Luke Halyk’s Pokémon: Call to Adventure (2019) is a passion project the Saskatchewan-based filmmaker co-produced with cinematographer Joel Kereluke, who he met while the two were studying at the University of Regina, according to CBC. Shot over three days with a local cast and crew, the YouTube video stars sixteen-year-old Abby Clifford as Sophia, an aspiring Pokémon trainer, and the animated material was outsourced to Giuseppe Morabito in Italy. Halyk says the prototypical hero’s journey found in the video game series, about a protagonist from humble origins overcoming obstacles to go on an adventure, is what grants Pokémon its universal appeal.
