Pikmin Short Movies

Screenshot from Treasure in a Bottle.

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The Pikmin short movies refer to short animated films, made by Shigeru Miyamoto and released in 2014, showing Pikmin interacting with the environment of PNF-404 alongside Captain Olimar. These films are drawn using computer generated 3D graphics.

History

In an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto in March of 2013, the creator of the Pikmin series announced Nintendo was working on a cartoon based on the franchise. In the interview, Miyamoto revealed that these cartoons would be released at some point in 2013 but before the next game in the series, Pikmin 3, which was still in development. The idea was to distribute them as Nintendo 3DS videos, and he considered the idea of selling them if they become something bigger.

The first true short would show Captain Olimar blending and drinking what appears to be a vivisected Red Pikmin. After some other characters discover this, they back away in shock, as the knife-wielding Olimar approaches them. In doing so, they trip onto a pile of Pikpik carrots, the aliment that Olimar was truly consuming.

The idea for these cartoons came around when Miyamoto was trying to "give more life to the Pikmin characters". When asked if this was an attempt to make the 3DS less of a gaming-centric console, Miyamoto declared he hadn't thought about it that way. Instead, it's just taking advantage of the Pikmin series, and expanding its potential. If the idea flourishes, Nintendo might do cartoons on other franchises as well.

In September of 2014, Miyamoto announced that three short animated movies would be shown at the Tokyo International film festival, which will happen from October 25 to 31. These short movies will be titled The Night Juicer, Treasures in a Bottle, and Occupational Hazards.

On the 25^th of October 2014, the movies were premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival. They will be making their way into the 3DS eShop at a later date. According to IGN, Miyamoto has completed 20-30 short films, yet has only left the three movies listed above for public viewing.

Post-premiere interview

After the shorts were presented, Shigeru Miyamoto and Dwango chairman Nobuo Kawakami held a press conference, and revealed more info on the shorts. The following list of tidbits has been gathered:

• The three Pikmin shorts ("The Night Juicer", "Treasures in a Bottle", "Occupational Hazards") are coming soon to 3DS.
• They’d considered doing something like this for Nintendo’s characters many times in the past, but avoided it because of the difference between an interactive game and a film.
• Another reason is that a film requires much more ‘setting in stone’ about the characters and world that could be limiting for the company when it comes to future games.
• However, with Pikmin they’re very small inside the game and you can’t see them well without zooming in close. So he thought shorts might be a good fit for the Pikmin series as it’d allow there to be more focus on the actual Pikmin.
• Storyboards for the shorts were made by Miyamoto using Flipnote Studio 3D, an app never relased in the West.
• Made by an external CGI company. They also produced the opening of the 2012 E3 Presentation, where Miyamoto was followed by CGI Pikmin.
• They originally intended to make ten 3-minute short films, but after making the first one they decided on making longer ones. The 2nd is 8 minutes and the 3rd is 13 minutes long.
• The 3rd film features 500 Pikmin on screen at once and Pikmin covered in mud, which are things they can’t do in-game.
• The models used are based on the game’s models, but as the CGI required about 10 times the fidelity of that in the latest game, so the 3D models in the shorts themselves are mostly new.
• Miyamoto says the live-action Super Mario Brothers film was an interesting interpretation of the universe. When he first read the script, it was a heart-warming tale, like a Disney movie from his childhood, but it gradually evolved into the movie we know today. He thinks it’s interesting what a different interpretation can bring.
• Release timing for the Pikmin shorts unannounced; may be compiled together with the logo-movie for Toho Cinemas (which also features Pikmin) when released on 3DS.
• Plans on releasing world-wide; no language to localize.
• Pikmin 3 demo is in the works.
• Miyamoto wants the short films to be a gateway for some to play the Pikmin games.

Nintendo Direct

On November 5^th, 2014, Nintendo released the Pikmin shorts, for both 3DS and Wii U. The 3DS version featured 3D elements to it, while the Wii U version is in HD. The full bundle costs $4.99/£4.49/€4.99.

External links

• Nintendo Everything's article on the post-premiere interview
• The Guardian's article on the short movies, with a quick video documentary containing snippets from the movies
• My Nintendo News' article after the movies' premieres
• Polygon's article about the short movies' premieres
• Polygon's article about the interview