. The Disguise Pokémon then appears in its Pikachu-like costume, followed by the film's hooded card player, whose eyes glow yellow.

That material establishes the central partnership without laying out the full conflict. The official description asks whether the pair will have what it takes to achieve their goals when they must put their cards on the table. It positions competition and ambition at the center of the story, while leaving the opponent, tournament setting, and exact stakes for later reveals.

Mimikyu's defining costume imitates Pikachu while concealing its real appearance. The teaser presents that familiar disguise before introducing the new human partner, but stops short of explaining their history. Its repeated card imagery also makes clear that the Pokémon TCG world is central to the film's premise, rather than a passing reference inside a broader adventure.

The Pokémon TCG angle is central because the announcement describes a player, rather than simply a Trainer, as the protagonist. Mimikyu is identified as his partner. Together, those details connect the personal partnership familiar to Pokémon stories with a competitive format built around cards, giving the movie a clear identity before its larger plot is revealed.

The staff behind Wild Card

The Japanese official site names Katsuhiko Kitada as director and Akemi Hayashi as character designer. CloverWorks is responsible for animation production, while STORY inc. is credited for planning and production. Those credits make Wild Card a defined collaboration rather than only a title-and-date announcement.

The Japanese production page groups those four credits in a dedicated staff section. The Pokémon Company's international announcement separately describes Wild Card as a collaboration with CloverWorks, reinforcing the studio's central role in the film's production.

The project also represents Pokémon's first feature-length animated movie in years. Wild Card shifts the focus from a conventional Pokémon adventure to a card-game competitor, giving the return a premise rooted directly in the long-running tabletop game.

The exact 2027 premiere date and detailed international rollout have not been announced. No cast has been identified in the material released so far, and the initial reveal does not spell out how the animated card battles operate.

For now, the confirmed package is a 2027 theatrical film about a Pokémon TCG player and Mimikyu, directed by Kitada with character designs by Hayashi and animation from CloverWorks. The teaser and official staff credits are the current milestones, with further production and release updates still to come.