The Pokémon Company announced on Pokémon.com today that two unique Pokémon from their new movie, Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, will soon be available to play in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield on the Switch. The film, which follows a Jungle Book– or Tarzan-adjacent premise where a lone human is raised by a troop of the mythical ape-like Zarude pokémon “[d]eep within the Forest of Okoya” before a chance meeting with Ash and his iconic Pikachu, will premiere internationally Oct. 8 on the streaming service Netflix.
In the meantime, fans of the series that register for the Pokémon Trainer Club by Sept. 25 will be able to add “Dada Zarude” and “Shiny Celebi” (based on their appearances in the film) to their collection via an email distribution code on Oct. 7, giving them an exciting reminder about the movie, and tying their Pokémon training experience closer to it. Two rare mythical Pokémon seems like an enticing deal to sign up for marketing information.
While the fairy-like Celebi, also known as the Time Travel Pokémon, have been around since Generation II way back in the late ´90s, the ape-like Zarude were first introduced in 2019’s Sword and Shield. Celebi’s first major appearance in a Pokémon screen production was two decades ago in the fourth Pokémon film, Celebi: A Timeless Encounter, known by its later 2002 U.S. release as Pokémon: 4ever. While Zarude has been on the Pokémon anime show, this will be the first time for the mythical simian Pokémon to appear in a feature-length production, though changing technology over time means it will not get the silver-screen release of some of its predecessors.
About their release to streaming, Pokémon Company senior vice president of licensing Emily Arons said: “During Pokémon’s 25th anniversary year, we wanted fans to have the opportunity to experience the newest animated Pokémon movie simultaneously as a global community. Pokémon animation is a much-beloved pillar of the franchise, and Netflix is the perfect partner to once again help us deliver a worldwide moment for fans as we celebrate 25 years of action and adventure with Ash and his Pikachu.”
The brand-new trailer for Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle, released today, features two original songs (“Always Safe” and “No Matter What”) from recording artist Cyn, who also recorded a third song (“Wonderful”) for Pokémon’s 25th anniversary P25 Music program. You can watch that trailer below.