Illumination
| Illumination | |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 2007[1][2] |
| First Super Mario film | The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) |
| Latest Super Mario film | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) |
| Current president | Chris Meledandri |
Illumination (formerly Illumination Entertainment, and stylized in all capital letters as ILLUMINATION) is an American animation company that is owned by Universal Pictures, itself a division of the NBCUniversal division of Comcast, and produced The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with animation provided from their in-house French-based studio Illumination Studios Paris (formerly Illumination Mac Guff after buying off Mac Guff in 2011). Founded in Santa Monica, California by Chris Meledandri, Illumination is famously known for creating the Despicable Me franchise, based on a concept from animator Sergio Pablos,[3] with the Minions from that franchise being the company's mascots; as well as the Secret Life of Pets and Sing franchises.
Produced over 16 films, other particular movies include two adaptations of Dr. Seuss' children's books, The Lorax and The Grinch, their original film Migration, and their first and only live-action film Hop. In addition to their films and franchises, the studio has also produced short films known as "mini-movies" alongside each of its feature films on DVD and Blu-ray, though no mini-movies were produced for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
History
In January 17, 2007, Chris Meledandri left 20th Century Fox to open an animation unit at Universal Pictures to focus on making live-action and animated films under a five-year agreement, allowing the studio to have creative control while Universal distributes them exclusively.[1][4] Following the failed release of their first live-action film Hop on April 1, 2011, despite having a box-office success, the company decided to focus on the animation projects after their first animated film Despicable Me was successful enough to produce a sequel and a franchise later on in the coming years.
In December 12, 2011, Universal and Illumination brought off French-based Paris studio Mac Guff, which helped with the animation on Despicable Me, as their in-house studio known as Illumination Mac Guff, allowing the animation studio of Mac Guff to split between Illumination and their own studio in Ligue.[5] Furthermore, their newly established in-house studio (later renamed as Illumination Studios Paris after the release of Sing 2 on December 22, 2021) would go on to produce the animation for all of its films starting from The Lorax in 2012 except for the live-action film Hop, which featured CGI by defunct VFX studio Rhythm & Hues.
During a financial briefing on January 2018,[6] Nintendo announced that Illumination would be producing an animated Super Mario–franchise film, making this the studio's first film based on an existing intellectual property not to be an adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book.[7][8]
Several days after the deal was made, Shigeru Miyamoto explained why Illumination was chosen for the project over other animation companies, saying he had been interested in producing an animated film for quite some time, contrary to popular belief, making a movie and making a game are completely different procedures, and 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 Universal Parks & Resorts, with whom Nintendo was making a theme park. Miyamoto also stated that when he began talks with Meledandri, the latter read numerous interviews about him and felt that they had a similar approach in creation. Miyamoto also described Meledandri as having experience in the field of animation beyond Illumination, having been executive producer of Ice Age and other animated projects for 20th Century Fox, as well as being "extremely cost-conscious and time-conscious in his quest to make successful movies." And mentioned that Nintendo and Illumination had mutually agreed to call the deal off if neither company could come up with an interesting premise, but he also noted that the screenplay had been hashed out a number of times and discussions were in progression, hoping to provide more information once the schedule had been ironed out.[9]
On November 6, 2018, Meledandri said that he was glad the 1993 live-action film Super Mario Bros. was not well-received, citing the primary reason being that the producers did not involve Nintendo, whereas Illumination was "embracing" Miyamoto and keeping him "front and center" in the film's creation, that their Super Mario film was in "priority development" and developing the film is "an ambitious task," citing the challenge of adding depth to Super Mario that would simultaneously compromise generations of fans and feel organic to its iconography as well as supporting a three-act structure.[10][11]
Filmography
Unlike most animated studios, Illumination mostly depends on its core group of writers and directors to make their own films. However, for the Super Mario films they produced, they each have a team of Nintendo developers to help simplify the story under as "Nintendo Team" while keeping its core group intact upon production and providing notable connections to the franchise.
| Film | Release date | Director(s) | Producer(s) | Writer(s) | Executive Producer(s) | Editor(s) | Composer(s) | Co-production |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | Aaron Horvath Michael Jelenic Co-Directors: Pierre Leduc Fabien Polack |
Chris Meledandri Shigeru Miyamoto |
Matthew Fogel | Brett Hoffman Bill Ryan Yusuke Beppu |
Eric Osmond | Brian Tyler Original Nintendo Themes by: Koji Kondo |
Universal Pictures Illumination Nintendo Animation Services: Illumination Studios Paris | |
| The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Brian Tyler |
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
During New York Comic-Con on October 6, 2022, the animated Super Mario film's title was revealed to be The Super Mario Bros. Movie in a teaser trailer released through a Nintendo Direct, where Meledandri confirmed that animation would be completed the following week by their in-house studio, Illumination Studios Paris, which had started the lighting and compositing stage of the film.[16] In a Nintendo Direct trailer broadcast on November 29, 2022, Miyamoto announced that the film is almost wrapped up in production.[17] From the final Nintendo Direct for the film on March 9, 2023, close to MAR10 Day and the release of the film, Meledandri later announced that Nintendo and Illumination had wrapped post-production of the film, stating that they had "pushed the technical and artistic capabilities of [Illumination] to new heights", with directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, creators and developers of Teen Titans Go!, highlighting the Rainbow Road scene as an example of this by the studio's improved lighting and rendering software.[18]
On March 24, 2023, Illumination released a promotional video featuring many of its original characters from their released films (except Hop and The Lorax) attending the theaters to see The Super Mario Bros. Movie.[19]
Upon release, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a commercial success, going on to set numerous box office records for animated films within several countries,[20] surpassing the lifetime global gross of the live-action Super Mario Bros. film and becoming Illumination's highest-grossing opening, surpassing Despicable Me 2,[21] and highest-grossing film, surpassing Minions which previously held the record.[22]
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)
When asked about a sequel before the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Meledandri stated in a Variety cover story, "Our focus right now is entirely on bringing the film out to the audience, and at this time, we're not prepared to talk about what's coming in the future."[23]
A follow-up from Nintendo and Illumination was officially announced by Miyamoto on March 10, 2024 (on MAR10 Day) after the following success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with the goal of "broadening Mario's world further" while having a "bright and fun story."[24] Meledandri also announced that Illumination Studios Paris was handling the animation again and had been developing storyboards and set designs.[25]
The follow-up film was later announced to be titled The Super Mario Galaxy Movie during the Nintendo Direct on September 2025; labeled as the "main event" of the Super Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary celebration.[26] A Nintendo Direct showcasing the first trailer on November 12, 2025 revealed by Meledandri that the studio was weeks away from completing animation.[27] Meledandri later confirmed in second Nintendo Direct trailer broadcast on January 25, 2026 that animation has been completed and the film has now moved to post-production.[14]
The film became another major commercial success upon release, exceeding the first film's opening day box office[28] and becoming the highest-grossing English-language film of 2026.[29]
Reception
Illumination's films are made on relatively smaller budgets compared to those of competing animation companies, usually rounding to $70 million (around $65-85 million), as a result of a financial model that involves cost-effective decisions such as keeping animation technology expenses to a minimum, shortening development time, and prioritizing hiring voice actors with less star power.[30] However, when producing The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the budget for the film was over $110 million,[31] higher than their previous films and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which had a budget of $100 million.[32] Nevertheless, Illumination has proven to be financially successful in spite of usually mixed critical reception.
| Film | Budget | Box office | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | International | Total | Tomatometer | Popcornmeter | ||||
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | $100 million[32] | $574,934,330[33] | $785,716,594[34] | $1,360,650,924 | 59% (290 reviews)[35] | 95% (+10,000 reviews) | 46 (53 reviews)[36] | A |
| The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | $110 million[31] | $327,677,060[37] | $321,389,000[38] | $649,066,060 | 44% (202 reviews)[39] | 89% (+5,000 reviews) | 37 (45 reviews)[40] | A- |
Opening logos
In all of Illumination's films, the opening logos showcase a gag, often related to the respective film, involving the Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin speaking in "Minionese"), including Kevin, Stuart, and Bob (the main trio of the first two Minions spin-off films); who say the company's name from The Secret Life of Pets onward, despite that film not having an opening gag.
While the original trailers and TV spots of The Super Mario Bros. Movie did not have the Minions in the Illumination logo before release, a truncated version of an opening logo from one of their films, Despicable Me 4, was used for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's official trailer; the original opening featured Stuart firing a weapon loaded with light pins on a wall to form the company logo and Kevin turning the lights on.[27] For the final trailer, however, the Minions do not appear in the Illumination logo.[41]
| Image/film | Description |
|---|---|
The Super Mario Bros. Movie |
The Illumination logo shown at the start of The Super Mario Bros. Movie depicts a Minion (Stuart) in a kart themed after Gru attempting to perform a Rocket Start. The logo lights up like a starting light from Mario Kart 8, flashing "ILLU-MINA-TION" in red before it turns green, pairing this with the countdown sound effects from the same game. The logo goes from green to white when Stuart's Rocket Start fails. Stuart then hits the kart with his fist in frustration before it suddenly blasts off as he shouts the company's name off-screen. |
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie |
The Illumination logo shown at the start of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie depicts two Minions (Dave and Stuart) looking at a hammer from Donkey Kong, with the logo behind them. Dave grabs the hammer and another Minion (Ted) walks next to them with a keyboard and plays "Hammer BGM" from the NES version of Donkey Kong, causing the hammer to move to the music and Dave to destroy the Illumination logo in the process. Stuart tries to warn Ted to stop but the hammer then stops moving when Dave inadvertently smashes Ted into the ground and destroys the keyboard in the process, who faintly says the company's name before passing out. |
Gallery
Original logo used from 2010 to 2017, still used for trailers, TV spots and posters
Logo used in trailers for The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Logo used in TV spots of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Logo from Despciable Me 4 used for the trailers of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie as a placeholder
Same logo from Despciable Me 4 but without the Minions from the final trailer of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Notes
- Prior to Illumination's acquisition of the rights to adapt Super Mario, Donkey Kong had been mentioned in two Illumination films. In its adaption of The Lorax, during Ted's second visit with the Once-ler, the Once-ler says, "Why aren't you like other kids? Breakdancing and wearing Bell Bottoms and playing the Donkey Kongs?" During the final battle with Balthazaar Bratt in Despicable Me 3, Bratt says, "It's on like Donkey Kong!" after being challenged to a dance battle by Gru. Ironically, Illumination's parent company Universal once sued Nintendo over Donkey Kong for infringing the copyright to King Kong in 1982.
- There is also a reference to the Super Mario games in The Secret Life of Pets, where a turtle belonging to the "Flushed Pets" is capable of curling inside its shell and bouncing back and forth, hitting anyone in its path, much like a Koopa Troopa, even making the Koopa Shell sound from the Super Mario games.
- Illumination has also referenced a Nintendo console in one of its movies. In the first Despicable Me film, during the scene where Gru tries to sneak into Vector's fortress to retrieve the shrink ray, Vector can be seen playing a fighting game on the Wii, where he swings a Wii Remote around.
References
- ^ a b Gabriel Snyder and Ben Fritz (January 17, 2007). Family films for Universal. Variety. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ^ Studio. Illumination Entertainment. Retrieved April 2, 2025 from illumination.com.
- ^ September 25, 2017. The Humble Roots Of The Mega-Hit Franchise Despicable Me. Cartoon Brew. Retrieved March 2026 from cartoonbrew.com.
- ^ Michael Fleming (March 6, 2008). Meledandri, Universal team on deals. Variety. (Archived August 29, 2012, 03:30:21 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Elsa Keslassy (December 12, 2011). Universal benefit in Mac Guff accord. Variety.
- ^ Medina, Joseph Jammer (January 9, 2018). Super Mario Bros. Movie Deal Not Finalized, Movie Could Come in 2020. Screen Rant. Retrieved May 12, 2024..
- ^ Blair, Gavin J. (January 31, 2018). 'Mario' Movie to Be Produced by Nintendo and Illumination. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ Hall, Jacob (January 31, 2018 8:05 pm EST). Super Mario Movie in the Works from Despicable Me Studio. Slashfilm.
- ^ Minotti, Mike (January 9, 2018). Nintendo's Miyamoto explains how Illumination won Mario movie rights. VentureBeat. Archived February 10, 2018, 00:32:53 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ Lang, B. (November 6, 2018). Inside Illumination's Plans for Animated 'Super Mario Bros.' Movie. Variety. Retrieved November 7, 2018. (Archived November 6, 2018, 21:56:53 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Schaefer, Sandy (November 6, 2018). Super Mario Bros. Animated Movie Is A Priority; May Arrive in 2022. Screen Rant. Retrieved November 6, 2018. (Archived November 6, 2018, 22:45:46 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ "Wahoo! The #SuperMarioMovie is moving from April 7 to April 5 in the US and in more than 60 markets around the world. The movie hits theaters in additional markets in April and May, with Japan opening April 28." – @supermariomovie (February 28, 2023). Post. Twitter. Retrieved February 28, 2023. (Archived February 28, 2023, 16:13:23 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ @NintendoAmerica (April 25, 2022). This is Miyamoto. After consulting with Chris-san, my partner at Illumination on the Super Mario Bros. film, we decided to move the global release to Spring 2023–April 28 in Japan and April 7 in North America. My deepest apologies but I promise it will be well worth the wait.. X. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Nintendo of America (January 25, 2026). The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Direct 1.25.2026. YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
- ^ 「宮本です。今晩はNintendo Directの放送がありますが、その前にひとつお知らせをさせてください。スーパーマリオの新たなアニメ映画の日本での公開日が2026年4月24日に決まりました。楽しい映画になるように、イルミネーションのチームと一緒に取り組んでいますので、引き続き楽しみにしてください。」– @Nintendo (June 18, 2024). Post. X (Japanese). Retrieved June 18, 2024. (Archived February 21, 2026, 23:28:00 UTC via Megalodon.)
- ^ Nintendo of America (October 6, 2022). The Super Mario Bros. Movie Direct. YouTube. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ Nintendo of America (November 29, 2022). The Super Mario Bros. Movie Direct - 11.29.22 (Second Trailer). YouTube. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ Nintendo of America (March 9, 2023). The Super Mario Bros. Movie Direct - 3.9.2023 (Final Trailer). YouTube.
- ^ Illumination (March 24, 2023). Illumination's Ultimate Movie Night - The Super Mario Bros. Movie. YouTube.
- ^ Doolan, Liam (April 9, 2023). Super Mario Movie Secures Most Successful Opening Weekend For Any Animated Film, Ever. Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 10, 2023). ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Box Office: All the Records Smashed on Opening Weekend. Variety. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
- ^ Lang, Jamie. ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Passes ‘Minions’ As Illumination’s Top Grossing Film Of All-Time. Cartoon Brew. Retrieved from cartoonbrew.com.
- ^ Ethan Shanfeld and Brent Lang (April 4, 2023). Mario Powers Up: How Nintendo Visionary Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination's Chris Meledandri Plan to Super Smash Hollywood. Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2026. (Archived April 5, 2023 via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ NintendoAmerica (March 10, 2024). Post. X. Retrieved March 10, 2024. (Archived February 21, 2026, 23:31:05 UTC via Megalodon.)
- ^ Nintendo of America (March 10, 2026). MAR10 Day 2024. YouTube.
- ^ Nintendo of America (September 12, 2025). Nintendo Direct 9.12.2025. YouTube. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ^ a b Nintendo of America (November 12, 2025). The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Direct 11.12.2025. YouTube. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
- ^ April 2, 2026. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Opening Day Breaks Multiple Records Worldwide. Nintendo Life.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 12, 2026). ‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Is Hollywood’s Highest-Grossing Release of 2026 With $629 Million, ‘Project Hail Mary’ Surpasses $500 Million. Variety. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ^ Brooks Barnes (April 3, 2011). For Illumination Entertainment, Animation Meets Economic Reality. The New York Times. Retrieved March 2026. (Archived April 7, 2011, 11:26:52 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ a b Rebecca Rubin (March 31, 2026). Box Office: ‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Aims for $180 Million or More Domestically, $350 Million-Plus Globally. Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ a b Rebecca Rubin (April 6, 2023). Box Office: ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Scores Huge $31.7 Million, ‘Air’ Lands $3.2 Million on Opening Day. Variety. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) - Box Office and Financial Information. The Numbers. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ The Super Mario Bros. Movie. MetaCritic. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- ^ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) - Box Office and Financial Information. The Numbers. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- ^ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- ^ THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- ^ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. MetaCritic. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- ^ March 9, 2026. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Direct 3.9.2026. YouTube. Retrieved March 9, 2026.