Nintendo Confirms Its Ambiguous ‘Close To Me’ Animated Pikmin Short Is The First Nintendo Pictures Short Film

When it comes to Nintendo on the big screen, it is still in its infancy despite the standing the firm has in the gaming industry. Thus far, Nintendo seems to only tout the release of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie. And with a sequel on the way – The Super Mario Galaxy Movie – Nintendo is ramping up efforts. It already greenlit a Legend of Zelda film with Sony Pictures as well.

In other respects, Nintendo plans to keep a heavy hand on the production of these new movies. According to Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, he told during a shareholders Q&A that the firm will remain involved in the films that come out of Hollywood. Additionally, Nintendo even formed its own film studio – Nintendo Pictures. This came with the acquisition of Dynamo Pictures in 2022 which followed with an immediate change of branding.

Now recently, Nintendo has released a mysterious animated short that left many questioning where this announcement will lead. After telltale signs of Pikmin in the footage, it was later updated including the beloved characters. You can watch the short in the post below:

On Thursday, Nintendo via a post on X confirmed that ‘Close to Me’ is the first animated short handled by Nintendo Pictures. “We hope you enjoyed the two “Close to You” videos released on October 7 and 8. The second video is available on Nintendo Today!, a free app available on your smart device. These are the first short films created by Nintendo Pictures Co., Ltd. Nintendo Pictures will continue to explore new creative possibilities through video content.”

Alongside the next animated project scheduled to release from Nintendo is the sequel from Illumination, there is another project that has surfaced in recent months. It was revealed through copyright work that Nintendo is also pursuing a Donkey Kong animated film as well. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you excited to see more animated work from Nintendo Pictures?