Clay-types? Pokemon is partnering with Aardman on a 2027 project

For years, families have come together every holiday season to watch the whimsical animation of Wallace & Gromit. Now, what if we told you that Aardman — creators of the show and masters of stop-motion animation — had partnered with The Pokémon Company on a special project to be released in 2027?

A YouTube short popped up that shows two balls of clay, one red and one white, rolling and smushing together to become the iconic shape of a Pokéball. The Pokémon logo appears, alongside the Aardman logo, and the caption below the video just says, “Pokémon x Aardman. Coming in 2027!”

The trailer doesn’t give us much to go off, but it’s worth noting that this announcement is made three years in advance. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first and most obvious is that stop-motion animation takes a lot of time. Some animators can spend a week of focused work on a single minute of footage. Considering Aardman’s reputation for being particular about its projects, it’s no big surprise that the studio wants plenty of time to put the project together.

The second reason is that, presumably, the studio has confidence in the project. Anything attached to the Pokémon name is almost guaranteed to be a critical success. In the press release surrounding this project, Taito Okiura, vice president of marketing and media at The Pokémon Company, said: “Aardman are masters of their craft, and we have been blown away by their talent and creativity. What we have been working on together ensures our global Pokémon fans are in for a treat!”

In response, Sean Clarke, managing director of Aardman, said: “It’s a huge honor to be working with The Pokémon Company International — we feel sincerely privileged to be trusted with bringing their characters and world to life in a brand-new way. Bringing together Pokémon, the world’s biggest entertainment brand, together with our love of craft, character, and comedic storytelling feels incredibly exciting.”

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This isn’t the first time Aardman has partnered with a major brand. At the start of this month, the company revealed how it had worked with Apple to film some of its most recent animation.