Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle (2020)
The Pokémon franchise has been producing theatrical films since 1998, and at this point the formula is about as well-worn as an old pair of trainers. What began with the genuinely affecting Pokémon: The First Movie has expanded into a long-running series of largely standalone adventures, each built around a new Mythical Pokémon and a suitably grand threat to the natural order of things. Secrets of the Jungle, released in Japan in December 2020 (with international audiences picking it up via Netflix in 2021), follows this pattern without much deviation. The premise is a familiar one borrowed from world literature: a human child raised among wild creatures, cut off from his own kind, eventually forced to confront questions of identity and belonging. It is the sort of story that works when handled with care, and has done so in contexts ranging from Kipling to Disney. Whether it works here is another matter.
Tetsuo Yajima is no newcomer to the franchise, having previously directed Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, the computer-animated remake that divided fans and critics alike. His return here sees him working in a more traditional animation style, produced under the long-standing Pikachu Project banner with OLM handling animation duties, as they have for the bulk of the franchise's theatrical output. The Pokémon Company and Shogakukan are along for the ride as co-producers, and the whole enterprise has the polished but unremarkable look of a production that knows exactly what it is and has no particular ambition to be anything more. The film introduces Zarude, a Dark/Grass-type Mythical Pokémon that had been newly revealed in the mainline games, which is standard practice for these releases: the movies function, in part, as extended promotional vehicles for whatever creature the games are currently spotlighting.
The vocal cast is anchored by long-serving series regulars. Rica Matsumoto has voiced Ash Ketchum in the Japanese original since the very beginning, and Ikue Otani's Pikachu is as recognisable as ever (a role that requires remarkable consistency over decades of work). Moka Kamishiraishi takes on the role of Koko, the feral boy at the centre of the story, bringing a reasonably expressive performance to a character who has to sell a fairly outlandish upbringing. Megumi Hayashibara and Shin-ichiro Miki, both veterans of the franchise as Jessie and James of Team Rocket respectively, provide the comic relief that the series has always leaned on. It is a competent ensemble doing what they have always done, which is comfortable and familiar in equal measure. Fans of the wider world of Japanese animation may also recognise Hayashibara from her extraordinary range of work elsewhere, including Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue, though this is about as far from that territory as it is possible to get.
Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle is essentially just Pokémon Tarzan or Pokemon Jungle Book. Tetsuo Yajima’s 2020 animated feature drops us straight into the deep woods, where an abandoned toddler is taken in by a Zarude, a rather grumpy, monkey-like mythical creature.
In a move that reverses the laws of its own universe, this Zarude abandons its pack to raise the human child as its own. Years later, the feral boy crosses paths with Ash and Pikachu, kicking off a highly predictable adventure that feels like it was generated by a very polite, focus-grouped algorithm.
Honestly, I found the whole experience to be just profoundly "fine". It’s not just average for a standard animated kids' movie; it’s remarkably average even by the rather forgiving standards of the Pokémon franchise. The narrative treads water for its entire runtime, introducing a mythical creature and a lush environment but doing absolutely nothing of consequence with them. There is very little overall impact on the actual lore of the universe. It’s a completely self-contained, easily digestible little side-quest that you will forget the moment the credits roll.
That being said, I have to admit my own bias here, because my kid absolutely loves it. And I suppose that’s the crux of the matter: you really do need to be a dedicated fan of the franchise, or a parent looking to keep a toddler entertained, to get anything out of this. For the uninitiated, the endless chatter of the creatures and the repetitive plot beats become a bit of a mess. But for those who just want to see Pikachu do his cute little sparkly thing in a new, colourful setting, Yajima delivers exactly the low-stakes, brightly coloured comfort food they’re looking for.
This is a film that exists purely to keep the brand engine turning, executing its duties with a shrug rather than a spark of genuine creativity. It’s a harmless, entirely forgettable diversion that will delight the target demographic and leave everyone else checking their watches. It does the job, but it certainly doesn't do it with any flair.
Secrets of the Jungle sits comfortably in the middle of the franchise's theatrical catalogue: not an embarrassment, not a highpoint, just another entry ticking the required boxes. For anyone who has followed these films over the years, it is worth noting that the series has occasionally managed genuine warmth and even a degree of emotional heft, though this particular instalment is not really the place to go looking for either. If you are curious about how the Pokémon films tend to operate as a whole, the franchise's earlier theatrical outings are a better starting point. And if you are after a sense of what Japanese animation can do at a considerably higher pitch of ambition, something like The Boy and the Heron is a reminder of how much further that medium can reach. Secrets of the Jungle is not trying to reach anywhere particularly far. It knows its audience, it serves its audience, and then it packs up and goes home.
Rating: ★★ | Year: 2020 | Watched: 2026-07-21
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle (2020) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Netflix · Netflix Standard with Ads
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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