The new Detective Pikachu trailer sports plenty of humor and action to get people excited, but what song plays over the footage? One of this summer’s most buzzed-about and unique offerings, the live-action take on the Pokémon franchise has been generating enthusiasm since the first preview debuted back in November 2018. Bolstered by an entertaining blend of noir and buddy cop elements, audiences seem to be onboard with what director Rob Letterman has in store. Legendary Pictures is certainly excited, seeing that they’re already moving forward on a sequel.
There are only a few months left until Detective Pikachu hits theaters, meaning it’s time for Warner Bros. to really ramp up the marketing campaign. Their latest wave of promotion kicked off today with the release of a new official trailer and poster, which offered more details about the story and confirmed Mewtwo will appear in the movie. Fans had fun trying to spot all the Pokémon in the footage, and there was a bouncy soundtrack to listen to as well.
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The Detective Pikachu trailer features Bonnie Tyler’s famous song “Holding Out for a Hero,” which was originally recorded for the Footloose soundtrack in 1984. It was also on Tyler’s 1986 album Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire. “Holding Out for a Hero” has appeared in multiple movies over the years, most notably in Shrek 2. Pokémon fans will also be thrilled to hear a slowed-down version of the franchise’s main theme song early on in the trailer.
WB changed things up here, since the earlier trailer was set to “Happy Together” in order to emphasize the burgeoning friendship between Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) and Pikachu in the film. Here, “Holding Out for a Hero” underscores the stakes of the mystery. Lyrically, the singer pines for a “streetwise Hercules” who can rise up and emerge victorious from whatever fight some his way. It’s unknown if Detective Pikachu features any damsels in distress, but the basic principle still applies. The world in general needs some heroes, because it looks like things are going to get pretty intense and crazy. Tim and Pikachu are the unlikely protagonist thrust into this situation, and they need to be the larger than life figures who are able to defeat the villains.
“Holding Out for a Hero” is also a solid choice sonically, because like “Happy Together,” it lets people know this is going to be an upbeat, fun summer tentpole. With Ryan Reynolds voicing the titular sleuth, it was to be expected Detective Pikachu would lean on its comedic elements and be a family-friendly blockbuster (with dashes of humor for the adults in the crowd, no doubt). All in all, the film looks promising and has the pieces to be a global hit. Opening in the shadow of Avengers: Endgame is an unenviable position for any movie, but there’s enough time between Avengers and Detective Pikachu for there to be room for both at the box office, meaning Reynolds could have another hit franchise.
More: Every Detective Pikachu Update You Need To Know
Key Release Dates
Detective Pikachu
Release Date:2019-05-10