Detective Pikachu solves the case of a missing flan in new animation short

The Pokémon Company has released a new short animation in which Detective Pikachu investigates who stole a flan from his human sidekick's fridge.

While it's not quite the Detective Pikachu film sequel we and lead actor Justice Smith may be hoping for, it's a cute, six-minute video full of detective clichés and adorable Pokémon.

Detective Pikachu begins his daily routine with a strong cup of coffee and a flick through the morning paper, filming his activities for his social media presence (even Pikachu isn't immune to becoming an influencer, I guess). Tim joins him for breakfast, only to find his flan has been taken from the fridge, so the pair get to work to figure out who took it. You can watch the video on YouTube to see who-dun-it.

After Tim mistakenly accuses poor Munchlax (who only stole a banana and not an entire flan), the pair decide to look over Detective Pikachu's recording to see if they can spot anything. The mystery turns into a classic locked-room crime, which Detective Pikachu quickly realises means the culprit must still be inside the fridge.

Vindication for Munchlax! The true culprit was Applin, who was hiding in the fridge all along. Detective Pikachu concludes Applin must have been mixed in with the fruit they'd bought which, in such a Pokémon-centric universe, seems a bit worrying.

The end of the video sets up a case for Detective Pikachu and Tim, with Munchlax needing their help to solve something. Perhaps another animated short is on the way?

The video's release follows the recent and long-awaited launch of Detective Pikachu Returns for Nintendo Switch, which we described as "a straightforward mystery adventure". Its strengths "lie in its Pokémon setting and breakout star," Tom wrote in Eurogamer's Detective Pikachu Returns review.