Pikmin Short Movies

The creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, has dabbled in many new and exciting experiences this year, including the production of animated shorts – he even had the opportunity to show his recently released Pikmin movies at the Toyko International Film Festival.

Now, in an interview with Nintendo’s MariChan via Miiverse, Miyamoto-san has discussed the design process of the Pikmin short movies compared to the development cycle of the game series, as well as the connections between the two, and how they are able to enrich players’ experiences when combined.

Highlights of the interview include an explanation as to how the short movies came about, with a key focus on the individuality of Pikmin and the affinity between the games and movies – and also how the original drawings were converted into storyboards, with an extra level of attention to detail towards the short films, primarily because of the creators’ game design history. Take a look at the development of the storyboards and scenes below:

Storyboard 1

Storyboard 2

Storyboard 3

Opening 1

Opening 2

Opening 3

Opening 4

Additionally, Miyamoto-san also explained how both game production and short films have their unique challenges – with many key fundamental differences. He also noted the importance of sound within the movies, and how he listened to the music from all three Pikmin games to prepare himself.

Before signing off from the interview, Miyamoto said both the Wii U and 3DS versions of the Pikmin films had their advantages, and that players could expect a deeper level of enjoyment from the game if they watch the movies. This followed with the reveal of a brand new Pikmin theme for the 3DS, launching later this week.

Pikmin 3 DS Theme

To read the full interview, head over to Miiverse. Let us know in the comments if you’ve downloaded the Pikmin short movies for 3DS or Wii U.

[source miiverse.nintendo.net]