Pokémon animation

Pokémon animation (Japanese: ポケモンアニメ Pokémon anime) is a term that refers collectively to all animated works in the Pokémon franchise.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] These can serve as narrative works in and of themselves, or act as promotional material for other aspects of the brand. Most Pokémon animation adapts the events and world of the core series or spin-off games, with varying degrees of creative freedom. However, some works are independent of this theming, and can explore their own original concepts.

A cel from the 93rd episode of the series

The longest-running series of Pokémon animation is the eponymous Pokémon animated TV series, which debuted in 1997 in Japan and 1998 in the United States, and has spawned a number of tie-in movies and other related media. Since then, additional animated works such as miniseries, shorts, animated trailers, and music videos have also been released. Pokémon.com publishes a guide on where to watch Pokémon animation in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Latin America, and Brazil.

Animated works made in Japan are often referred to as "anime" in English, although The Pokémon Company International generally avoids using the term outside of social media posts. Some event Pokémon in the core series games based on individual Pokémon from Pokémon animation, such as Ash's Pikachu and Glaseado Mountain Cetitan, have their location set as "Pokémon Cartoon"^IV-V, "the Pokémon cartoon"^VI, or "the Pokémon animated show"^VII.

Production

Main articles: Production of Pokémon animation, Pokémon animated series → Staff

Several steps are taken to produce an animated work, generally in the following order:

Pre-production: Includes planning, series construction, and character design. Reference sheets are created during this phase.
Production: Includes the screenplay, storyboards, key animation, in-between animation, coloring, special effects, backgrounds, CGI, and video editing.
Post-production: Includes the recording, mixing, and editing of voice acting, narration, and sound effects, as well as dubbing into other languages.

The animated series and their tie-in media are produced by the Japanese animation studio OLM. Until the fifth season episode A Crowning Achievement, the series was animated using cel animation; from Here's Lookin' at You Elekid! onwards, all episodes are digitally animated. TV Tokyo, MEDIANET, and ShoPro are the executive producers for the series, while the production committee Pikachu Project is the executive producer for the movies. In the West, The Pokémon Company International currently oversees localization and distribution of the series in partnership with Iyuno.

Other pieces of animated media have been produced by Japanese studios apart from OLM. These include Creatures, Inc., which has produced various computer-animated trailers, commercials, and YouTube shorts; Studio Colorido, which produced the miniseries Pokémon: Twilight Wings; WIT STUDIO, which produced the miniseries Pokémon: Hisuian Snow; dwarf studios, which produced the stop-motion animated series Pokémon Concierge; Bones, which animated the GOTCHA! music video; and CoMix Wave Films, which animated the Challenge the World! commercial.

Not all Pokémon animated works are primarily produced by Japanese companies, however. For example, Bidoof's Big Stand and Pokémon: Path to the Peak were produced by TAIKO Studios, based in both the United States and China, and The Journey of One Dream and Homecoming were also produced in China.

List of animated works

TV series

Poster for the original series

Main article: Pokémon animated series

The Pokémon animated TV series has been broadcast on TV Tokyo nearly every week in Japan since its debut on April 1, 1997. In the United States, it premiered in syndication on September 7, 1998; it is no longer shown on traditional TV, and is instead released on Netflix. Each episode is roughly 25 minutes long.

In Asia (including Japan), it is divided into eight series, with the first being Pocket Monsters (1997) and the newest being Pocket Monsters (2023). In the West, it is divided into two animated series: Pokémon the Series and Pokémon Horizons: The Series, which are further divided into seasons.

Movies

The first Pokémon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back

Main article: Pokémon movie

From 1998 to 2020, an animated feature-length work that served as a tie-in to Pokémon the Series was released in theaters annually, most often focusing on a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon. These films were initially a large success worldwide, with all 23 films having received wide releases in Japan, the first three movies receiving wide releases internationally, and later films occasionally receiving limited releases outside of Japan.

The animated movies are considered part of the Pocket Monsters the Movie Series (劇場版ポケットモンスターシリーズ, lit. Pocket Monsters: Movie Version Series) on the Japanese official site, while the live-action movie POKÉMON Detective Pikachu is listed under Other Movies (その他の映画).

Limited series

Limited series typically tell a complete story in a limited number of episodes. Individual episodes of these series are most often shorter than those of the TV series. Many of these series were released directly by The Pokémon Company or The Pokémon Company International on web platforms such as YouTube.

Feature	Japanese run	English run
Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs	February 8 – March 7, 2010	November 10, 2010
Pokémon Origins	October 2, 2013	November 15–22, 2013
Pokémon Shorts	N/A	November 22 – June 16, 2021
Pokémon Generations	December 9, 2016 – February 2, 2017	September 16 – December 23, 2016
The Two Professors	September 5 – October 24, 2018	September 5 – October 24, 2018
Pokémon: Twilight Wings	January 15 – November 5, 2020	January 15 – November 17, 2020
POKÉTOON	June 4, 2020 – present	June 17 – August 5, 2022
Pokémon Evolutions	September 9 – December 23, 2021	September 9 – December 23, 2021
The Delicious Day with Pokémon	February 15, 2022 – October 17, 2023	March 14, 2022 – December 19, 2023
Pokémon: Hisuian Snow	May 18 – June 22, 2022	May 18 – June 22, 2022
Discover Pokémon Together	N/A	March 31 – October 2, 2023
Cube-Shaped Pokémon on Cubie Island?!	April 8 – June 18, 2023	April 8 – June 18, 2023
Pokémon: Path to the Peak	August 14 – September 1, 2023	August 11–30, 2023
Pokémon: Paldean Winds	September 6 – December 13, 2023	September 6 – December 13, 2023
The Adventures of Snorlax & Cubone	December 8–29, 2023	December 8–29, 2023
Pokémon Concierge	December 28, 2023 – present	December 28, 2023 – present
Pokémon Spotlight: Ceruledge	September 25 - October 18, 2024	February 9 - February 13, 2024
Pokévideodex	May 13, 2024 – present	June 11, 2024 – present

Specials

Several Pokémon-related animated specials have been released. Unlike TV series or limited series, their stories generally do not continue across multiple episodes.

Feature	Japanese debut	English debut
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate!	March 23, 2007	September 8, 2006
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness	September 9, 2007	September 1, 2008
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Beyond Time & Darkness	April 12, 2009	October 9, 2009
Bidoof's Big Stand	February 9, 2022	January 11, 2022
The Journey of One Dream	N/A (February 28, 2023 in mainland China)	N/A
Detective Pikachu & the Mystery of the Missing Flan	October 25, 2023	October 25, 2023
The Untold Story of Pecharunt	January 15, 2024	January 15, 2024
Homecoming	February 9, 2024	February 9, 2024
Bubble Beam Berry Blast	June 6, 2024	June 4, 2024
Turning the Tera Tide	July 14, 2024	July 9, 2024
A Clefairy Bedtime Story	September 12, 2024	September 12, 2024
Chasing the Moon	September 17, 2024	September 17, 2024

Trailers and commercials

Main article: Pokémon commercial

These works tend to be short, and are intended to promote a specific game or event. Some notable animated trailers are listed below:

Feature	Japanese debut	English debut
Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 Animated Trailer	May 17, 2012	August 8, 2012
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Animated Shorts	November 1, 2012	March 26, 2013
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer	November 16, 2014	November 20, 2014
Pokémon Masters Animated Trailer	June 27, 2019	June 27, 2019
Challenge the World!	July 22, 2023	July 23, 2023
Trainer’s Pokémon Return to Pokémon TCG	August 19, 2024	August 19, 2024

Music videos

These are animated music videos that were released for songs. Most of these were released on YouTube.

Feature	Japanese debut	English debut
GOTCHA!	September 29, 2020	September 29, 2020
Pokémon 25 Virtual Concert	February 27, 2021	February 27, 2021
Piplup Step	November 3, 2021	N/A
It'll be fine!	January 14, 2022	N/A
Celestial	September 29, 2022	September 29, 2022
One and Only	July 12, 2023	July 12, 2023
Pokémon Party	August 4, 2023	August 4, 2023
Ghost Dive	September 20, 2023	N/A
The Pokémon Inside My Heart	October 20, 2023	N/A
Biri-Biri	November 18, 2023	December 4, 2023
You're sleeping soundly, Snorlax!	February 16, 2024	N/A
POKÉDANCE	February 27, 2024	February 27, 2024
Glorious Day	March 9, 2024	N/A
After Epochs	May 10, 2024	N/A
Lucky	May 24, 2024	May 24, 2024