While there’s still nearly a year left until the franchise’s big screen return, Nintendo will be bringingSuper Marioto a different medium very soon. Despite being one of the most popular video game characters of all-time, the platforming plumber went a long time with very few adaptations to his name, getting a handful of animated shows throughout the ’80s.
However, it would bethe live-actionSuper Mario Bros.moviein 1993, led by Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, that would see Nintendo hold off on any further adaptations for decades due to its critical and commercial failings. They would eventually team with Illumination and Universal forThe Super Mario Bros. Moviein 2023 with Chris Pratt voicing the character.
Though not a critical hit, the movie would set multiple box office records, including earning the Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing video game movie of all-time, and landed three Golden Globe nominations. This success would see Nintendo announce a year later thata newSuper Mario Bros.moviewas in the works for an August 13, 2025 release date.
As the publisher took to spotlighting independent studios for Indie World,Nintendohas also revealed a newSuper Marioadaptation in the form of the “It’s Me, Mario!” series of shorts. The videos, which will be released on YouTube and the official My Mario website beginning August 26, will be a collection of stop-motion episodes, running approximately one minute each, in which the titular plumber will show off a range of expressions and movements in claymation.
The “It’s Me, Mario!” series is part of a new product banner of the same name from Nintendo, which is aiming for a younger demographic. The new collection will also include a set of wooden blocks that can be used for amiibo figurines, a set of plastic tableware, a board book, a backpack, a plushie Mario and various clothing items.
What The My Mario Series Means For The Franchise
Though a collection of one-minute shorts may not sound like the most expansive adaptation of the franchise, the new series does actually present a few major ways forSuper Marioto grow. For starters, while the game series has always been targeted towards a younger demographic, parents introducing toddlers to the character gives Nintendo a wider swathe of new Mario fans.
This will also go a long way to benefitting the nextSuper Mario Bros. Movie’s chances at matching the original’s box office success. The family animation genre continues to be one of the biggest boons at the box office as a whole, withInside Out 2andNe Zha 2rivalingthe likes of theAvatarandAvengersmovies.
Even if to look at sequels to movies that saw similar critical reception to the firstSuper Mario Bros. Movie, the best example can be found in the film’s own studio. Illumination’sMinionsandDespicable Memoviesare still earning close to $1 billion with their recent installments, despite more mixed responses from critics.
In finding a following with audiences even younger than the average child moviegoer, the My Mario series could see new parents taking their children to the nextSuper Mario Bros., thus creating a better chance to match or surpass the first’s $1.3 billion success. This could also open the door for Nintendo to consider series spinoffs for the franchise’s characters, or even their other IP.
Our Take On The My Mario Series
While it may not be geared toward my demographic, I can’t help but get excited about the idea of Nintendo wanting to introduce Mario to an even wider range of younger kids with the My Mario series. The claymation series, in particular, feels like an interesting nod totheSuper Mario 64main menu, in which players could contort the plumber’s face in various ways.
But where some may understandably see it as a money-growing move, I think it could be a properly creative way to expand theSuper Mariofranchise on screen. The computer-generated 3D of the 2023 movie did often present gorgeous translations of Nintendo’s world to the screen, but also opened a door for so many other stories to be told in other ways.
Between the woefully underutilized claymation and stop-motion formats, and even the likely focus on 3D animation, should the series of shorts take off, it’d be great to see Nintendo explore a similar thing with otherSuper Mariocharacters. Whether it’s a day in the life of Keegan-Michael Key’s Toad or another trip through a haunted mansion with Luigi, the possibilities are truly endless.
Super Mario World
Cast
Announced during Nintendo’s 2024 MAR10 day celebration, The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel is the follow-up to the 2023 animated adventure film starring Nintendo’s famous plumber mascot.
