Image credit: Aardman

The Pokémon Company has unveiled new details about its upcoming animated series, Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu. Initially teased back in 2024, the stop-motion animation project is a collaboration between Pokémon and British animation studio Aardman, known for the award-winning Wallace and Gromit, and as Shaun the Sheep.

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First footage from the pilot episode of Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu - alongside in-development production material - was shown to attendees during Aardman's "Lights, Camera, Aardman!" panel at this week's Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Fittingly, it was also revealed the series is set in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield's Galar region, where avian Sirfetch'd made its debut. As the Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu team noted, Galar is geographically very similar to the UK, and so makes it a "fitting backdrop" for the series. It fits the bill, if you will.

The British-ness won't stop with the show's setting, though; it also reflects the humour seen in Aardman's other productions. "Aardman is delighted to bring the vivid physicality of stop frame animation into the Pokémon world," said the animation studio's chief creative director Sarah Cox. "Director Tom Parkinson and team have created a hand-crafted spin on the wonderful Pokémon we all know and love with comedic storytelling that celebrates the quirks, eccentricities and charms of our heroes as they explore Galar on a delightfully offbeat Quest."

Image credit: Aardman

Phil Rynda, director of original animation at The Pokémon Company International, added: "This project gives us a unique opportunity to tell stories from the point of view of Pokémon, made possible by Aardman's extraordinary craft, remarkable artistry. Their warmth, and affection for this much-loved Pokémon cast are evident in every brilliantly crafted frame."

Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd and Pichu is scheduled for release in 2027. We got our first teaser for the show last year, and while The Pokémon Company hasn't made the footage shared with Annecy attendees public yet, hopefully we'll get to see more soon.

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