Nintendo successfully adapted forty years of its popular gaming world into a hit movie that both audiences and critics loved. While the Super Mario Bros. series is Nintendo’s biggest success, the company has created many other great games, including The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, and Star Fox. Star Fox first appeared on the Super Nintendo in 1993, and although it featured innovative technology and an interesting story, it never quite reached the same level of popularity as Nintendo’s other major franchises.
The new Super Mario Bros. movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, is getting great reviews, especially for including a wide range of characters from the Super Mario Bros. world and other popular Nintendo games, like Star Fox’s Fox McCloud. Fox’s appearance is a standout moment in the film. But many dedicated Nintendo fans don’t know about an animated Star Fox OVA released ten years ago that pairs perfectly with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie as a double feature.
Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins Is a Top-Tier Anime Short From WIT & Production I.G
Glen Powell delivers a standout performance as Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Before making his big-screen appearance with Mario, Fox McCloud starred in a short anime film called Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins, released in 2016. This 15-minute film was created to advertise Star Fox Zero for the Wii U, a game that, while enjoyable, hasn’t remained a major part of the Star Fox series.
Despite being a commercial disappointment and one of the worst-selling games in the series, Star Fox Zero suffered from being released near the end of the Wii U’s lifespan. However, Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins is a well-made title that successfully introduces the Star Fox universe and demonstrates the potential for a full Star Fox anime. Creating shorter animated projects like this is a smart way to see if there’s enough interest for a longer series. The Star Fox franchise is flexible enough to support an anime that could either retell the events of the games, as The Battle Begins does, or create entirely new stories within that universe.
The Star Fox animated movie (The Battle Begins) delivers an action-packed showdown between Team Star Fox and Andross, and it’s full of fun nods to earlier Star Fox games. It’s clear the creators really care about the Star Fox universe, and they’ve made something special – it’s not a simple retelling, but a creative work that draws inspiration from all parts of the franchise, similar to what the Super Mario Bros. movies have done.
Notably, Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins boasts impressive animation, with Production I.G contributing to its production and Studio Orange handling the 3D CGI. The collaboration of these three renowned anime studios is remarkable. This teamwork is a key reason why The Battle Begins feels connected to a larger story and serves as a strong introduction to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Marks Star Fox’s Anime Return
I noticed something really neat in the new Super Mario Bros. movie. It cleverly incorporates Fox McCloud and his Arwing as a way for the characters to travel across the galaxy. He’s not just a cameo, either – Fox actually helps in the big fight against Bowser Jr.! When he joins the team, there’s a quick scene explaining who he is and what Team Star Fox has accomplished. What struck me most was how they showed this – it wasn’t done with the retro 16-bit style you might expect. Instead, they went with a cool anime look for that flashback sequence, which was a surprising and fun choice.
The movie’s choice to present the Star Fox scene in an anime style is a nod to Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins and the groundwork that original animated video established. Anime perfectly captures the wide range of influences and gaming elements within Star Fox. Using a typical animated style or computer-generated imagery might have felt out of place, especially considering some fans disliked how Star Fox Adventures looked.
The Star Fox series has a history of trying out unique approaches, like the time they presented Team Star Fox as puppets in commercials. While this retro style was fun, it probably wouldn’t have worked for fans of the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The new anime style feels right for Star Fox and opens up exciting possibilities for the series. Future installments could even build a complete anime universe around the Star Fox world.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Sets Up A Bright Future For More Star Fox Anime
Fox McCloud’s brief appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie feels like a hint at a larger, interconnected Nintendo movie universe, and many fans hope it sets up a full Star Fox spin-off film. Given Nintendo’s openness about future plans for its movies, this seems likely. However, a Star Fox movie doesn’t need to mimic the style of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Instead, it would be a fantastic chance to revisit the strengths of Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins and create the spin-off as an animated project.
A Star Fox anime movie would be a great fit, but Nintendo and Illumination could also create a spin-off series for television. This series could follow the model of Sonic the Hedgehog and its Knuckles spin-off, offering episodic content that connects to any future films instead of being a standalone movie. If they decide to move forward with a series, bringing back WIT Studio, who previously worked on Star Fox anime, would be a smart move. Either way, it looks like we’ll be seeing more Star Fox content soon, and the franchise has already shown it can succeed in the anime format.
The appearance of Star Fox in The Super Mario Bros. Movie shows that Nintendo is becoming more open to different ways of adapting its games. A Star Fox anime is already in the works, and this new willingness to experiment could lead to even more animated projects. We might see Pikmin shorts, a darker Metroid series, a Donkey Kong Country anime, or even a magical girl show starring Peach, Rosalina, and Daisy. These ideas would have been unlikely just a few years ago, but Nintendo has a wealth of stories to draw from, and the Star Fox anime could be the beginning of a wave of creative adaptations.
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2026-04-03 22:18