The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is just around the corner, and the hype is real if you're a Nintendo fan. Between saving up for a Yoshi-themed popcorn bucket, I'm consuming every clip that gets released. Because of that, I spotted characters from another unexpected Nintendo franchise that seem to be a part of this movie.
There are rumors that Nintendo wants to do a shared universe movie, and if that's the case, then cameos in Mario movies would be an easy way to speed that along. We've already reported on speculation about one character showing up, but this latest one has a lot more proof, and I'm so excited about it.
Pikmin Appear In A Promotional Video For The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
A new post on X promoting The Super Mario Galaxy Movie did a quick carousel lineup of characters that will appear. Those who play the video straight through may blink and miss it, but if you go frame by frame, you'll see some familiar faces from another franchise: Pikmin. Here's a screenshot of them that I captured below:
The Pikmin games may not be as well-known to non-gaming fans, but Nintendo fans love the series that centers around space explorers surviving thanks to these little creatures. Pikmin have appeared in Mario games before, and there's actually a Pikmin 2 Easter Egg in Super Mario Galaxy (via IGN).
All this to say, it won't be too weird to see Pikmin get a nod in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. They're aliens, and the movie is taking place in space. I'm just curious to see how impactful their appearance will be, and if it'll set the stage for anything bigger down the road.
Other Nintendo Characters Are Confirmed And Rumored To Appear
The Pikmin appearance comes after the trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie revealed that ROB (an old robot Nintendo peripheral) will appear in the movie, and the Super Mario Bros. 2 villain Wart. There's also lots of speculation that Star Fox protagonist Fox McCloud will appear, though that remains unconfirmed.
It was previously speculated that the villain Wario is in the movie, and it was revealed via a leaked synopsis for the movie published by a theater chain. While that could be the case, I'm more apt to believe now that it was a typo, and that the theater meant to write "Wart," who we now know is in the movie. Though it would be cool to get Wario, so I'm crossing my fingers all the same.
Nintendo fans are excited about these cameos, not just because it opens the door to more movies, but because it could lead to an Avengers-level collaboration should a Super Smash Bros. movie get greenlit. I'm not entirely sure how that type of movie gets made, but I can say I would pay to see it before even seeing a second of footage.
Catch The Super Mario Galaxy Movie when it arrives on the upcoming movie schedule on April 1st. I can't recall the last time I was this stoked to see a movie primarily made for children, and I just hope my kid loves it as much as I do.
