Mumbai: The Pokémon Company (TPC) has announced the launch of ‘Pokémon Horizons: The Series,’ a new animated show set to premiere on Hungama on 25 May 2024 every Saturday and Sunday at 9:30 am. For the first time in Pokémon’s history, the series features a female lead, Liko who alongside her partner Pokémon Myaoha will explore the exciting new world of Pokémon with another young trainer named Roy. At a press conference held recently, TPC also unveiled the original opening and ending tracks composed by the music duo Vishal-Sheykhar and sung by Armaan Malik and Shirley Setia, created specially for Indian fans.
Devika Prabhu, Business Head – Kids and Infotainment Cluster, Disney Kids, responding to a question said that stories, journeys of characters are more important than whether a show comes from India or abroad. “It does not matter where a story originates from as long as viewers can relate to that story. I wouldn’t try and categorise local IP over foreign IP and vice versa. The Pokemon franchise was conceived and started in Japan but it has become such a strong global story and franchise. It is testament to the fact that when you have a strong story and characters that children love then they grow up with them and watch them.
“India is no different. We are able to grow and foster this whole generation of Pokemon fans and enthusiasts. When you tell a story for a young viewer in a language that they understand with characters that they understand then that is all they are going to follow. We have taken things a step further by giving the characters in the show names that viewers know. This will lead to an immediate affinity for and an understanding of the characters. The energy is so palpable in this new series.” She added that the show having a female lead will be a really good fit for Hungama given that its shows celebrate girl leads on its shows.
Pokemon is one of the broadcaster’s biggest Summer tentpoles she noted. Hungama has aired it since 2014. She noted that the energy, characters will add a different flavour to Hungama. The music will be sensational she noted. On the promotional front multi city events will be done. She added that Japanese anime has been growing in popularity. It has a predominant presence on its platforms and Pokemon has generations of fan following. Now a new generation will follow a new story. The more one sees the more one enjoys and the more one follows.
When asked about how the localisation process works, she said that Disney-Star works closely with The Pokemon Company to make sure that the essence of the original series is captured. “We never translate exactly, we will always trans-create. We use idioms relevant to local languages. We use sounds, character voices, definitions. For this season the fact that The Pokemon Company has localised characters and given them Hindi names. This will snowball things further and make things really popular.” The fact that the two companies work in close collaboration including things like doing local names, who should do the music makes this a very special relationship. “We send our trans created scripts to them. Because it is a close collaboration, we are able to give our viewers such a really good and premium experience that stays with them and grows with them. They can come back to it every day and every year.”
She added that the big news is that there is a new set of Pokemon.
“Generation have grown up watching anime on the network. The reach time, spent numbers show that the fan base for anime is growing. Hungama has established itself as a popular platform for Japanese anime and Pokémon, especially has been garnering immense love and appreciation over the years. With a devoted fan base of Pokémon enthusiasts in the country, our network has been their go-to destination when they want to immerse themselves in a world of captivating stories from the franchise. Through our dedicated localisation efforts, we have customised the Pokémon viewing experience to align with the preferences of our audience, ensuring its continued relevance and appeal. The series and movies have consistently ranked among our top-performing content, and we are happy to introduce a new series as one of our key summer tentpoles on Hungama.”
She spoke about the role that Hungama plays in a child’s life and the fact that people keep coming back to watch the shows they love. Pokemon is getting more of an extension now with the new series. The important thing in launching a new series is to have viewers accept the new characters, the new world and go on that adventure. “Together we can take viewers on this adventure. We give viewers the opportunity to meet the characters offscreen also so it becomes a part of their lives and that is how any show, character and franchise builds. That is the joint focus for both of us.”
For over two decades, Pokémon has consistently captured the imagination of kids and continues to be the preferred entertainment among fans today, solidifying Pokémon’s position as a pop-culture phenomenon. Hungama, the leading channel in the kids’ genre, has been home to the Pokémon series since 2014 and has engaged millions of fans through the years, generating 87 million views across Disney Kids Channel in India in the last year alone according to Barc.
In addition to Liko and Roy, Pokémon Horizons: The Series also features other new characters, including groups like Rising Volt Tacklers and the Explorers. There are many new Pokémon, each bringing unique abilities to the screen. Fans will see Captain Pikachu navigating the characters on daring voyages across the sea and sky.
The Pokémon Company has also struck a collaboration with composer duo Vishal-Sheykhar to produce original opening and ending songs specifically for the series in India, bringing a local flavour to the series. This demonstrates Pokémon’s ongoing dedication to establishing a solid presence in the Indian market and fostering collaborations with local artists and enterprises.
Sharing thoughts on the launch, Susumu Fukunaga, The Pokémon Company, remarked, “The new series comes with a brand-new storyline, new Pokémon and human characters, so there is a lot to look forward to. You will enjoy a fascinating adventure on an airship and see how secrets unfold due to the mysterious objects the main characters possess. All this is packed into a heart-warming story of friendship and self-discovery. We have also created original opening and ending tracks just for India for the very first time. This has been a challenging and interesting journey as we wanted to ensure that the music and lyrics align with Indian sensibilities. I think the songs capture the essence of Pokémon very nicely. We are also delighted to air our new series on the hugely popular Hungama channel. Their reach is bound to take our content to viewers across the entire country.”
He pointed out to the collaboration with Disney since 2014. “We know that they are on every TV set in the country and through them we will also be on every TV set in the country. We want to reach more and more people and this is our motive in collaborating with Disney-Star.” He added that India being a huge market makes it very important along with the fact that Pokemon is a global franchise. Pokemon has tied up with IPL franchise Mumbai Indians for the season. He said that this deal began through casual conversations and it turned into a nice partnership. “We want people to enjoy Pokemon in their surroundings and in their everyday lives. This is one of the initiatives in that regard.” He also spoke about The Pokemon Company doing on-ground events in shopping malls.
