It is clear thatNintendo’s next phase of world domination is set to play out in movie theaters across the world. Not content with making mounds of money via video gaming, the Japanese giant has its sights set on the filmmaking and television business.
In 2023,The Super Mario Bros. Moviemade over $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office. A sequel to that film is set to be released in 2026. It was recently announced thattheLegend of Zeldafilm from Sony Pictures will be getting a theatrical releaseon Jun 25, 2025. There have been so manyPokémonfilms and shows over the last thirty years that listing them out would simply be a waste of everyone’s time. Other franchises have gotten a crack at it as well: there was theDonkey Kong Countrycartoon, aStar Fox: Zeroshort film, and a direct-to-videoKirbymovie, for instance. Most interestingly of all is the 2006 animated film titledGekijōban Dōbutsu no Mori, which can roughly be translated toAnimal Crossing: The Movie.
Gekijōban Dōbutsu no Moriwasn’t released outside of Japan, but it earned a respectable $16.2 million in its home country. It’s easy to see why Nintendo of America didn’t bring the film to the States, asAnimal Crossingas a whole wasn’t the behemoth franchise it is now back in 2006. The state of the entertainment industry is vastly different from what it was almost two decades ago andAnimal Crossingbecame an international phenomenon in 2020 afterAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsreleased smack-dab in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.New Horizonshas gone on to sell an eyewatering 47 million+ copies over the past five years, becoming one of the fifth best-selling video games ever released. Now seems like the perfect time for Nintendo to capitalize on the franchise in a new way.
Animal CrossingIs A Perfect Fit For An Animated Series
Nintendo is certainly no stranger to animated series based on their properties. Everything from retro classics likeThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show!andCaptain N: The Game Masterto more recent fare like the delightful Netflix seriesPokémon Conciergeproves that the video game titan’s can make the jump quite easily. With that in mind, theAnimal Crossingfranchise lends itself more to a series than a movie. The series isn’t exactly known for high-octane action, after all.
Trying to squeeze a feature-length narrative out of the cozy life-simulation gameplay the series is known for isn’t the easiest thing to accomplish. WhenGekijōban Dōbutsu no Moriwas released in 2006, it wasn’t intended to be the money-making giant that Nintendo expects from its most popular franchises now. Suffice it to say, anAnimal Crossingfilm probably isn’t going to gross upwards of a billion dollars in movie theaters. Nintendo staples likeZelda,Metroid, and evenF-Zerolend themselves more to a theatrical film thanAnimal Crossing.
Think About All The BelovedAnimal CrossingCharacters Who Could Show Up
One of the standout features of theAnimal Crossingfranchise as a whole is itswide-ranging cast of lovable characters. There are classic staples like K. K. Slider and Tom Nook—say what you want about Tom, but the series doesn’t work without him—in addition to newer additions likeAnimal Crossing: New Leaf’s Molly andAnimal Crossing: New Horizons’s Audie.
Any creative team working on anAnimal Crossingseries would have an extensive collection of characters to choose from. The way the series alwaysintroduces new charactersin each installment would give them the opportunity to invent totally original characters for the series as well. A blend of returning faces and exciting new ones would give fans something to be excited about.
One has to assume that Nintendo is quietly working on the next installment in the venerable video game franchise in some capacity. That doesn’t mean a newAnimal Crossinggame is anywhere close to release. AnAnimal Crossinganimated series could bridge the gap betweenNew Horizonsand whatever the new game is. It’s been about five years since the last game came out. How long will Nintendo’sAnimal Crossingfans be willing to wait?
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing is a Nintendo-exclusive life sim franchise spread across numerous Nintendo consoles. Featuring anthropomorphic villagers, strong customization, and a real-time day cycle, the Animal Crossing series offer unique and varied gameplay.
