Pokémon Tales stop-motion series first look at Annecy

The first footage and artwork for a new stop-motion animated Pokémon series were revealed over the weekend at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. The project, titled "Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu," is a collaboration between The Pokémon Company and the British studio Aardman Animations and is scheduled for release in 2027.

The series will follow the adventures of Sirfetch'd and Pichu as they embark on a quest to help and protect other Pokémon across the Galar region, the setting first introduced in the Pokémon Sword and Shield video games. The official synopsis describes an "epic journey" where the heroes' missions rarely go as planned, forging their friendship through peril, alliances, rivalries, and humor.

At a panel titled "Lights, Camera, Aardman!" on June, executives from both companies presented the first key art poster and gave attendees a sneak peek at the pilot episode. The poster shows Pichu riding atop Sirfetch'd's leek sword, with a Fletchling flying nearby, in a style reminiscent of Aardman's signature handcrafted claymation. The panelists confirmed the series will incorporate the studio's distinctive British sense...