The beloved Pokémon series has been praised for years since its start on February 1996 as a Gameboy handheld video game. Originally Pocket Monsters in Japan, The franchise was created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1995, and is centered on fictional creatures called “Pokémon”, which humans, known as Pokémon Trainers, catch and train to battle each other for sport. The English slogan for the franchise is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All“. After Pokémon’s video game release, the animated series aired via TV Tokyo on April 1, 1997. Pokémon would go on the be a worldwide phenomenon with games, books, movies, merchandise and has become the second highest-grossing media franchise of all time falling short to Nintendo’s Mario franchise.
In the midst of all the hype, Pokémon has constantly found creative ways to enhance their animation with every single release. Whether it be games, TV shows or movies Pokémon listens to criticism and pleas from fans to deliver the best experience for consumers.
May 10, 2019, Pokémon releases their first ever live-action film titled “Detective Pikachu”, a spinoff of the Nintendo 3DS release titled the same, after a slew of successful animated movie releases. The film would go on to claim $433 million, against its production budget of only $150 million, making “Detective Pikachu” the highest grossing video game movie ever released. In doing so Pokémon started a wave of live-action films that many attempted before to recreate but just couldn’t hit the mark with fans. The film made it as if Pokémon were a part of our reality and once again brought that fantasy for all ages to see. Watch the trailer for “Detective Pikachu” and get a better understanding on the future of live-action.
Just when Pokémon fans were already deeply in love with the franchise, Pokémon releases a reboot of the 1999 film “Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back” as “Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution”. Pokémon: The First Movie was the first theatrical release under the Pokémon franchise. The film claimed a whopping $172 million at box offices with a production budget of $30 million. This would start a slew of Pokémon movies from the first release in 1999 all the way till recently in 2020. The film Mewtwo Strike Back – Evolution released worldwide on Netflix for Pokémon Day on February 27, 2020. The film was a reboot and completely revived what already was a classic installment in the Pokémon movie lore. The video below will give you an example of what the future of animation will look like for years to come an also a standalone trailer for the film as well.
If you’re a fan of the Pokémon franchise, or just a fan of the future of animation, these two movies, from the second highest grossing franchise in history, will be sure to win you over and make you eager for what’s to come. These are all the reasons why you Gotta Catch Em’ All! POKEMON!
