Detective Pikachu (film)
Pokémon Detective Pikachu (commonly known as Detective Pikachu) is a 2019 mystery fantasy comedy film directed by Rob Letterman. Based on the Pokémon franchise, the film is a loose adaptation of the 2016 video game of the same name. It was written by Letterman, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, and Derek Connolly, from a story by Hernandez, Samit, and Nicole Perlman, and produced by Legendary Pictures and Toho. It was the first live-action Pokémon film and the first live-action film based on a Nintendo game property since Super Mario Bros. (1993).
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Directed by | Rob Letterman |
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Cinematography | John Mathieson |
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Music by | Henry Jackman |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
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Language | English |
Budget | $150 million |
Box office | $450.1 million |
The film stars Ryan Reynolds as the voice and facial motion capture of Pikachu, with Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Ken Watanabe, and Bill Nighy in live-action roles. The plot follows former Pokémon trainer Tim Goodman and the titular Pokémon as they attempt to solve the mysterious disappearance of Tim's father, Harry.
Filming took place from January to May 2018 in Colorado, England, and Scotland. Detective Pikachu was released in Japan on May 3, 2019 and in the United States on May 10, 2019, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, IMAX, 4DX, and ScreenX formats. It is the first Pokémon film distributed theatrically in the United States since Pokémon Heroes (2003) and the first distributed by Warner Bros. since Pokémon 3 (2001). The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the visual effects and Reynolds' performance, but criticism towards the story. It made a worldwide gross of $450 million, becoming the highest grossing video game film adaptation at the time of its release. A sequel is currently in development.