Detective Pikachu is out now and doing surprisingly well at the box office. The
Pokémon movie being live-action essentially allows us to see what many iconic Pokémon creatures would really look like. While some realistic Pokémon turned out cute, others appear quite gross.
The Pokémon Company found two Pokémon particular unfit for the live-action treatment: Mr. Mime and Lickitung. The Japanese firm responsible for brand management and licensing of the franchise considered Lickitung's scene too gross to include in the film. The company were also opposed to Mr. Mime featuring in the live-action film as they weren't certain what he was.
At one point in the film, Tim Goodman is on a train and confronted by a Lickitung which promptly slathers him with its enormous tongue. The Pokémon film's visual effects supervisor recently talked about the company's reaction to Lickitung's disgusting scene with
Time Magazine.
For something to feel real, it has to have real-world grit and texture. But the Pokémon Company would see that and think it was dirty. We had to walk them through… and build the trust that we weren’t going to make these things disturbingly dirty. I wouldn’t say that [the scene with Lickitung] was the Pokémon Company’s favorite scene in the movie. That’s one where we got right up to the edge of what they would be comfortable with.
Detective Pikachu's Art Director revealed something similar about Mr. Mime. That being that The Pokémon Company didn't want Mr. Mime included because they weren't sure what he was: "When Rob [Letterman, the film’s director] suggested using Mr. Mime, we asked the Pokémon Company, “What is he?” They went: We don’t know.” They were actually trying to dissuade us from using him, because they weren’t sure what he was or whether he’d work well on screen. That was a bit of a strange one."
Synopsis: Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.