Nintendo Reveals Plans to Make Animated 'Mario' Film

By Edward Leano, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, January 11, 2018

A "Mario" animated movie is could be in the works soon. Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has just said that they are close to officially revealing a partner for an upcoming "Mario" animated film.

Japanese newspaper Kyoto Shimbun ran an interview with Kimishima earlier this week, and the Nintendo president is positive about the chances of a "Mario" animated feature coming together. It's just a matter of finalizing the talks with a possible partner, according to the news outlet via Game Informer.

After that, Kimishima hopes to announce the partnership quickly and then move on to the next steps. If all goes according to plan, according to the Nintendo chief, a "Mario" movie could be out in 2020, and just in time for the Tokyo Olympics that year, too.

Although this partner that Nintendo is currently in talks with has been left unnamed, earlier rumors back in November last year hinted that it could be with animation studio Illumination, according to the Wall Street Journal via Gamespot.

Illumination is well known for the hit movie "Despicable Me" and all the "Minions" series that spun off of that film.

If that holds true, their experience with "Minions" looks like a great match for the many secondary characters that a "Mario" movie could have. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Nintendo is, as expected, going to put in someone from the company to have a direct hand in the movie.

That person is none other than "Mario" series creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who could serve as one of the producers of the potentially upcoming movie.

This shift from games to movies is a new move for Nintendo, which has been hesitant to license their properties ever since the 1993 live-action "Super Mario Bros." bombed in the box office.

Nonetheless, this has been a trend that Nintendo has been preparing for ever since the company realized that the younger generation is discovering "Mario" less from games, and more from officially licensed merchandise like toothbrushes and notebooks.