ThePokemonCompany International announcedPokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Junglewill be released in the U.S in 2021. The next film in the franchise will feature an appearance by Zarude, the mythical new Pokemon who debuted in theSword & Shield—Vivid Voltagetrading card expansion that launched on Friday.
The Pokemon Company also announced details on how it plans torelease a variant of Zarudeon thePokémon SwordorPokémon Shieldvideo games to celebrate its appearance inSecrets of the Jungle. Players who sign up for Pokemon Trainer Club email notifications by Aug 01, 2025, will receive an email with their distribution code for Zarude on December 11.
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Directed by Tetsuo Yajima from a script he co-wrote with Atsuhiro Tomioka,Pokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Junglewill tell the story of a young boy who was raised in the forest as a Pokemon and explores a new bond between humans andthe pocket monsters.
“Deep in the jungle, far from any human settlement, is the Forest of Okoya—a Pokémon paradise forbidden to outsiders and protected by a strict code of rules,” reads the official synopsis of the film. “In this jungle lives Koko, a human boy who has been raised as a Pokémon by the Mythical Pokémon Zarude. Koko has grown up never doubting that he is a Pokémon. But one day, a chance meeting with Ash and Pikachu leaves Koko with his first human friend. Is he truly a Pokémon? Or is he, in fact, a human? When danger threatens the Forest of Okoya, the bonds between Pokémon and human—as well as the love between parent and child—will be put to the test.” The filmwas originally scheduled to be released in Japan on July 10 until the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the Pokemon Company to delay its debut until December 25th, 2020.
Pokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Junglewill be the 23rd installment of thePokemonfilm series. Based onthe popular video games of the same name, the films and connected anime series following aspiring Pokemon Master Ash Ketchum and Pikachu as they travel across various regions with a rotating group of companions.
Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of Pokemon and the franchise is arguably as popular as it was debuted in 1996. In fact, thePokemon Gomobile gamehas been enjoyed by millions of users since debuting in 2016.
While the pandemic might cause some fans to be concerned about the financial prospects forPokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, Japan has actually experiencedrecord-breaking box office successwithDemon Slayer The Movie. Released in October,Demon Slayercurrently ranks as the fifth highest-grossing film in Japan and has set impressive records even by pre-pandemic standards.
Pokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Junglewill be released in the U.S. in 2021.
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