News

Pokémon Company International Hires Phil Rynda as Director of Original Animation

Animation industry veteran Phil Rynda announced on his Linkedin account on Tuesday that he has joined The Pokémon Company International as Director of Original Animation, where he will be involved in producing "animated films, series, and short form" content.

Rynda was previously director of creative leadership and development for original animation in Netflix. Prior to this, he was vice president of development at Nickelodeon, and a creative director at Cartoon Network. Before his executive roles, Rynda won a Primetime Emmy for his character design work in the Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure animated film. He has also worked on other shows such as Gravity Falls, We Bare Bears, Adventure Time, Chowder, The Venture Bros., and The Lego Movie.

Pokémon Horizons: The Series (English title), the new anime in the Pokémon franchise, premiered in Japan on April 14 with a one-hour first-episode special. The show airs on Fridays at 6:55 p.m. The Pokémon Company previously stated in an English press release that the anime will premiere in 2023 "and beyond."

Sources: Phil Rynda's Linkedin profile, Cartoon Brew (Jamie Lang)