Pokémon on Disney+ is getting its biggest expansion yet: The Pokémon Company International has signed a global distribution deal with Disney+ that brings the classic Ash and Pikachu anime to the platform, alongside a new stop-motion series from Aardman, the Wallace & Gromit studio.
The deal was announced on Friday at Pokémon XP, where a teaser trailer for the new series, Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu, made its debut. Disney+ confirmed the agreement in a press release, with the anime trade press including Nintendo Life and Deadline reporting the details.
What’s coming to Pokémon on Disney+
Set in the Galar Region, the series follows Sirfetch’d and Pichu on a gallant quest to help and protect Pokémon across the region. Their missions rarely go as planned, which is presumably where the comedy comes in. Aardman, the Bristol studio behind Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, is handling the stop-motion; the director is Tom Parkinson, with Nat McKay as creative director for IP development and James Young leading model making.
“Pokémon has that rare ability to mean something to longtime fans while continuing to feel completely relevant to young audiences today. This new series brings Aardman’s signature stop-motion artistry with a bold, playful new perspective to this beloved world, giving audiences a fresh way to experience the characters they know and love.”
Ayo Davis, president, Disney Kids & Family
The series debuts on Disney XD and streams exclusively on Disney+ worldwide in 2027.
Pokémon the Series: The Beginning is on Disney+ now
The agreement also covers the classic animated series Pokémon the Series: The Beginning, starring Ash and Pikachu, which began airing on Disney XD this month and is now streaming on Disney+ in the US and select international markets. It is the first title to launch under the new deal — the stop-motion series follows in 2027.
Disney+ subscribers in the region will have to wait to see how much of the catalogue reaches the UAE. Disney+ UAE runs a separate library, and the en-ae storefront currently shows no sign of the Pokémon titles. The new series is a confirmed worldwide Disney+ exclusive, which should extend to the region when it launches in 2027, though Disney has not confirmed the regional timing.
For now, Netflix UAE continues to carry Pokémon: Indigo League, as it has done for years, so Ash and Pikachu’s original journey remains easy to find — and Pichu already has a presence on tbreak thanks to the Twitch chat badges that launched this year. Disney+’s recent slate of platform exclusives has been building out the same kind of library muscle, and Pokémon is its biggest addition yet.
When does Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu come out?
The stop-motion series debuts on Disney XD and streams exclusively on Disney+ worldwide in 2027. No specific release date has been announced.
Who is making the Pokémon stop-motion series?
Aardman, the Bristol studio behind Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. Director Tom Parkinson leads the series, with Nat McKay as creative director for IP development and James Young heading model making.
Is Pokémon on Disney+ in the UAE?
Not yet. The classic series, Pokémon the Series: The Beginning, is streaming in the US and select markets only, and the Disney+ UAE storefront shows no Pokémon titles. The 2027 series is a confirmed worldwide Disney+ exclusive, but Disney has not confirmed regional timing. Netflix UAE still carries Pokémon: Indigo League.
What is Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu about?
Set in the Galar Region, it follows Sirfetch’d and Pichu on a quest to help and protect Pokémon across the region. Their missions rarely go as planned.
