Detective Pikachu: 7 Reasons To Be Excited

Mr Mime using Barrier to block Pikachu is good for a slapstick chuckle, but it also suggests they really understand the material. That’s going to be crucially important for the movie’s success. While some will undoubtedly be filling cinemas just to see cute fluffy Pikachu, the franchise has legions of fans. And to win them over, the filmmakers need to display an understanding of the characters they’re using to tell their story.

The Barrier moment is a great example of that. It’s one of Mime’s signature moves and the gag lands well. They have a few other cult ‘mons in the trailer, with Psyduck, Jigglypuff and Charizard all featuring. While Charizard gets the most spotlight of those, a few eagle eyed fans will have noticed Jigglypuff annoyed that her singing put someone to sleep - a direct nod to the anime.

There’s a heck of a lot of backstory and lore to work with, but there’s fans who understand every inch of it. Some are already crossing their fingers for the Squirtle Squad.

With so many Pokémon in the world, some fans are bound to be disappointed when their favourites miss out. But so far, Detective Pikachu seems to be a real crowd pleaser.