Celebrate the next film in the Pokemon franchise!
While Pokemon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle won’t be released in the U.S. until 2021, Pokemon Go is going to celebrate the upcoming film with an in-game event in December!
The game’s Secrets of the Jungle event is split into multiple parts, but the overall event begins on December 14 at 8 a.m. local time.
During this event, you’ll be able to complete a timed Special Research storyline inspired by Secrets of the Jungle, which will allow you to encounter Shiny Celebi! Rather than featuring Professor Willow, these Special Research tasks will be given to players by Team Rocket’s Jessie and James. Since these tasks are technically “timed,” they won’t be available to complete forever, but Niantic, the developer of Pokemon Go, didn’t reveal when they’ll be removed from the game.
Jessie and James’ Meowth hot air balloon will also make a return to the game on December 14, but it will also be a temporary addition to the game. As with the Special Research tasks, Niantic didn’t announce when the Meowth balloon will once again leave the game. However, the developer did say that Jessie and James will use different Pokemon this time around.
Elsewhere, this event will add free avatar items to the game’s Style menu inspired by the clothing Jessie and James wear in Secrets of the Jungle.
In addition to these features, the Secrets of the Jungle celebration will feature three shorter events that are all taking place in December.
From December 14 at 8 a.m. local time to December 17 at 10 p.m. local time, Hoothoot, Nuzleaf, Drilbur, Cottonee, Dwebble, and other Pokemon with connections to Secrets of the Jungle will appear more frequently than normal in the wild. Players may also encounter Durant during this event.
Plus, Lickitung, Mawile, Flygon, Rufflet, and other Pokemon will appear in Raids during this time, and Igglybuff, Smoochum, Elekid, Magby, Bonsly, and Rufflet will have the chance to hatch from 5 km Eggs that are collected during this event window.
Finally, when this event begins, players will have the chance to encounter Shiny Rufflet!
Next, from December 14 at 8 a.m. local time until December 21 at 10 p.m. local time, Explorer Pikachu will be available in the wild and in Raids, while Jessie and James will be available as a Snapshot encounter. There will also be the chance for players to encounter Shiny Explorer Pikachu.
Explorer Pikachu will also be the featured Pokemon during December 15’s Spotlight Hour event.
Lastly, on December 25 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, Jessie and James’ Meowth balloon will appear more frequently than normal.
Are you excited about this Secrets of the Jungle-themed event in Pokemon Go? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
