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Nintendo Co., Ltd. and Illumination, formerly known as Illumination Entertainment, announced their plan to release a new “Super Mario Bros.” movie. The animated film will be based on the world of Super Mario.
It will be a prequel to the blockbuster hit “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” that was released last year. According to Bloomberg, the legendary Japanese game designer and producer Shigeru Miyamoto is producing this movie. Nintendo and Illumination are hoping to start and complete the project soon, as they are targeting April 3, 2026 as the release date.
Aiming to Replicate “Super Mario” Film’s Huge Success
Nintendo and the US-based animation company will include the video game characters of the Super Mario game in the upcoming movie. Their main goal is to repeat the unexpected commercial global success of the first film.
In any case, alongside Shigeru Miyamoto, the new project is set to be co-produced by Chris Meledanri, the founder and chief executive officer of Illumination Studio. The latter is also the original creator of the Super Mario Bros. video game.
Plans for the Prequel Film Animation
The Japan News reported that “The Super Mario Movie,” which was released in April 2023, raked in $1.3 billion worldwide. With this result, it has become the highest-grossing movie based on a video game. Co-producer Miyamoto shared they plan to expand Mario’s world in the movie to make it more fun to watch.
“By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone’s faces through entertainment, Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible,” Nintendo said in the announcement.
“Illumination is excited to continue its partnership with Nintendo, bringing its signature mix of joy and discovery to worldwide audiences of all ages, allowing them to connect with the beloved characters and stories from one of the world's most popular franchises,” the animation studio added.
Photo by: Max Harlynking/Unsplash
