‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Teaser Fuels Speculation About An Exciting Crossover

The latest teaser for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie offered new glimpses at returning Nintendo characters like R.O.B. and the Pikmin—fuelling theories that a Super Smash Bros. movie is coming soon.

Nintendo has already teased that the Super Mario franchise is just the beginning of an animated "universe" where the company's most iconic characters will come together. Illumination Studios has since confirmed that a Donkey Kong standalone movie is happening, which may just be the beginning.

Since the announcement, fans have jumped on the idea of a Super Smash Bros. movie serving as the inevitable team-up project once all the solo characters have been given their own stories—just like Marvel pioneered in the early 2010s.

The early teasers for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie have already proven that we'll be leaving the Mushroom Kingdom with posters for Yoshi, Rosalina, and Bowser Jr. expanding the universe in exciting ways. A new teaser has proven that the sequel won't just be sticking to characters from the Super Mario games.

They're ready for their close up. Don't miss The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, only in theaters April 1. pic.twitter.com/IDaOyBzfvJ

— The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (@supermariomovie) March 17, 2026

The studio had already confirmed that R.O.B would be making an appearance in the sequel—despite typically existing outside of the Super Mario franchise—but the arrival of the Pikmin suggests that Mario's intergalactic journey is going to take him to a whole array of new worlds, potentially crossing over with other Nintendo franchises.

If this is the case, it definitely seems to lend credence to the theory that Nintendo is building towards a Super Smash Bros movie. The fighting games are known for their huge roster of characters drawn from multiple Nintendo franchises; Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and Metroid are all frequent collaborators.

R.O.B and the Pikmin are staple characters in the Super Smash Bros. games, but Nintendo still has a long way to go before this team-up can happen. We're still missing animated versions of Link, Zelda, Samus, and the entire Pokemon franchise—unless Illumination Studios somehow strikes a deal with the Detective Pikachu movie.

It's more likely that R.O.B. and the Pikmin will have small cameos in The Super Mario GalaxyMovie to appease long-time fans, but it seems far-fetched to assume that their involvement could mean anything more at this point.