Nintendo Animation Studio?

[Great Rumbler]

According to an article on SankeiWeb (Japanese Only), Nintendo's Advisor Hiroshi Yamauchi announced at a press conference in Kyoto that Nintendo will be investigating the possibility of forming an animation studio. At the press conference, Yamauchi said "Video games are very similar to films. Although the final decision is up to the [October] management meeting, we should be headed in that direction. Nintendo is prepared to accept the risks involved."

Oh man, that would be so awesome! We could finally get a cool, anime Legend of Zelda series! Or even one with Mario!!

Anime News Network

Here's an article that's a bit more clear:

It seems that Hiroshi Yamauchi, ex-Nintendo president and still raving lunatic, is willing to ask Nintendo to finance an animated movie.

The last videogame company that tried the field of animated film failed pretty miserably, but it appears that Yamauchi-san is going to approach the Board of Directors in October anyway to see if Nintendo will consider a movie. His announcements were made at an event in Kyodo.

The film will be based on the poetic works from the famous Ogura Hyakunin Isshu compilation, and while that does not sound like a popular business venture outside of Japan, Yamauchi insists that the idea would work both at home and abroad. His plans for the movie follow along the lines of Hayao Miyazuki, a director best known for his films Princess Mononoke and the much heralded Spirited Away.

[OB1]

Yeah I read about this but was too lazy to make a thread about it.

This could be neat, I guess...

[Dark Jaguar]

I see, so Nintendo has decided that it won't just die out when video games go. Nintendo, not just for video games any more, despite what we have told to your face.

But anyway, a Zelda anime... Not sure that would work... I keep imagining it ending up like Inuyasha or something... Mario, that would be awesome! Metroid, that COULD be awesome.

[Great Rumbler]

A Zelda series could be good if they kept it within the cofines of 26 episodes. Usually series that stick to no more than 26 episodes are better than ones that run for a long time. Anyway, you're right about Metroid, that could make an awesome anime series and it would be cheaper to do than a live-action movie.

[Geno]

I see, so Nintendo has decided that it won't just die out when video games go. Nintendo, not just for video games any more, despite what we have told to your face.

But anyway, a Zelda anime... Not sure that would work... I keep imagining it ending up like Inuyasha or something... Mario, that would be awesome! Metroid, that COULD be awesome.

All my friends are still obsessed with InuYasha. I finally got bored with it because it was turning into a more adult version of Pokémon... you know, where they just go around and do stuff that has no effect on anything.

But back on topic... a Nintendo animation studios might not be a bad idea. A Zelda anime would be cool, though I don't know what they'd do about continuity considering Zelda games don't have much continuity. (It seems each pair of games contains its own generation of Link and Zelda.) A Metroid anime would also be cool. I never cared much for the Metroid games, namely because I get stumped before long, but I always did like the mood of the games, so an anime of it would rock. And maybe Nintendo could even make a good Kirby anime, unlike the one by 4Kids. (It didn't start off too bad, but then it got really stupid.) Oh, and a Starfox anime! I'd love to see that. This should be an interesting experiment, hopefully it'll turn out for the better.

[Dark Jaguar]

Zelda... It just seems odd. Ganon isn't the sort of guy who hides around in an evil fortress forever just plotting away, as in the first Zelda cartoon. He enacts a plan no one expects and just plain takes over in a sweep that decimates everything. In OOT, everyone lived in fear, in LTTP, the entire government was under his control and the townspeople hadn't even figured it out yet, and in Zelda 1, the land of Hyrule had almost no survivors.

But a short series, that could work, and work well. An added chapter with a new Link and Zelda that is somewhere in the timeline...

[A Black Falcon]

It doesn't look like they are going to be doing Nintendo-character series soon though, if that quote is to be believed... which is fine with me. It's a quite unexpected announcement, but Yamauchi... you never know what he'll say next...

[Dark Jaguar]

That's true enough. They already had some other company do a Pokémon anime series. Honestly, it could have been good but trudged into endless repetition... Funny until they recycle all their jokes for the 10th time... The movies were actually good, at least I enjoyed the first three, but never saw the rest because they weren't great, just good.

It seems this guy plans on making movies on par with Miyazuki's movies from the start. We shall see.

[A Black Falcon]

Trying to match Studio Ghibli in animation is a pretty steep task, however...

[Dark Jaguar]

I have my doubts.

[Great Rumbler]

I wonder if Yamauchi will direct that movie.

[A Black Falcon]

http://cube.ign.com/articles/569/569725p1.html

After the DS and this, anyone who thinks Yamauchi doesn't still call the shots at Nintendo is a fool...

Who knows what it'll be, but Nintendo is indeed starting an animation studio and their first film, whatever it is, will be out in 2006.

[Great Rumbler]

He still owns quite a bit of Nintendo stock and he was the president for decades.

[OB1]

Even centuries!!


I hope this movie is good, but didn't Square try this and fail miserably as well? And Nintendo isn't exactly famous for their great story-telling like Square is...

[A Black Falcon]

That is true... so we'll see. It definitely seems like a somewhat strange thing given how little most of Nintendo focuses on stories... which makes it a natural thing for them to try, because it's Yamauchi! Logic just does not apply, just his intuitions...

[OB1]

Thankfully oftentimes they pay off.

[A Black Falcon]

That is true... but if they did not very much he wouldn't still have influence with the company, I bet...

[OB1]

Yeah...

what?

[A Black Falcon]

If Yamauchi kept coming up with ideas and they were flops, either he'd no longer still be hugely infuential with them or they'd be out of business...

[OB1]

Yes. It was the "I agree, but" that threw me off.

[Great Rumbler]

I hope this movie is good, but didn't Square try this and fail miserably as well?

Yeah, but the spent over one hundred and fifty MILLION dollars to make ONE movies which didn't even make back half of what they spent on it. Nintendo probably won't spend more than 30 million to make this movie, if that much.

[OB1]

But again with the story...

[A Black Falcon]

Get Intelligent Systems people. Problem solved. :)

[OB1]

Good idea.

[Great Rumbler]

I imagine they'll probably hire professionals to make the movie as opposed to telling people who have never made a movies before to make one.

[OB1]

...

Did you really have to bring reason into this discussion??! We were having fun ignoring all logic and facts!!

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah, how dare you, GR, being sensible?

I agree that with Nintendo's overall corporate direction they take it is a bit strange, but they can do stories when they want to so it isn't totally weird. The interesting thing will be seeing if it's mascot film or original...

[OB1]

A Zelda or Metroid movie would kick ass. But Yamauchi said that it would be based off of some old story, right?

[A Black Falcon]

That was what he wanted to do, but obviously they haven't announced a project.