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Over the years,Nintendohas had a very start-and-stop relationship with adaptations of its works. This applies both to movie and show adaptations, but also allowing others to work on their video games properties. From the Phillips-developed Zelda CD-i games to MercurySteam’s Metroid, Nintendo has at times been generous, and others incredibly sheltered.
Nintendo’s movie and show ambitions are just as unusual. Following the initial fame of Mario, they made shows aplenty, then slowed down come the 2000s. Now, the success of the Mario movie has reignited their adaptation passion. With such an odd attitude over the years, just how many adaptations of Nintendo’s works have been made? Let’s find out.
How Many Animated Shows And Movies Has Nintendo Made?
All the way back in 1981,Mario first appeared as Jump Manin the Donkey Kong arcade game. In the decades that followed, he became Nintendo’s main man, the mascot of their media empire. With his formal debut as Mario in the 1983 Mario Bros. game, he immediately shot to video game stardom.
It only makes sense then thatNintendo’s adaptations started with Mario basically overnight. While Nintendo would not produce a movie adaptation of their works until 1986’s ‘The Great Mission To Rescue Princess Peach’, Mario and Donkey Kong both first appeared in the1983 Saturday Supercadeshow, of which the legal situation is tenuous at best.
Show Or Movie?
1986
2023
1989
1991
1990
1997-2000
1999
2001-2003
2005
1996
2003-2004
2006
1989-1991
Nintendo
Show
From 1986 onwards, Nintendo produced countless new shows and movies of their works,the majority of which were animated. Almost all of these were Mario related, with the Legend of Zelda series broadcast as a greater part of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. After the mid-90s, Nintendo slowed dramatically on Mario, whileDonkey Kong, Kirby, and F-Zero got the chance to shine.
From then, Nintendo functionally stopped making adaptationsuntil2023’s Super Mario Bros. animated movie, with the Japan-exclusive Animal Crossing movie the sole exception. As of right now, that gives youa total of 14 animated shows and moviesmade based on Nintendo’s games.
The Fire Emblem anime was dubbed into English shortly after its release, making itthe first Fire Emblem property to appear internationally, long before the actual games.
How Many Live-Action Shows And Movies Has Nintendo Made?
In general, Nintendo isn’t a company that have often dabbled in realism in its games. The majority featureheavily stylized looks to better fit the hardware limitationsof their consoles while also creating a more timeless, stand-out look. By that same system, they havevery rarely touched anything live-actionin terms of their adaptations either.
1993
1990-91
In terms of Nintendo’s live-action efforts, the most well-known of these is of coursethe Super Mario Bros. movie of 1993. While it took a decidedly unique approach to the world of Mario, it was undeniably a choice they made with great confidence. Nintendo, clearly, did not feel the same way becausethey never produced a single live-action work after it.
With the Legend of Zelda live-action movie in production, that would mark Nintendo’sreturn to live-action from an over 30 year hiatus.
Prior to this though, Nintendo helped in the production of a show,The Wizard, in 1989.Facing a delay to Super Mario Bros. 2, Nintendo was approached about including their games in a live-action film. Seeing an opportunity here to get in on an new industry and keep the marketing cycle going for their latest game, they accepted.
Of course, The Wizard ended up feeling like, though one that worked in Nintendo’s favour. In the years preceding the release of the Super Mario Bros. movie, they licensed a few live-action shows. These were short-lived and primarily game shows rather than full-fledged adaptations.
To that end, Nintendo has truly only producedtwo live-action adaptations, though you could increase that tofive if you counted the game shows.
How Many Shows And Movies Has Nintendo Made In Total?
While Nintendo’s hopes of becoming a new leader in video game adaptations is only growing, they are understandably slowly bearing fruit. As such, we are still mostly left to admire the legacy of those that Nintendo has produced in the past. Whileanimated series seem to fit their properties better, only time will tell which route Nintendo itself will take.
In total, Nintendo has beeninvolved in the creation of 16-19 shows across all mediums. At least of those that have released. With how they’re currently going though, it would seem as though Nintendo plans to increase that number significantly.
AStar Fox and Zelda series as claymationwere previously under production, though these were canceled after their existence was leaked by Netflix.
