Pokemon is giving fans an early teaser of an upcoming stop-motion spin-off of the franchise, sharing official art for The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu. The Pokemon spin-off is scheduled to premiere at an unspecified date in 2027.
Alongside the video games that kicked off the franchise, Pokemon has a rich history of animated series, including both its main anime and various spin-offs. The main Pokemon anime first debuted in April 1997 in Japan and has aired more than 1,300 episodes, from the adventures of Ash Ketchum to the recent Pokemon Horizons, starring new protagonists Liko and Roy. The series has launched 23 movies throughout its nearly three-decade-long run, alongside spin-offs like Pokemon Concierge and Pokemon Chronicles. Now, a brand-new Pokemon spin-off series is set to debut next year, featuring stop-motion animation and a pair of beloved Pokemon.
Pokemon Shows First Artwork from The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu
The Pokemon Company shared the first official art for Pokemon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu on June 21. The adorable artwork features the show’s two protagonist Pokemon front and center, with Pichu riding atop Sirfetch’d’s leek-sword while a Fletchling flies past them. The teaser for the animated series promises an “epic stop-motion journey” following the pair of Pokemon adventuring through the Galar region, first featured in Pokemon Sword and Shield. The series is expected to provide a comedic spin on the franchise, with the official artwork showing Sirfetch’d about to walk off a cliff. Pokemon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu will begin airing in 2027.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu is set to be a landmark collaboration between The Pokemon Company and an iconic animation studio. Animation for the series will be headed by the UK-based studio Aardman Animations, which has become renowned in the animation community for properties like Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, and Shaun the Sheep. The initial teaser trailer for the animated series showed aesthetics similar to Aardman’s previous works, drawing on its clay animation roots for a smooth, rounded art style.
Pokemon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu will join more animated series breaking from the franchise’s traditional formula. The previously-mentioned Pokemon Concierge featured the staff of a vacation resort, working and coexisting alongside Pokemon in the Netflix-exclusive series. The Pokemon Company has also frequently produced animated shorts based on different creatures from the franchise’s roster, including 2023’s The Adventures of Snorlax and Cubone, and A Clefairy Bedtime Story, which was inspired by spin-off Pokemon Sleep.
The main-series Pokemon anime is gearing up for big things to come in 2027 as well. The Pokemon franchise will officially welcome its tenth generation of video games sometime in 2027 with the release of Pokemon Winds and Waves, debuting as the first mainline games on the Nintendo Switch 2. The Pokemon anime’s newest series is also expected to coincide with the release of Winds and Waves, with Wonder Voyage, the final arc of the Scarlet and Violet anime, officially premiering in late May 2026. Fans of the Pokemon anime should have lots to look forward to in 2027, with a new main-series anime and The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu on the way.