Nintendo announces production of new animated film with Mario; Miyamoto wants to ‘expand the world of Mario’

Nintendo Co. has announced that it will co-produce a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros. with Illumination, a California-based animated film producer.

The companies stated on Sunday that they plan to release the film on April 3, 2026.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo representative director and creator of Mario, and Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination, receive co-producer credits.

The latest film follows ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’, which was released last year and became a worldwide hit.

In a video released online, Miyamoto said: “We are thinking of expanding the world of Mario even further, making it brighter and more fun.”

The previous film, released in April 2023, grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film based on a video game ever.

In November last year, Kyoto-based Nintendo also announced the production of a live-action film based on the popular game ‘The Legend of Zelda’. The company is pursuing a strategy of using its popular characters as intellectual property in areas other than video games.