Illumination

 is an American animation company that is owned by. Founded in by, the company is famous for creating the  series. Other notable movies include ', ', and  ' and ', both based on popular books by.

On January 31st, 2018 during a financial briefing, Nintendo announced that Illumination would be producing an upcoming animated Mario feature film, co-produced by Chris Meledandri and Shigeru Miyamoto. The title and release date are currently unknown, but Meledandri is aiming for a 2022 release.

Untitled Mario film development
Several days after the deal was made, Miyamoto explained why Illumination was chosen for the project over other animation companies, saying he has 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, with whom Nintendo is making. 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  and other animated projects for and, 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 6, 2018, Meledandri said that he was glad the 1993 film wasn't well-received, citing the primary reason being that the producers did not involve Nintendo, unlike Illumination, who is "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 of ', the Once-Ler mentions Donkey Kong at some point while talking with Ted. During the final battle with Balthazaar Bratt in ', 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  in 1982.
 * There is also a reference to the Mario games in the 2016 Illumination film , 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.