Pikmin Just Showed Up in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Marketing — And Fans Are Losing It

TL;DR

• A new 10-second teaser for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie dropped on March 17, showing a rapid-fire lineup of characters
• Eagle-eyed fans spotted Pikmin in the footage — their first meaningful crossover with the Mario franchise
• R.O.B., the old NES robotic accessory, was also confirmed — he’ll be voiced by Illumination animator Ed Skudder, previously spotted at an information kiosk in the Gateway Galaxy
• Both are non-Mario Nintendo IPs, fuelling speculation about a broader Nintendo Cinematic Universe and possibly a future Super Smash Bros. film
• The movie also stars Donald Glover as Yoshi and Brie Larson as Rosalina, alongside the returning main cast
• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits theatres on April 1, 2026, tracking for a massive $160M five-day opening weekend

Nintendo’s Marketing Machine Is Going Into Overdrive

With two weeks to go until The Super Mario Galaxy Movie lands in theatres, Nintendo and Universal have shifted into full promotional mode. The social media accounts are firing on all cylinders — each new clip packed with Easter eggs, deep cuts, and just enough surprise to keep both casual viewers and hardcore fans glued to their screens.

The latest short, posted to the official Super Mario Galaxy Movie X account on March 17, is only 10 seconds long. The caption reads simply: “They’re ready for their close up.” Blink and you’d miss half of it. But fans didn’t blink.

Toads in Super Mario Galaxy Movie

The Pikmin Nobody Saw Coming

Buried in the first five seconds of footage were several Pikmin — the plant-like creatures from Nintendo’s long-running but comparatively niche franchise — marking what appears to be the series’ first major crossover in Nintendo media.

They appear in vibrant colours with stalks sprouting from their heads, matching their in-game look closely. The original yellow, red, and blue Pikmin are all visible. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, but the internet found it immediately.

The Pikmin franchise debuted in 2001, with the most recent entry, Pikmin 4, releasing in 2023. They’re a beloved Nintendo property — but never one that’s shared meaningful screen time with Mario outside of the odd Easter egg. Until now.

Why Pikmin? Blame Miyamoto

The connection isn’t random. Shigeru Miyamoto created both the Mario and Pikmin franchises and currently serves as a producer on Illumination’s Super Mario films — leading many observers to link his personal influence directly to the cameo.

Miyamoto has previously said he spent a lot of time wanting to grow Pikmin as a franchise. Dropping them into the biggest animated movie of the year — one he’s producing — is about as direct a growth strategy as it gets. Pikmin have already been turning up in unexpected places lately, including Super Nintendo World theme park spaces and a recent Nintendo animated short, so their appearance here fits a clear pattern.

R.O.B. Is in the Mix Too

Pikmin weren’t the only surprise tucked into the teaser. The footage also confirms the inclusion of R.O.B., Spike, the Bubblainians from Super Mario Odyssey, and more.

R.O.B. was originally designed as a video game accessory for two NES titles — Gyromite and Stack-Up. He became something of an oddity, but players grew to love seeing this unusual corner of Nintendo history preserved in future games, most notably as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. In the film, he’ll be voiced by Illumination animator Ed Skudder, spotted in an earlier clip manning an information kiosk in the Gateway Galaxy.

Is Nintendo Building Toward a Smash Bros. Movie?

The elephant in the room is hard to ignore. With the addition of Pikmin and R.O.B., Illumination has now introduced 12 playable Super Smash Bros. characters into the Mario movie universe.

Theories have circulated that additional characters — including Kirby and Star Fox — could also make appearances in the final film, with some editors pointing to scenes where characters appear to have been quietly removed from trailers. The Legend of Zelda live-action film is already in production, and rumours of a Donkey Kong-focused project are rampant. Whether all of this is quietly building toward a Super Smash Bros. ensemble film — Nintendo’s answer to the Avengers — remains to be seen. But the breadcrumbs are definitely there.

A Cast That Keeps Growing

While the Easter egg hunting has dominated the conversation, the confirmed cast is already stacked. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie stars Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Benny Safdie, Kevin Michael Richardson, Luis Guzmán, Issa Rae, Donald Glover, and Brie Larson. It is written by Matthew Fogel and directed by returning filmmakers Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.

New additions include Donald Glover as Yoshi and Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr., expanding a roster that already features cameos from Mouser and Wart. The film is the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide in 2023. With a projected $160M five-day opening weekend in the US alone, the Galaxy Movie is off to a very promising start.

April 1 can’t come soon enough.

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