A Classic Nintendo Franchise Teased In The Super Mario Bros. Movie Should Get Its Own Film

One of the other Nintendo franchises teased in The Super Mario Bros. Movie should get the cinematic treatment next. The success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie solidified Nintendo’s potential power at the box-office. While Pokemon movies 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. While The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 is currently in production and other characters like Donkey 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 of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Some carry the weight of expectations, such as the long-awaited Legend of Zelda film. 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. Movie actually teased its existence, helping propel a shared cinematic Nintendo universe forward.

How Punch-Out Fits Into The Super Mario Bros. Movie Universe

How The Super Mario Bros. Movie Set Up Punch-Up! In The Same Universe

A number of easter eggs in The Super Mario Bros. Movie imply that the characters of Punch-Out! exist within the same universe as The 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 of The 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 playing Kid Icarus, suggesting the adventures of Pit don’t actually happen in that universe. This makes the implication that Punch-Out! really happened in the Super Mario Bros. universe all the more important. The pizzeria could even owned by a former fighter, similar to Rocky’s restaurant in the Creed films.

Punch-Out Is One Of Nintendo’s Most Underrated Franchises

Punch-Out! Is A Colorful Boxing Series That Deserves More Love

The idea that Punch-Out! exists in The Super Mario Bros. Movie universe is exciting because it 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 like The Legend of Zelda or Pokemon. The most recent title in the series was released in 2009, and Little Mac eventually appeared in the Super 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.

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Why Punch-Out Should Be The Next Animated Nintendo Movie

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Punch-Out! has the potential to be a terrific animated Nintendo movie, offering an entirely new avenue to explore outside The 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 in The 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 series could 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 grow The Super Mario Bros. Movie franchise.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Mario jumps to the big screen in The Super Mario Bros Movie, directed by Teen Titans Go! collaborators Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and more appear in this animated comedy that pits the characters in an all-new adventure set in the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. 

Director

Aaron Horvath , Michael Jelenic

Release Date

April 5, 2023

Writers

Matthew Fogel