Illumination

Illumination Entertainment (or simply Illumination) is an animation company that is owned by Universal Studios and is best known for creating the Despicable Me films, as well as other films such as The Secret Life of Pets, Sing, and some Dr. Seuss adaptations.

Illumination is currently producing an upcoming animated Mario feature film in partnership with Nintendo, co-produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Meledandri (founder and CEO of Illumination). It was announced during Nintendo's financial briefing on January 31, 2018. The title and release dates have yet to be released.

Several days after the deal was made, Miyamoto explained why Illumination was chosen for the project over other animation companies. He says that he's been interested in producing an animated film for quite some time, and contrary to popular belief, making a movie and making a game are completely different procedures. Miyamoto wanted someone with experience in the film industry to co-produce the film, and after talking with numerous directors and producers, he was introduced to Illumination through Universal Parks & Resorts, with whom Nintendo is making a theme park with. Miyamoto also stated that when he begun talks with Meledandri, the latter read numerous interviews about him and felt that they had a similar approach in creation. Miyamoto describes Meledandri as having experience in the field of animation beyond Illumination, being executive producer of Ice Age and other animated projects for 20th Century Fox, as well as Meledandri being, "extremely cost-conscious and time-conscious in his quest to make successful movies." Miyamoto also mentioned that Nintendo and Illumination have mutually agreed to call the deal off if neither company could think of an interesting premise, but also noted that the screenplay has been hashed out a number of times and talks are in progression, hoping to provide more information once the schedule has been ironed out.

On November 6th, 2018, Chris Meledandri said that he's glad the 1993 film wasn't well-received, citing the primary reason being that the producers didn't involve Nintendo, unlike Illumination, who's "embracing" Miyamoto and keeping him "front and center" in the film's creation. He said that Illumination's Mario film is in, "priority development", and is hoping to release the film by 2022. Meledandri also noted that developing a Mario film is "an ambitious task", citing the challenge of adding depth to Mario that would simultaneously compromise generations of fans and feel organic to his iconography along with supporting a three-act structure.

Trivia

• Prior to their acquisition of the rights to adapt Mario, Donkey Kong had been mentioned in two Illumination films. In their adaption of The Lorax, the Once-Ler mentions Donkey Kong at some point while talking with Ted. During the final battle with Balthazaar Bratt in Despicable Me 3, Bratt says, "It's on like Donkey Kong!" after being challenged to a dance fight by Gru. Ironically, Illumination's parent company Universal once sued Nintendo on Donkey Kong for infringing the copyright to King Kong in 1982.
• There is also a reference to the Mario games in the 2016 Illumination film The Secret Life of Pets, where a turtle belonging to the "Flushed Pets" is capable of curling inside his shell and bouncing back and forth, hitting anyone in his path, much like a Koopa Troopa, even making the Koopa shell sound from the Mario games.