Summary
One of the other Nintendo franchises teased inThe Super Mario Bros. Movieshould get the cinematic treatment next. The success ofThe Super Mario Bros. Moviesolidified Nintendo’s potential power at the box-office. WhilePokemonmovies had succeeded in the past, Mario’s billion-dollar success in theaters highlights how Nintendo needs to continue to bring adaptations of their games to the big-screen. WhileThe Super Mario Bros. Movie 2is currently in production and other characters likeDonkey Kong are begging for a spin-off, there are plenty of other Nintendo franchises that could benefit from the movie treatment.
One of the inherent challenges of that prospect is choosing which ones to adapt, and deciding how they’d build off the success ofThe Super Mario Bros. Movie. Some carry the weight of expectations, such as the long-awaitedLegend of Zeldafilm. Others have deep lores that could make a cinematic adaptation deceptively tricky. However,there’s one relatively obscure but effortlessly charming series that could be perfect for the big-screen. Not only does it have a built-in narrative arc,The Super Mario Bros. Movieactually teased its existence, helping propela shared cinematic Nintendo universeforward.
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Princess Peach’s character was greatly expanded in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and the upcoming sequel could continue this with these 10 stories.
How Punch-Out Fits Into The Super Mario Bros. Movie Universe
HowThe Super Mario Bros. MovieSet UpPunch-Up!In The Same Universe
A number ofeaster eggs inThe Super Mario Bros. Movieimply that the characters ofPunch-Out!exist within the same universe asThe Super Mario Bros. Movie,setting up the potential for that series to get the big-screen treatment. One of the primary locations in Brooklyn that Mario and Luigi frequent is the Punch-Out Pizzeria, which shares a name with the boxing game series. On the wall of the pizzeria are a number of photos of boxers from that series.This suggests that within the world ofThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, the Punch-Out! characters existed and were indeed boxers sometime in the past.
It’s a minor shout-out, but an important one to note. While some Nintendo franchises like Donkey Kong are shown to exist in the same parallel universe as the Mushroom Kingdom, other Nintendo characters are implied to be fictional within that world. For example, Mario is seen at one point playingKid Icarus, suggesting the adventures of Pit don’t actually happen in that universe. Thismakes the implication thatPunch-Out!really happened in the Super Mario Bros. universeall the more important. The pizzeria could even owned by a former fighter, similar to Rocky’s restaurant in theCreedfilms.
Punch-Out Is One Of Nintendo’s Most Underrated Franchises
Punch-Out!Is A Colorful Boxing Series That Deserves More Love
The idea thatPunch-Out!exists inThe Super Mario Bros. Movieuniverse is exciting becauseit could give one of Nintendo’s most underrated franchises a chance to shine. The boxing game series debuted in arcades before making the leap to the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game puts players into the shoes of Little Mac, an up-and-coming boxer who finds himself competing against a colorful cast of fighters from around the world. With the training Doc Louis, Little Mac rises in the ranks to take on major champions like Mr. Sandman and even Donkey Kong.
Despite being one of the oldest Nintendo franchises,Punch-Out!remains relatively obscure compared to more globally recognized series likeThe Legend of ZeldaorPokemon. The most recent title in the series was released in 2009, and Little Mac eventually appeared in theSuper Smash Bros.series as a playable fighter. However, it’s a unique entry from the videogame publisher, one of its few enduring sports titles not directly tied to Mario and his supporting cast. It’s cartoonish characters make it visually memorable, but the focus on a real sport (albeit a colorful variant thereof)grounds it compared to other Nintendo titles.
This Super Mario Bros. Movie Spinoff Is Way More Likely Thanks To Nintendo’s Next Game
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Why Punch-Out Should Be The Next Animated Nintendo Movie
Nintendo’s Next Animated Movie Being A Cartoonish Sports Film Could Expand The Franchise In Exciting Ways
Punch-Out!has the potential to be a terrific animated Nintendo movie, offering an entirely new avenue to explore outsideThe Super Mario Bros. Movie’s focus on Mario and Luigi while still connecting to that universe. The massive cast of fighters, each with their own unique personality and abilities in the ring, would easily set up lots of compelling challenges for Little Mac. His goal to become a great fighter in the face of tough competition would fit into the overall themes seen inThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, which highlighted Mario’s resilience in the face of challenges as his true strength.
It would work on a thematic level within the universe, and could expand the world beyond Brooklyn. It could blend the goofy comedy of the prior film with the archetypes of a sports movie, proving the series can be more experimental and ambitious with focus and tone. The relative obscurity of the seriescould also allow filmmakers to be more inventive with their execution, avoiding the deep adherence to lore and imagery that some critics complained was a central focus of Mario’s adventure.Punch-Out!may be an unexpected direction to go, but it could be a great way to growThe Super Mario Bros. Moviefranchise.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Cast
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an animated adventure film featuring Brooklyn plumbers Mario and Luigi. Released in 2023, the movie follows the brothers as they are transported to a magical world through a mysterious pipe, leading Mario on a quest to rescue Luigi after they become separated.
