A new Detective Pikachu TV spot offers the first look at Lickitung (and its tongue) in the live-action movie. Announced back in 2016, Detective Pikachu is the first live-action/CGI Pokémon movie and follows the titular character (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) as he helps a wannabe Pokémon trainer (Justice Smith) find his missing father. The film has quickly become one of this year’s most buzzed-about tentpoles thanks to the Detective Pikachu trailer released last November. In addition to introducing the film’s playful Who Framed Roger Rabbit-like universe, the preview got fans excited by offering a sneak peek at the live-action versions of several popular Pokémon.
Following the release of the trailer (which featured brief appearances by Pokémon like Bulbasaur and Charizard, among many others), Warner Bros. has kept the Detective Pikachu conversation going with additional TV spots that offer first-look glimpses of critters like Snubbull. These promos have also shred more light on the film’s plot, along with Pikachu’s various eccentricities and personality quirks in the movie. That trend continues with the film’s latest TV preview, which includes a… somewhat disconcerting look at the Pokémon Lickitung in the real world.
Indeed, the pink Generation 1 Pokémon - also known as a licking Pokémon - shows up in the film’s new TV spot and, well, it’s quite the sight in live-action. You can watch the promo (courtesy of WB) in the space below.
Needless to say, some Pokémon look stranger in live-action than others and that was always going to be the case with a Pokémon like Lickitung - that is, a Pokémon with a tongue nearly its own height in length. Of course, getting to see what animated Pokémon’s silly and often flat-out weird physical designs look like in the real world is part of Detective Pikachu’s appeal. That goes double for the movie’s storytelling decisions, like having Reynolds - an actor already heavily associated with voice-driven roles thanks to Deadpool - lend his vocals to Pikachu or giving the tiny detective a caffeine addiction, as the new TV spot reveals. Whether you find live-action Pokémon to be charming, bizarre, or a combination of the two, there’s no denying they make the film around them seem all the more unique, as far as modern-day blockbusters go.
Detective Pikachu definitely promises to be “unique” too, whether that be for the better or worse. The movie was directed by Rob Letterman (Monsters vs. Aliens, Goosebumps) and cowritten by Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy), so its creatives are clearly comfortable with playing in this kind of zany sandbox and have proven themselves capable of delivering films that blend humor, heart, and pure wackiness in equal measure. WB and Legendary already seem taken with what they’ve done with the Pokémon franchise here and set a writer to work on a Detective Pikachu sequel last month, well ahead of the first movie’s theatrical release in May.
MORE: Every Detective Pikachu Update You Need to Know
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
- detective pikachu Release Date: 2019-05-10
