Nintendo reveals animated Super Mario movie in the works from film studio behind Minions
| Date | Type | Companies Involved | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2018 | partnership | Illumination Nintendo | Not disclosed |
Nintendo has partnered with Minions film studio Illumination to develop a new animated movie starring the console giant’s famous mascot Mario.
The film is set to be co-financed by Nintendo and Universal Pictures. The latter will also distribute the movie for theatrical release worldwide.
The project is to be co-produced by Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto
No other details on the movie or a release date were provided.
Extending IP reach
A press release stated the film is part of Nintendo’s strategy to successfully leverage its IP into mediums outside of games.
Indeed, to that end the company has signed numerous partnerships in recent times. Kellogg has released a special breakfast cereal in the US that features Mario on the box, which also includes an amiibo tag with an NFC chip.
Other initiatives include a Mario-based Monopoly board game, a previous UTGP t-shirt design competition - the winning Nintendo-related designs of which are now being sold in Uniqlo stores worldwide, and the release of the main theme songs from its games on music distribution services.
Its partnership with Illumination offers the opportunity to work with a highly successful film studio that has created multiple $1 billion-plus movies.
Its credits include the Minions and Despicable Me franchises, while the company has also worked on The Secret Life of Pets and Sing, both of which are set for sequels after strong debuts.
In total its films are reported to have grossed approximately $5.7 billion at the box office since 2010.
Companies
