Highlights
- Nintendo’s success with the Super Mario Bros. movie has led to plans for a Legend of Zelda film and invites speculation about a potential Super Smash Bros. adaptation.
- A Nintendo multiverse could justify a Mario and Link crossover, but a compelling story is essential for a successful Nintendo crossover.
- Super Smash Bros. as a movie would provide an opportunity to dramatize the hidden story behind the campaign and could pave the way for more crossover projects with Hollywood franchises and video game franchises.
Nintendo is currently planning to produce a Legend of Zelda movie in the wake of the box office success of Super Mario Bros. The Movie. This new project invites speculation in regard to a potential adaptation of one of their biggest franchises, Super Smash Bros. But one question remains as to whether this video game is indeed adaptable for film.
Mario and Link do not usually occupy the same video game universe. However, given the increasing multiverse stories being produced for film and TV, even a Nintendo multiverse would be reason enough to justify a Mario and Link crossover. While the characters may be marketable in and of themselves, a Nintendo crossover could be a hard sell if the story is subpar. That said, if there’s one franchise capable of facilitating a Nintendo crossover and being a box office hit regardless of the story at play, that’s Super Smash Bros.
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A Nintendo Cinematic Universe Could Lead To a Super Smash Bros. Movie
Nintendo can produce films of many kinds from its deep catalog of both active and inactive franchises. None of these stories necessarily have to live in the same cinematic universe. But, ignoring their biggest crossover franchise as a potential blockbuster movie would be poor judgment on Nintendo’s part, and a major disappointment for fans.
Super Smash Bros. as its own movie isn’t just a matter of fan service to see these iconic characters fighting together in one movie. Instead, it would be an opportunity to dramatize the hidden story behind the campaign. This story features Master Hand, the creator of the Smash Bros. world, who drafts fighters from several video game universes for a mysterious purpose.
A multi-franchise crossover isn’t new to cinema, but it’s rare outside of superhero franchises. A Nintendo crossover film, however, may invite more entries from other filmmakers. There aren’t many non-superhero film franchises that have as much love and engagement as the video game. If Nintendo can successfully capitalize on this, they could entice more crossover projects both from Hollywood franchises and video game franchises.
For Nintendo, a Smash Bros. film could serve as a stopgap between games. It could also test the appeal of other cinematic characters as possible new fighters for the next game, such as Disney’s Mickey Mouse. After all, non-Nintendo characters have appeared in Smash Bros. before; the most obvious crossover is the Sega character Sonic the Hedgehog. Nintendo’s new partnership with Sony could also pave the way for Crash Bandicoot to potentially join as a fighter in a Smash Bros. movie, if not a game as well.
Why Live-Action and Animation Film Styles Wouldn’t Matter
The Super Smash Bros. franchise that has no regard for differing character styles, and it still works well. Like Spider-Man: Into the Multiverse‘s animation style, Super Smash Bros: The Movie can be an amalgamation of artistic sensibilities, from the live-action Legend of Zelda‘s probable fantasy realism to the animated Super Mario Bros. Movie. Characters like Pikachu and Sonic are appealing in 3D and in animation styles. Also, their 3D rendering does not appear jarring next to humans or an animated Mario. Therefore, it shouldn’t be an issue of style when considering the possibility of a Smash Bros. movie.
Even if Nintendo played it safe and gave the current crop of cinematic franchise mascots a makeover, this would also be reminiscent of the video game. At the end of the Super Smash Bros. campaign, the fighters are revealed to be merely toy trophies. Going from one cinematic style to another could be a part of the storytelling, as they are ripped from one world/style to fight in another. Only one question remains: Who is Master Hand and their diabolical counterpart, Crazy Hand?
Is a Super Smash Bros. Movie Possible?
The Smash Bros. games offer no hints as to who the creator of the Smash Bros. world is, or why they brought these fighters together. Surely, Nintendo knows and has yet to reveal their secret plot. Maybe Super Smash Bros.: The Movie could be their chance to tell that story. Nintendo has half of its original fighter roster in place, in terms of those who have appeared in a feature film or are confirmed to appear in one. The rest could debut in a potential Super Smash Bros. film.
To tie it all together, the film would need a compelling story that forces Master Hand to drag these characters from their cinematic worlds into a shared Smash Bros. world to fight. Super Smash Bros. isn’t Mortal Kombat or Avengers: Endgame. Nintendo wouldn’t likely employ such life-threatening stakes to tell this story considering their child-friendly brand, nor do they need to copy Western filmmakers in such a pursuit. Judging by the innocuous toy trophy ending of the games, whatever the story could be for a potential Super Smash Bros. movie, it should be motivated by good-natured Nintendo fun.
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