New Pokemon Movie to Retell Origins of Ash & Pikachu
By Riley Little 25 December 2016
A teaser trailer for the 20th Pokemon movie has arrived, showcasing what looks to be a cinematic retelling of Ash and Pikachu’s origins on their long-running journey.
It’s hard to believe that the Pokemon anime has been on-air since 1997, but fans the world over have been watching Ash and Pikachu explore a number of different regions since that time – making friends and capturing new Pokemon along the way, no less. As many followers are well aware, accompanying the cartoon have been a number of animated films that further highlighted the ventures of an aspiring Pokemon Master and his Pikachu, and in 2017 the 20th film entry will be released. Taking that into consideration, it’s important to note that it won’t be focusing on Pokemon Sun and Moon‘s Alola region, as many had assumed.
Japanese variety show Oha Suta (via Serebii) debuted the first-ever footage for the 20th Pocket Monster film. Now officially known as Pokemon: I Choose You, the film appears to be reintroducing the origin story of Ash and Pikachu through a brand new cinematic experience. Presumably, as much as this is fanfare for longtime followers of the anime, it also provides The Pokemon Company with the opportunity to properly retell the humble beginnings of the characters. That is, provided it is indeed the origin story that many believe it to be.
One thing of note to pull from the poster for the film is that it features Ash and Pikachu looking up at the Legendary Ho-Oh as it soars through the sky above them. Many fans will notice that this actually happened in the very first episode of the anime, which just so happens to also be called Pokemon: I Choose You. Taking that into consideration, it appears evident that the film will be a retelling of the longstanding story that came before it.
Of course, those curious about the contents of the teaser trailer for Pokemon: I Choose You can check it out for themselves below.
Despite missing the 20th anniversary of the franchise, it’s cool to see that The Pokemon Company is honoring the content that came before it. As an ultimate fan service, it would be interesting to witness the original voice actress behind Ash Ketchum, Veronica Taylor, reprise the role of the Pallet Town-based trainer, but The Pokemon Company must have plans for tweaking the origins of the character to fit its current plans.
In the meantime, fans can rest easy knowing that Pokemon Sun and Moon seems to be getting a port for the Nintendo Switch, which will further ensure that gamers can experience core iterations of the franchise on higher powered hardware. Reflecting on this reveal in particular, The Pokemon Company appears to be honoring the material that many fans have grown old with, and it’ll be interesting to see how that impacts the canon – if at all.
