Which 2019 film was the first live-action Pokémon movie?

Which 2019 film was the first live-action Pokémon movie? Pokémon Detective Pikachu, commonly called Detective Pikachu, is the answer.

Directed by Rob Letterman, the 2019 film was the first live-action feature based on the Pokémon franchise. It follows Tim Goodman, played by Justice Smith, as he investigates his father’s disappearance with a talking Pikachu voiced by Ryan Reynolds. Kathryn Newton and Ken Watanabe also appear in major live-action roles.

The movie adapts ideas from the 2016 Detective Pikachu video game rather than retelling the story of Ash Ketchum from the animated series. Its world combines human actors with digitally created Pokémon, including Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo. That combination is why it is described as live-action, even though many of its creatures are computer-generated.

Earlier Pokémon films were animated, including Pokémon: The First Movie and Pokémon Heroes. The film premiered in Japan on May 3, 2019, and received a wide international release later that month.