Pokémon fans have long imagined what Pokémon would look like if they existed in our world. And that only makes sense because it’s a fascinating thought. The world of Pokémon is a fantastical one, certainly, but it has just enough realism embedded into it that it inspires viewers to try to bring some science into it. Realistic Pokémon reimaginations have come in many excellent forms. Still, the latest one, a series of “wildlife” videos starring various Pokémon in their natural habitats, is one of the most delightful yet. These short videos take on the form of a David Attenborough-style documentary and are titled PokéNational Geographic. Not only is this series gorgeously animated, but these Pokémon x National Geographic videos are also truly hilarious. Let’s take a look.
These PokéNational Geographic come from creator Elious Entertainment. A note on each video in the series notes, “Our wonderful Professor Ginkgo has curated lots of information on individual Pokémon that is then read by our very own Michael Michaelson.” And we have to give all the kudos to Michaelson. The National Geographic-like scripts compile information from Pokémon‘s Pokédex. The Pokédex is, of course, known for containing some outlandish details about the Pokémon it tracks. But the reading of the incisive insights really takes it over the top. Something about the dry, objective tone crushing Magikarp into absolute pieces registers as absolute hilarity.
Poor Magikarp. We love all of these Pokémon/National Geographic videos, but the Magikarp one is so deliciously vicious and yet so gorgeously realistic that it may be our favorite. But in all seriousness, Elious Entertainment weaves an incredible animation together. Seeing the Pokémon appear so embedded in their environments, for instance, Magikarp being obscured by deep water, is a neat thing. These National Geographic shorts take the idea of realistic Pokémon and give it depth and dimension. We give PokéNational Geographic a standing ovation.
We also very much appreciate the touch of lore added into the world. It’s all about attention to detail, after all. Could National Geographic’s latest correspondent be a distant cousin of Pokémon‘s Professor Oak? We must know more about Professor Ginkgo and how he fits into the world. But we suppose for that we’ll have to wait for the camera to turn around.
Hopefully, we’ll see more PokéNational Geographic videos surface shortly. After all, we can never have enough realistic Pokémon in our lives. Our vote would be to visit the skies with Dragonite, or to witness an Eevee transforming in the wild. But we’ll be happy with whatever wanders in the frame. Nature cannot be controlled, after all.
In the meanwhile, you can take a look at the full series of the National Geographic x Pokémon shorts by visiting this playlist. We know we’ll be rewatching for a while.