Production of Pokémon animation

The Pokémon franchise has produced numerous animated works, most notably the mainline , consisting of Pokémon the Series and its successor Pokémon Horizons: The Series. 
Other notable works include the Pokémon movies, a few standalone specials, the elements of the live-action film , and several mini-series. There is also a wide assortment of short-form content, including various web shorts, trailers, commercials, music videos, and promotional videos.
Several common systems, processes, and components are used in the making of Pokémon animation.
==Overview==
===Animated series and movies===
The Pokémon animated series and their tie-in media are primarily produced in by the animation studio OLM. Until the fifth season episode A Crowning Achievement, the series was animated using ; from Here's Lookin' at You Elekid! onwards, all episodes are digitally animated. TV Tokyo, , and are the executive producers for the series, while the Pikachu Project is the for the movies. The copyright for the series and movies are held jointly by Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak, TV Tokyo, ShoPro, and JR Kikaku. In 2001, an average episode cost approximately US$100,000 to produce.Rutenberg, Jim (January 28, 2001). "Violence Finds a Niche in Children's Cartoons". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
In the West, The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) currently oversees production and distribution of the series in partnership with Iyuno, which has been involved with the English dub since the beginning of the twenty-third season.Ortiz, Lisa (June 12, 2020). "Enter Pikachu!". Pokémon Journeys: The Series. Season 23. Episode 1. Netflix. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2024. 4Kids Entertainment initially licensed the series in ,"10-K". Yahoo. March 31, 1999. p. 6. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2024. producing the dub in conjunction with TAJ Productions from seasons one to five. 4Kids was then the sole producer from seasons six to eight, after which the show was produced by TPCi (then known as Pokémon USA) and TAJ Productions for seasons nine and ten. From seasons eleven through twenty-two, the dub was produced by TPCi with .
In 2018, the creators of the live-action film , which features the titular , revealed that the original intention for Pokémon the Series was to have the Pokémon talk, but OLM faced challenges in developing a concept that Game Freak would approve."5 Detective Pikachu Facts From Our Developer Interview! (What's New, Movie, & Origin)". YouTube. March 5, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
The Pokémon movies are primarily produced by OLM, with and being credited as co-producers for The Power of Us and Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution, respectively. The twenty-second movie, Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution, is a remake of the first movie.
===Other works===
Various computer-animated trailers, commercials, and YouTube shorts have been produced by Creatures, Inc.
OLM, , and produced the Pokémon Origins animated series.
Additionally, Pokémon Concierge is a 2023 animated series produced by dwarf studios as a collaborative production between Netflix and The Pokémon Company.
==Animation process==
The animation process for Pokémon largely involves the use of reference materials, model sheets, and the storyboarding process, as well as occasionally relying on recycled animation.
===Reference materials===
Detailed reference materials, also known as materials (Japanese: settei, lit. "setting materials"), and sometimes referred to as s or concept art depending on usage and context, depict designs, objects, and locations from a variety of angles. This material is given to artists in order to create consistent and accurate works, which is integral for both 2D and 3D artists alike.SakugaBooru tag showing various model sheets drawn by animation staff.
===Model sheets===
In model sheets for animated productions, where flat colors are used, the color of each line or filled material represents a different intent when the artwork is to be colored, further providing the artist using the model sheets with additional context to aid their work.
* Black lines are used for lines that are not meant to disappear when colored.
* Red lines are often, though not always, used for specific particular color fills, such as highlights from exterior lighting within a scene whenever applicable.
* Blue lines best denote a division between a dark and light area, used for shadows. They're invisible when the figure has been fully painted or colored.
* Green or blue fills are used for shadowed areas.
* Yellow fills denote areas that serve as highlights.
 	
A comparison of two poses from different model sheets of from to best illustrate the purpose of differently colored lines and filled areas	's model sheets from
===Storyboarding===
s (Japanese: e-konte, lit. "drawing continuity") are one of the earliest types of minimal production materials used for various media to allow artists to better visualize scenes that are going to be developed further, typically by background artists, modelers, animators, or a compositing team.Sakugablog's glossary, which contains a variety of references from the most prominent JP animation community online They often, though not always, come after model sheets in the production line. This part of Japanese productions involves a sequenced series of storyboards that include specific details to assist with the process further down the production line, including planned dialogue and acting instructions.SakugaBooru tag showing various storyboards drawn by animation staff.
 	
Storyboards from in , by , and from in , by Kiana Khansmith's Path to the Peak storyboards.	Storyboards from in , by , and from in , by Kiana Khansmith's Path to the Peak storyboards.
The next step of the storyboarding process involves creating a layout. Now that a cut or scene has been planned out, it is up to the job of an animator to create a layout that acts as the skeleton of the scene, for artists to follow when further down in the production line. These often feature more intense detail, depth, and perspective than the initial storyboard. When compiled, layouts are often animated with rudimentary motion of specific parts in order to aid animators in the next step.SakugaBooru tag showing various layouts drawn by animation staff.
Animators may also create an animatic, a sort of animated storyboard, typically with an early soundtrack or vocals, to help visualize a scene before it is fully animated.What is an Animatic — How To Bring Your Storyboard to Life. Brent Dunham, studiobinder.
Layout from in
After the layout phase, s (Japanese: genga, lit. "original pictures")Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part I -- by Kevin Cirugeda, ANN. are used to define the motion within a cut of animation drawn by the key animator. They are often corrected by those higher up on the production team, such as animation directorsAnimator Hiroyuki Kitakobo referencing early use of the term Animation Director at Studio BONES. (also referred to as animation supervisors), chief animation directors, or character designers. They are then traced by in-between (Japanese: 動画 dōga, lit. "moving pictures") artists, who also draw the missing frames following the notes left by the key animator for timing and frame-pacing.
Occasionally, this production material is released officially,upload of key frame for episode 31 of Pokémon Horizons: The Series by the Japanese AniPoké Twitter account.upload of key frame for episode 32 of Pokémon Horizons: The Series by the Japanese AniPoké Twitter account. and in some instances, by staff on the series after their work has been completed. 
As can be seen below, the color of each line or filled material represents a different intent when the artwork is to be colored. It shares these colors and their definitions with those used for model sheets.
 	
Key frame from in by Interview with Satoshi Nakano explaining that Iwane is still a solo-animator.	The finished scene in
A list of key frames uploaded to Bulbapedia can be found here.
===Recycled animation===
The bank system (Japanese: bank system), also known as BANK animation or just BANK, is a specific Japanese technique derived from , wherein animation is re-used in part or in whole in a 2D animated production,(PDF) The Ritualization of the "Bank System" in Japanese TV Animation with Hero or HeroinePokémon animator Masaaki Iwane defining the term BANK on Twitter.Pokémon animator Masaaki Iwane using the term BANK in response to a question on Marshmallow.Pokémon director Hiroaki Takagi referencing the term BANK in a conversation on Twitter. whether that be direct re-use of the original animation, or by tracing existing animation to be used again.Reference to the tags of SakugaBooru, which is the home for highly praised animation within the Japanese industry. Each tag is used to define something specific within an upload to the site, with all having an explanation on this page. For instance, Z-Moves that are used in Pokémon the Series will often look identical upon being used again, due to the complexity of the motion and camerawork involved. Occasionally, banked animation is made a little less obvious, as it can also be used to describe the re-use of animation between different Pokémon, characters, and scenes than the original animation was used for.
 	
Animation from partially reused in in	Animation from partially reused in in
Very rarely, whole content may significantly consist of banked animation, such as "recap episodes" (often produced to save time and put the project further ahead of schedule) or the fourteenth Pokémon movie (due to the choice to split one movie into two similar ones).
 	
Scene in	Scene in
==Localization==
When bringing Pokémon animated media to other regions, it goes through a process called localization. During localization, the work's writing, visuals, audio, and language are changed to fit the target region. Pokémon animated media also tends to be dubbed, or re-voiced, in the target region's language, rather than offering the original audio with subtitles.
Since Pokémon animated media is generally targeted towards children, localization will usually remove or alter material that may be seen as objectionable or confusing to young audiences in the target region's culture. In rare cases, entire episodes may be banned from airing in certain regions due to their content. Concepts that tend to be changed include:
* Japanese text in the environment, such as on signs or buildings.
* References to Japanese culture, such as the infamous change of calling rice balls "jelly donuts".
* Puns that are heavily reliant on the Japanese language.
* References to religion.
* The appearance and use of hand-held firearms. However, unrealistically or comically large weapons such as Team Rocket's mechas tend to stay unchanged.
* Nudity and dialogue that implies nudity.
* Characters whose designs may resemble racial stereotypes. For example: 's design prior to its skin becoming purple; Lenora's apron; Ash Ketchum wearing face paint to disguise as a in SM064.
In the case of Pokémon the Series, localization tends to use North America as the target region, and versions for other countries will then build off of the North American version. For instance, M02's prophecy states that the earth will "turn to ash" in the North American dub, making a pun on Ash Ketchum's name while describing devastation; but the original Japanese instead just said that the world would be destroyedDogasu's Backpack - comparison of M02. In some European localizations, the pun is kept, but with a character remarking that the word used means ash in English.
===Writing changes===
===Audio changes===
===Visual changes===
==References==
Category:Animation