A classic '90s commercial for Nintendo has surfaced online, giving us an insight into how the company won the hearts, minds and wallets of an entire generation of players.
The commercial was issued by Roses Discount Stores for its "World of Nintendo" range, which not only included video games but a whole host of merchandise, including toys and clothing.
Not only is this a cool little throwback to the past, but it's also notable for showcasing the considerable talents of animator Dale Baer, who worked on Disney movies such as Robin Hood, The Lion King and Tarzan, as well as other animated classics, such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Mario and his pals are no strangers to the world of hand-drawn animation, of course – Mario and Luigi starred in their own cartoon series, as did Link; the latter was recently fused with Beavis and Butt-Head, with hilarious results.
[source gonintendo.com]
Comments 22
Imagine going to a store, picking up a mario shirt and then mario asks you to go into the shirt with him
It's interesting in that they're using the DIC Entertainment models for these characters. Was this made under that company, or is that just what Nintendo provided to Dale Baer?
Not bad animation.
I was ready to laugh at the "Disney-standard animation" bit but damn it actually is!
@Jackpaza0508 Can't stop staring at your profile pic...
Disney needs to bring back theatrical 2D animation. Burrow, Kitbull, and the Jerries in Soul were brilliant so a 2D Pixar movie would be a dream come true.
That’s pretty slick.
Skinny Bowser
Interesting that they use the Bowser/Wart from the Super Mario Bros. SuperShow instead of the one from the games.
I've never seen or heard of a "Roses" store chain. But it really is for the best. If my parents brought me there as a child, I would have almost certainly pulled the "lay down in the isle and cry because my mom won't get me a toy" move. (Not that it ever worked)
@RickD The Sony marketing got you, didn't it?
@Desrever I loved Roses! There is a youtube channel called Company Man and I hope one day he does an episode on them. What I thought was so cool growing up was that the front doors were wooden with glass center, but the metal bars Had "ROSES" logo stamped into it. I liked that and Brendle's (another chain that is gone) way better than Walmart and Kmart and Target.
Link is very long and skinny
It has less animation errors then the Mario cartoons!
@Desrever I have never heard of this store, and Googling it shows me 18 locations in the entire United States! (though why it also lists two Walmarts actually near me is strange)
I almost missed the animation due to being distracted by those — are those even sneakers? Maybe those are the metal boots Link needs to walk underwater.
Dale Baer? I remember reading about him several weeks ago after he passed away from A.L.S. complications.
This guy had a pretty diverse career in the animation industry and this Nintendo ad is a good example. Props to him for making this commercial feel so lively.
Wow, that's really cool!
Terrible character designs but smooth.
@Noid Maybe Disney Animation Studios could revisit traditional animation for their movies someday, but Pixar Animation has always been exclusively a CGI studio. It's how they made a name for themselves in the first place. Heck, they made some of the earliest fully-CGI shorts in existence, not to mention the first fully-CGI feature length movie!
Didn’t expect the Roses tie in.
I didn't remember Roses having them (only one I have seen in MD is in Ocean City, so I have only been there on vacation), but I remember Sears having a world of Nintendo kiosk. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a similar ad for sears.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...