Animal Crossing

This article is about the race course in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. For the WarioWare: Smooth Moves microgame, see Animal Crossing: Wild World.

Template:Racecourse Animal Crossing is the fourth and final track in the Crossing Cup in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The course is included with the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content package for Mario Kart 8. The course is located in an unnamed town from Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Similar to how Excitebike Arena changes layout every time it is played, Animal Crossing changes season every time it is played, although this has little effect on the track and is mostly just a visual change.

In offline play, except for Time Trials, it is possible to select the season by holding down a shoulder button before the race starts if the player is using the Wii U GamePad, the Classic Controller (Pro), or the Wii U Pro Controller. Holding selects Spring, holding selects Summer, holding selects Winter, and holding selects Autumn. This code returns using the same button combinations in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. When playing in Mirror Mode, the code is inversed: holding selects Spring, holding selects Summer, holding selects Winter and holding selects Autumn.

Course layout

The starting line in all four seasons.

The course starts out next to the Town Tree, Town Hall, and Able Sisters shop before crossing over a bridge and into a forest area with many trees that can be ran into. After this, a right turn comes up leading to a left turn and then a glide pad, which goes over the small river, and into another part of the town with many houses, as well as floating balloons with Item Boxes attached to them.

The track goes straight, until a hill turns left and onto the beach with shells that can be knocked aside. The track then curves left and back up a hill which goes past Nook's Cranny, and onto a bridge with a boost section on it which crosses over the hill that was descended earlier. After this section, the track curves right, and Mr. Resetti occasionally pops out, acting like a Monty Mole, unless the season is winter. After this corner, there is a left turn to the finish line. Players may fall to the lower section of the track. If players do fall down, they will get picked up by Lakitu and brought back to the next section of the track.

Differences between seasons

While the different seasons don't change the track layout that much, there are some subtle differences. In the spring, a number of ramps are placed along the track from Mr. Resetti's place to the glider ramp, and the race takes place in the morning. In the summer, a pair of ramps are placed on the beach, and the race happens at high noon. In autumn, the track is set in the late afternoon or evening, and there are leaf piles that release items on the track, similar to Maple Treeway from Mario Kart Wii. In the winter, the track is set at night (and at Christmas) and a lot more slippery than normal, reducing the traction of all vehicles. There are also a number of Snowboys placed around the course which act as destructible walls, like the Snowmen on GCN Sherbet Land, and Mr. Resetti is absent. The music also changes, depending on the season. In Time Trials, only the summer version is used.

Shortcuts

• Just as the beach section starts the player can boost behind a tree and darker sand to cut the corner.
• The final corner can be skipped with a Mushroom.

Staff ghost

The staff ghost for this track is Isabelle on the City Tripper, with a time of 1:58.273. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's 200cc mode, the staff ghost is a Villager with a time of 1:23.417.

References to the Animal Crossing franchise

As this course is based upon the Animal Crossing franchise, it also features various references to those games. They are listed below:

Bells behave like coins on the track.

• Coins are replaced by Bells.
• The Start/Finish line has the Animal Crossing logo on it.
• Several villagers and buildings, like the Town Hall or Able Sisters, can be seen around the track.
• A train can be seen driving near the course.
• Some Item Boxes are suspended from balloons, like the ones that float by in the Animal Crossing games.
• In all seasons except for spring, trees may drop fruit when driven into or hit with items, which act like Mushrooms, giving the player a speed boost.
• Mr. Resetti appears as a stage hazard (except in Winter).
• Driving into a rock causes a Bell to come out, similar to how a Villager can hit a rock for Bells by using a shovel.
• Shells appear on the beach.
• A lighthouse can be seen from the beach.
• The first half of each theme is a cover version of the main theme for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, played with different instruments to correspond with the respective seasons. The second half changes to incorporate music from the Animal Crossing series depending on each season:
  • Spring - The main theme for Animal Crossing.
  • Summer - The second half of the main theme for Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
  • Autumn - The main theme for Animal Crossing: Wild World and Animal Crossing: City Folk.
  • Winter - A medley of the music that plays on Christmas Eve and the 7 PM theme in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
• The results music is an arrangement of the music that plays in Brewster's Roost café that first appears in Animal Crossing: Wild World.
• Nook's Cranny appears, even though it was replaced by Nookling Junction in New Leaf. When passing by, it plays the same song heard in the Animal Crossing games. It is difficult to hear during a race, but when viewed in Mario Kart TV with the music off, it's easy to hear.
• K.K. Slider sits in different predetermined spots on the course depending on the season; in addition, he performs a song when the player drives close to him, each corresponding with a different song mood:
  • Spring - K.K. will be across from the museum, and will perform "Bubblegum K.K." ("Good!" mood).
  • Summer - K.K. will be poised atop a cliff adjacent to the beach, and will perform "Go K.K. Rider!" ("Grumpy" mood).
  • Autumn - K.K. will be sitting right near the starting line, and will perform "K.K. Bossa" ("Lazy" mood).
  • Winter - K.K. will be sitting on the steps to Brewster's Roost café, and will perform "Stale Cupcakes" ("A little sad" mood).

Animal Crossing characters

Tom Nook Blathers Able Sisters Reese and Cyrus Mr. Resetti Rover K.K. Slider

Mitzi Whitney Static Bob Punchy Rosie Dotty

Ruby Chrissy Francine Chief Fang Lobo Wolfgang

Marshal Filbert Poppy Bunnie Peanut

Gallery

• MK8 DLC Animal Crossing Course Icon.png

  The track's icon

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  House stamp

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  Tree stamp

Spring

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  Near the end of the track

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  The end of the track

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  Isabelle, driving on the track

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  Female Villager performs a trick

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  Dry Bowser races past a set of trees

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  Koopa Troopa races at the beach

Summer

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  The area before the beach

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  Nook's Cranny

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  Characters driving through the forest section

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  Miis gliding through the section before the beach

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  Male Villager, racing on the track

Autumn

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  The section before the beach

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  The ending section

Winter

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  The starting section

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  The gliding section before the beach

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  Isabelle and the two Villagers at the starting line in winter

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  Rosalina, racing at the village portion of the track, before the beach area

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	どうぶつの森[?] Dōbutsu no Mori	Animal Forest
Chinese	動物森友會 (Traditional) 动物森友会 (Simplified)[?] Dòngwù Sēnyǒu Huì	Animal Forest Friends Meeting
Dutch	Animal Crossing[?]	-
German	Animal Crossing-Dorf[?]	Animal Crossing Village
Italian	Animal Crossing[?]	-
Korean	동물의 숲[?] Dongmul-ui Sup	Animal Forest
Portuguese	Animal Crossing[?]	-
Russian	Animal Crossing[?]	-
Spanish	Animal Crossing[?]	-

Trivia

• This is the only race course from the Mario Kart games to have kanji in its Japanese name.
• In the Able Sister's Shop, helmets from the amiibo costumes can be seen in the window.
• This is one of the three nitro courses in Mario Kart 8 without any anti-gravity sections, the other two being Excitebike Arena and Super Bell Subway. Coincidentally, all three are DLC courses.
• This is one of the four tracks in the Mario Kart series in which the item roulette sounds different, alongside Waluigi Pinball, Hyrule Circuit, and Urchin Underpass.
• When compared against N64 Rainbow Road, Animal Crossing bears a faint resemblance to it, though this may just be purely incidental.