Nintendoannounced it was making an animatedSuper Mario Bros.movie with Illumination in 2018, the animation studio responsible forDespicable Me, Minions, andThe Secret Life of Pets.However, that might not be all, asNintendopresident Shuntaro Furukawa suggests there could be more animated Nintendo movies, or possibly even TV shows.
News of the animatedSuper Mario Bros.movie came as a surprise to many, as it seemed Nintendo had sworn off adapting its properties following thedisastrous 1993 live-actionSuper Mario Bros.moviestarring John Leguizamo and the late Bob Hoskins. Nintendo also previously tried animation with multiple animated shows based onSuper Mario Bros.andThe Legend of Zeldain 1989.
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However, the Nintendo of today seems to be open to developing its IP outside of video games again, provided they are hands-on with the project’s development.Super Marioseries creatorShigeru Miyamoto is working directly with Illuminationon theMariomovie. This new process with Illumination appears to be going well, as Furukawa was recently quoted in an interview with Fast Company saying, “Animation, in general, is something that we are looking into, and not just this franchise.”
Furukawa didn’t elaborate further, so Nintendo fans can only hope the company is considering adapting their favorite series next, be itThe Legend of Zelda,Metroid,Animal Crossing,or any other property from Nintendo’s laundry list of classics. In the wake of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, some fans can’t help but dream of aSuper Smash Bros.cinematic universethat would bring all of Nintendo’s characters together on the big or small screen.
The “in general” from Furukawa’s quote seems to suggest that Nintendo is also considering making animated shows again too. That Nintendo is considering TV lends credence to the recent rumor thatNintendo was working on a claymation-style animatedStar Foxshowwith Netflix that it pulled out of. Hopefully Nintendo will be more willing to see these kinds of projects to fruition in the future.
The company is branching out beyond the world of TV and movies as well. Nintendo recently opened itsfirst-ever theme park with Super Nintendo Worldat Universal Japan, again with the oversight of Miyamoto. There are also more toys and clothes featuring Mario and other Nintendo characters than ever before, as the company partners with companies like Levi’s, Puma, Champion, Jakks Pacific, Build-A-Bear, and more.
Nintendo’s animatedSuper Mario Bros.movie is slated for release on June 14, 2025.
