Detective Pikachu: Nobody Knows What Mr. Mime Even Is

One of the many amusing aspects of Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, the first live-action film in the franchise, is how it manages to convert a variety of different Pokemon into being believable critters. Each and every one of them had to feel like something that’s actually crawling, walking, or flying around. This is also why Mr. Mime, a spindly-looking humanoid-ish creature, was a particularly difficult nut to crack.

In an interview with Time, Erik Nordby, Detective Pikachu‘s visual effects supervisor, and Ravi Bansal, the film’s art director in charge of handling the various pocket monsters, spoke about the difficultly of adding Mr. Mime to the mix. It would appear even the Pokemon Company didn’t necessarily think it was a good idea.

“When Rob [Letterman, the film’s director] suggested using Mr. Mime,” Bansal said, “we asked the Pokémon Company, ‘What is he?’ They went: ‘We don’t know.’ They were actually trying to dissuade us from using him, because they weren’t sure what he was or whether he’d work well on screen. That was a bit of a strange one.”

Mr. Mime, if you’re not familiar, is the creature seen near the end of the film’s first trailer. Specifically, they try to interrogate one. You can check it out below:

“When you look at the character, it instantly feels creepy,” Nordby told Time. “We had to figure out what aspects we could push and pull. We settled on the idea that every surface needed to feel like a toy. His joints are those dodge balls we used to play with when we were kids. His gloves are the inflatable gloves you’d get at a fair. We had to find all of these evocative textures that just felt childlike.”

What do you think? Is Mr. Mime creepy, or just right? Let us know in the comments!

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is in theaters now. You can read our spoiler-free review of the film here. The official synopsis for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu reads as follows:

“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.”