Which Nintendo games need a movie or TV show?

Which Nintendo games need a movie or TV show?

So Nintendo just dropped a trailer for their new Mario Movie and it looks… interesting to say the least. That being said I do hope it’s a good film and that Chris Pratt gets explained away as someone who got into Mario’s body because the voice choice is WEIRD. It did get me thinking though, Nintendo has a whole host of great IPs to pull from in order to create movies. Seeing as they recently bought Dynamo Pictures and renamed it to Nintendo Pictures it’s more than safe to assume that Nintendo are gearing up to take on the movie world seriously. So which IPs should Nintendo turn into features and why.

Metroid horror movie

Now at first Metroid might not be the first property to come to mind when it comes to a major Nintendo IP that should have a movie but the lore of Metroid is surprisingly rich. Samus was tasked with retrieving the metroid parasite from a group of space pirates but it goes wrong when the virus comes out. Now it may be a little too early for a virus outbreak movie but do miss the days of great Sci-Fi horror being a staple of the films industry.

Animal Crossing anime show

Now you may not know this but Animal Crossing has a long running manga series that is quite popular and actually printed with blue ink often (which is VERY cool if you ask me).

(Yes this is the REAL manga)

The game has always been popular but really skyrocketed into popularity during the pandemic when we couldn’t live our real lives so decided to embrace a virtual one. The game is still popular on twitch and youtube and has enough crossover appeal with mainstream audiences and could honestly see the same success that Sonic the Hedgehog reached earlier this year.

Splatoon TV Show

Are you a kid or a quid? I believe it was Plato who asked that very question and whereas humanity is still unable to answer that fateful world changing pontification, I am sure that Splatoon has all the markings of a great Saturday morning cartoon. Colourful characters, a colourful world and cool looking kid and/or squid characters, it’s such an easy foundation to have some Paw Patrol like stories on.

Triangle Strategy Live action series

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; the story in Triangle Strategy DID NOT need to go that hard. A tale full of twists, turns and decisions that will have you putting down the game in order to walk around your house contemplating the right choice between two wrong decisions. This kind of storytelling could translate to the big screen really well as there is an inherit tension in all of the decisions the game makes you make. Furthermore, seeing the success of The House of Dragon and the new LOTR shows, displays that there is still a demand for fantasy themed content on major screens.

Luigi’s Mansion Cartoon

I really do miss Saturday morning cartoons and I’m not even sure they’re a thing anymore, but I do think the vibe and feeling that they encapsulate is still relevant in our streaming netflix age. A Luigi’s Mansion animated series in a perfect foundation for a saturday morning cartoon style show. His experiences with the cartoony ghosts are easy ways to create metaphors for loving care and friendship. All lessons and morals that are needed in children's TV shows.

Zelda series

Now many people may not know this but Netflix was actually in talks with Nintendo to create a Zelda series but Nintendo pulled the plug on the project after somebody at Netflix leaked the project to journalists. This also caused Nintendo to pull multiple other projects from other studios. However, I still think that a Zelda TV series would be amazing. You can still have a silent protagonist in Link and the real work that Nintendo have put in to help Zelda feel like much more than a simple damsel in distress is perfect for modern audiences. The series can follow Zelda through the eyes of Link and really bring the already rich lore of Zelda to the big screen. In my personal opinion they should follow the Berathe of the Wild timeline as it is the most innately cinematic and would work best for modern audiences.

Professor Layton Cartoon

One of my personal favourite game franchises of all time, Professor Layton isn’t the most recognisable brand from Nintendo but does allow for some great storytelling. I believe that this could be pitched as ‘Sherlock for kids’ but still have good storytelling to boot. Following the Professor and Luke on their journey to solve the world's mysteries. The game already features some, very well done, anime cutscenes between puzzles and games and many fans have wondered what it would be like to see a full series animated in that style.