Although the franchise has been a staple of the video game industry for years, Nintendo has only recently begun to embraceSuper Mario’spotential as a cross-media product. The company just started on its bid to releasean animatedMariofilmthrough the upcoming adaptation byDespicable Mestudio Illumination Entertainment, while the character made his jump to LEGO earlier this year.
Another of Nintendo’s upcoming attempts to shift the series into a fresh entertainment medium is the franchise’s new theme park attraction:Super Nintendo World. Based in Universal Studios Japan, the attraction has been under construction for much longer than anticipated, however, thanks to new pictures from The Sankei News, fans now have a better look at the major new addition to the coveted theme park.
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It’s instantly clear that no expense has been spared in creating a lifelike rendition of the Mushroom Kingdom and the colorful creatures that inhabit it. Entering through the iconic green pipes frequently traversed by Mario in the games, visitors emerge through an archway designed to replicatePeach’s Castleand are surrounded by the seminal sights of the Mushroom Kingdom. These include what appears to be an enterable Toad house and a ride called “Yoshi’s Adventure” where players seemingly sit atop Yoshis as they navigate around a track.
The park includes a bunch more attractions in the same vein as the Yoshi-themed ride, including what appears to bea largeMario Kartinspired area under the title “Mario’s Motors.“There also appears to be an ice-level themed building, although what’s contained inside the area isn’t immediately clear. Of course, the boldest area of the park is the giant gate to Bowser’s Kingdom, with a metallic effigy of the villainous dragon’s head mounted above the entrance. Alongside its main attractions, there are tons of fun visuals references sprinkled around as well, including coin blocks, Piranha Plants, Thwomps, and more.
Overall, it looks like it’s going to be aMariofan’s dream, with tons of intricately detailed areas, callbacks to the game, and themed rides to enjoy. The whole thing looks well on its way to being finished as well, so it isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine Universal Studios will be ready to welcome visitors very soon. As forMario’sadventures outside the world of theme parks, the character’s newest selection of LEGO sets were unveiled last week, including new enemies like Shy Guys and fresh suits for Mario like his infamous Tanooki outfit.
