‘Detective Pikachu’ Trailer Has Fans Worried About Captured Pokemon

One of the more pressing questions fans have always had about the Pokemon franchise is what life is like inside a Poke Ball. The series always depicts some huge creatures being condensed into a tiny space, but it’s never painted like be captured and held in these balls is painful or worrying. Though that may be changing with the more realistic takes on the famous monsters in Detective Pikachu.

In the latest trailer for Detective Pikachu, the various Pokemon making an appearance in the film are highlighted and there’s even a shot of a Cubone being captured. But the animation for its capture has fans pretty worried. Here’s a closer look at it thanks to Joe Merrick of Serebii.net:

Though capturing Pokemon is one of the major staples of the franchise, seeing a more realistic take on the experience highlights just how strenuous the situation is for the Pokemon themselves. With this Cubone in particular, fans can see how it’s running away from whomever is trying to capture it. It has its back turned, and fans can see how the Poke Ball hitting it on the back of the head hurts it. Not only do its eyes spin around in its head, it’s forcibly drawn into the ball with a vacuum.

This is a major shift from the more colorful way Pokemon are captured in the games and anime, and while this may not be the focus of the new film it is something that’s going to be burning in the back of fans’ heads as they get more accustomed to the idea of living in a world full of Pokemon.

Directed by Rob Letterman, and co-written by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Nicole Perlman, and Derek Connolly, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is currently scheduled for a release on May 10th. The film stars Ryan Reynolds (as the voice of the titular Pikachu), Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe, Khary Payton, Bill Nighy, Suki Waterhouse, Chris Geere, Rita Ora, and Omar Chaparro. You can find out how to purchase tickets for yourself here.

The official synopsis for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu reads as such, “The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.”

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