Pokemon and Aardman are teaming up for… something. The two companies announced a partnership today, saying whatever they’re making together is coming in 2027.
A teaser image showed a Poke Ball forming with Aardman’s trademark clay for its claymation animation style (and no, there is no clay shortage). One guess here would be that Aardman is producing a Pokemon TV show or movie with its trademark animation style, but that’s just speculation.
In a statement, Aardman said it’s working with The Pokemon Company on a “special project coming to audiences in 2027.” This project, whatever it is, will retain Aardman’s trademark style in the Pokemon universe with “brand-new adventures.”
An iconinc UK animation studio, Aardman is best known for the Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run franchises. Its parternship with The Pokemon Company isn’t the only licensed project it has in the works, as Aardman is also working with Mattel on a Pingu reboot TV series.
In October this year, Aardman announced layoffs after losing more than $700,000 in 2023. Aardman’s next big release is Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, which releases on Christmas Day on BBC and then on January 3, 2025 on Netflix.
As for the Pokemon game series, the next big release is Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which comes to Nintendo Switch in 2025. The latest Pokemon sensation is the mobile game Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, which is estimated to have already earned more than $200 million in revenue.