Pokemon Legends: Arceus gets a Ghibli-inspired fan trailer

Pokemon
(Image credit: Channy and Kimberly / YouTube)

Pokemon Legends: Arceus has received a stunning Studio Ghibli-inspired fan trailer courtesy of two animators. 

Self-proclaimed "Nintendo fangirls" Channy and Kimberly have shared their Pokemon Legends: Arceus trailer to YouTube and the similarities to Studio Ghibli films such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke are immediately clear. 

First up In the 56-second animated trailer, we see a custom version of the Studio Ghibli logo which features Snorlax and Hisuian Growlithe instead of the iconic forest spirit Totoro. Throughout the rest of the animated short, we also get to see stylized versions of protagonist Akari, Hisuian Voltorb, Wyrdeer, Hisuian Zorua, and many more. 

If this wasn’t all magical enough, the trailer also contains a serene piano rearrangement of the original Pokemon theme by Kromosohn, which gives it even more of a Studio Ghibli feel. 

This isn’t the pair’s first - or probably last - Nintendo short film uploaded to their YouTube channel. In fact, Channy and Kimberly have also made trailers for the likes of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart, Splatoon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and more. 

Just in case you haven’t been counting down the days now, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is due to be released in just two days time on January 28, 2022. Unfortunately for trainers who have been desperately trying to keep the whole thing under wraps, plenty of Pokemon Legends: Arceus leaks have already been shared online. In fact, the entire game has even been streamed and some copies have begun popping up on eBay early. 

Need a game to keep you busy before Legends Arceus’ release? Take a look at our list of best Pokemon games for inspiration. 

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.