Aardman’s ‘Pokémon’ Show Looks Absolutely Delightful

Late last year, the Pokémon Company revealed a surprise animation collab: it would work with the legendary British studio Aardman—the team behind Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and more—to create a new Pokémon series. Now, we’ve had a delightful first look, and it is going to be a suitably British-feeling adventure into the world of Pocket Monsters.

During today’s Pokémon Presents livestream, Aardman revealed that its series would be called Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu. The brief animated teaser showed the titular heroes, the Galarian-region evolution of Farfetch’d, and the baby Pokémon pre-evolution of Pikachu, engaging in unseen shenanigans as a delightfully oblivious Wooloo relaxed in a field. It’s perhaps only fitting that the minds behind Shaun the Sheep focused their trailer on a sheep Pokémon!

Little else was revealed about the series, other than the fact that it will seemingly take place in the Galar region—the UK-inspired land introduced in Pokémon Sword & Shield—and will focus on the perspective of Pokémon rather than human beings. That’s all, of course, very fitting for Aardman, given their love of eccentric Britishisms and physical comedy with silent characters like Gromit and Shaun.

We’ll be waiting a while to see more—Aardman says that The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d and Pichu will release some time in 2027.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.