The Super Mario Bros. movie was released in 2023 (Image credit: Nintendo)
Nintendo on Sunday announced its plans to produce a new animated movie based on the popular Super Mario franchise, marking another sign of its expanding Hollywood ambitions. Illumination, the animation studio behind franchises like Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets, has once again been roped in to work on the film. The two companies had previously collaborated on last year’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which grossed over $1.3 billion and became the second-highest-grossing movie of 2023, surpassed only by Barbie.
Nintendo and Illumination stated that the new Mario movie will hit cinemas in April 2026 in the US and many other global markets. The Japanese gaming giant and Universal Pictures will co-finance the film, with the latter distributing the movie worldwide.
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The announcement came in a new video where Nintendo’s legendary Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination Entertainment’s Chris Meledandri shared the development details. Meledandri mentioned that Illumination Studios Paris, which worked on the first film, is storyboarding the movie under the direction of Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, both of whom previously helmed last year’s Mario movie. He added that work on the animation is starting soon.
Nintendo has been tight-lipped on the plot or storyline, but the new movie, like the previous one, will focus on Nintendo’s iconic character and the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom. However, Nintendo is not using the word “sequel.” “It’ll have a bright and fun story,” Miyamoto teased. “This time we’re thinking about broadening Mario’s world further.”
Nintendo has another movie in the works, a live-action film based on the hit franchise The Legend of Zelda. The film will be directed by Wes Ball, who directed The Maze Runner series and the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. It will be co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Nintendo is best known for its cult gaming franchises and consoles. However, in recent months, the company has pivoted into creating an entertainment empire by opening theme parks and producing movies based on its IP. The shift signals a larger push into new territory beyond the console market. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is heavily involved in these projects, helping transition the company from just a video games company into an entertainment powerhouse, along the lines of Disney.
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The new Mario movie announcement should bring some cheer to fans and investors who have been waiting for the Kyoto-based company to announce the sequel to the hit Switch console. Nintendo reportedly plans to launch its next-generation console in the first quarter of 2025 — or about eight years after it launched the original Switch.
Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at indianexpress.com who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin.
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