Dragonite and the Special Delivery Review

Dragonite and the Special Delivery is free to watch on YouTube.

Dragonite and the Special Delivery feels truer to the initial spirit of Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri's vision than just about all of the franchise's recent output combined. The short, released as part of this year's Pokémon Day festivities, commemorates the unassuming whimsy, joy, and earnestness of Tajiri’s creation – and looks incredible while doing so.

The plot is predictably slight for a 14-minute animated short, but no less fun because of it: Hana, whose childhood encounter with a Dragonite mail carrier inspired her to join the postal service, struggles to keep up with the steady bustle of her chosen field. After receiving a mysterious envelope, she finds herself on an urgent errand with youngster Rio, who wants to send a birthday present to his father but is worried it won't reach him. It's all very light, fluffy stuff, perfect for a low-commitment romp through familiar (to us) locales. Even better, its stunning visuals lend it an almost otherworldly sheen, an ethereal glow that instantly makes this world and its characters even more enchanting.

Pokémon comes by its appetite for wonder honestly, rooting it in Tajiri’s childhood bug-collecting hobby. Dragonite and the Special Delivery reclaims some of the spark and magic the franchise has lost through years of frantic output and repetitive storytelling – not by adhering to Pokémon’s “Gotta catch ‘em all!” conceit, but by spotlighting other manifestations of passion in its mythos. Hana’s drive to use the mail to connect people is as obsessive and singular as Ash Ketchum’s ever was, and everything from the opening shot of young Hana opening an envelope to her breathless quest to deliver Rio’s present illustrates her devotion.

We don't learn much about Hana beyond her aspirations, but that's really all we need to know . This feels strange to write, but it's true: Dragonite and the Special Delivery isn't trying to tell a story as much as it's attempting to honor a franchise, which means I can’t fault it for coming up short narratively. However, it does seem to be shooting for emotional resonance it doesn’t fully achieve. Hana’s story isn’t hollow. It just won’t linger. Instead, the special focuses heavily on its visual appeal (and with animation from Your Name studio CoMix Wave, why wouldn’t it?), treating us to welcome yet unexpected appearances of certain Legendary Pokémon and using its casual splendor to counter the monotony of delivering the mail.

Its most stirring scene – Dragonite, carrying Hana and Rio, zipping across the ocean, the music swelling around them – is Pokemon at its purest. It’s in this simple, beautiful moment that the franchise regains its clarity.