"As part of its newly launched 'My Mario' line, Nintendo has released a series of adorable stop-motion shorts that turn the iconic plumber into a charming miniature star. It's the kind of creative detour that shows Nintendo understands the magic of character design isn't just in pixels and polygons but also in clay, card, and a little bit of patience. The first three shorts have already gone live on the Play Nintendo YouTube channel, and they're brimming with the kind of playful energy you'd expect."
"Rather than glossy CG, these mini-episodes lean into a tactile aesthetic. These feel felty and jerky; tiny props raise a smile, and the visual style feels lovingly stitched together. It's a reminder that in an age of hyper-real rendering, there's something timeless about stop-motion's imperfections. In fact, this is the kind of work that sits proudly alongside the best stop-motion animation movies of recent years, because it doesn't try to hide its seams; it celebrates them."
"What makes the new Mario animated shorts interesting is how closely they echo principles discussed in the eight rules of movie animation, according to Guillermo del Toro. Exaggerated performance, a sense of rhythm, and attention to micro-expressions all come through in Mario's tiny gestures, showing how even a character we know inside-out can still surprise us when brought to life frame by frame. The shorts arrive alongside Nintendo's new Hello, Mario! app for Switch and mobile. Together, the app and the videos form a neat double act: one interactive, one cinematic, both clearly designed to give fans a reason to re-engage with the character ahead of a much bigger milestone - Mario's 40th anniversary (he's a star of one of the best games of the '80s, after all)."
Nintendo released stop-motion "My Mario" shorts that reframe Mario as a handcrafted miniature using clay, card, and small-scale props. The mini-episodes favor a tactile, felty, and slightly jerky aesthetic that highlights the medium's imperfections rather than hiding seams. Performances emphasize exaggerated motion, rhythm, and micro-expressions to bring fresh life to an iconic character. The shorts complement the Hello, Mario! app for Switch and mobile, providing interactive and cinematic touchpoints. Both initiatives aim to re-engage fans and evoke nostalgia as Mario's 40th anniversary approaches.
Read at Creative Bloq
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