Back in 2013, Disney published a new Mickey Mouse cartoon entitled Tokyo Go, which shows the famous rodent running into some bother when he accidentally boards the wrong Japanese bullet train.
The animated short is typically slick and amusing, but stands out for its use of iconic sound effects. Not only does it playfully lift audio from the likes of Star Wars and The Six Million Dollar Man, it also features a sequence where Mickey finds himself in an 8-bit video game, jumping to avoid obstacles and collecting coins.
While this short segment features original music, the sound effects are taken directly from Super Mario Bros., the 1985 NES classic. The sequence in question comes around the 2:20 mark:
Game Informer recently caught up with Mario's creator Shigeru Miyamoto at E3 and quizzed him about the cartoon. The publication asked if there was a copyright issue regarding the use of sound effects - a particularly pertinent question given that Nintendo recently shut down a Kickstarter campaign for a book about the NES on such grounds.
Is copyright an issue for them to use our sounds? [Laughs] It's very flattering. We finally got a cameo together.
Game Informer then cheekily pointed out that Nintendo could potentially place a similar homage to Mickey Mouse in one of its productions, to which Miyamoto replied:
They are very strict. [Laughs].
What do you make of this cool tribute to Mario? Let us know in the comments.
[source gameinformer.com]
Comments 32
I think Disney want to assimilate Nintendo.
While I am not a fan of the art direction from the new Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts, I have to say nice :+).
Also, for people who don't know Nintendo and Disney have actually collaborated a lot before in terms of card games and board games, and I have to say I would really liked if Nintendo and Disney collaborated more again ^^.
http://blog.beforemario.com/2014/01/nintendo-board-games-part-2-disney.html
Make it happen Disney and Nintendo. A Mario and Mickey game would be, different.
I watched the entire thing. Loved it.
Wreck-It Ralph 2 is a thing, do you guys know?
And we all know what would happen in the sequel... one cameo that the first movie was sadly missing...
To reiterate: the first game was about arcades, and the sequel would have been (or, to be precise, WILL BE) about console and online gaming. Mario in Wreck-It Ralph 2, make it happen, Disney and Nintendo!
It must be hard for Disney to remember what IP they haven't engulfed already.
Lol: Copyright claim coming up! You know how Nintendo rolls!
Translation: We don't have the money to go up against Disney in a copyright case and win.
@TheWPCTraveler ???????
Nice on Miyamoto's end, but it also tells me that Nintendo's copyright policies are inconsistent and stupid.
Kingdom Hearts with Nintendo worlds exclusive on NX. Come on Nintendo, Disney and SE make it happen.
@Captain_Gonru I missed out the six. Sorry.
@TheDavyStar inconsistent? When was the last time Nintendo sued someone for something like this? Hell, when was the last time Nintendo actually sued anyone?
@TheWPCTraveler @CCore28 too scared and not enough money to sue Disney? More like too petty a reason to sue Disney.
@locky-mavo
Quite recently.
@CCore28 I'm no copyright expert, but I believe there are rules that allow use of copyright for satire or similar purposes, which arguably this is an example of. So even if Nintendo wanted to sue Disney for this, it may not be possible for them to win it. A cease and desist in this particular example would probably do more harm than good, as Nintendo has more to gain from Disney. None of those point apply to the kickstarter campaign that was shut off.
@Clownshoes Nintendo thrives on petty?! Don't be ridiculous
@CCore28
Disney is a nasty company when it comes to copyright and lawsuits, especially when they're doing the suing. I wouldn't be keen on sueing them either unless it was for something really important.
Dont wanna mess up that Wreak it Ralph 2 cameo and possibly other endeavors yet to be announced. Gotta get Mario back into mainstream public concious again.
I enjoyed that, thanks!
I agree, Nintendo could not take on Disney in a lawsuit and they know that. Disney is nearly untouchable in that sense, and has way more money than Nintendo. Way to put Miyamoto in an awkward position, considering he can't exactly outright say that, haha
@Captain_Gonru Ha! Yeah, there are some weird cases of that whole NA/UK thing. Teenage Mutant HERO Turtles, anyone?
A Nintendo/Disney game collab is something I've wanted since I was a kid. It's not like there isn't any common ground either. Nintendo has an array of princesses like Disney and I think the design of Link may have taken some inspiration from Peter Pan (green clothes, a fairy, not growing up [more so the Kokiri in general here], and his own shadow.)
That was wonderful! I'm glad they went back to the 2D animation for Mickey. It has suited him for decades.
Edit: I personally think Nintendo NEEDS Disney right now! I mean, look at what they've done with Marvel and Star Wars! It would be a partnership made in heaven! Besides... with the Wii U circling the drain, Nintendo needs SOMETHING special!
@Tempestryke oh really? And when and what would that be? Or are we, like most people, confusing a C&D order, with actually suing someone? (because other than that, I don't recall them suing anyone recently)
@Clownshoes "Nintendo thrive on petty"? Huh, then this should be right up their alley then, right? But they're not doing anything with it? Strange...
I wouldn't mind a Mario and Mickey Mouse crossover game, as long as it isn't an Olympic game. :/
@locky-mavo No, but Nintendo has taken action against similar homages, say, online, by means of cease and desist. A lot of the people who receive these don't have the money to fight Nintendo on the matter.
So they didn't even mention Nintendo in the credits? Shame.
What a world... Going to work for a little steam engine train station for kids, after taking the hectic bullet train ride there...
@TheDavyStar have they taken action by means of C&D? Sure, when it's actually appropriate (I mean, even if they did have the money, if someone is using Nintendo property without permission for profit, which is usually the case, what leg do they have to stand on?).
Have they done it for something like this, for the use of a sound effect? If memory serves me right, that'd be a no, because if it were the case, there's a lot of people they could be suing right now.
I mean, why didn't they sue Ubisoft for using the line "It's-a me Mario" in AC2? Or EA for the Wind Waker reference in Garden Warfare? Or the Dying Light reference too? Or the many non-Nintendo partners on YouTube?
@locky-mavo In the case of the references you mentioned there, they don't use any assets from Nintendo games. You can't patent things like level design or a bunch of words like "It's-a-me, Mario". Because if that were the case Nintendo would be trying to get money from he Fulbright Company simply for using the name "Nintendo". Hence why Nintendo never sued the makers of Giana sisters. Nintendo does get at YouTubers that aren't partnered with them; they claim ad revenue on their videos as opposed tho a DMCA. In the case of the Mickey Mouse cartoon, they have taken sound clips from SMB, but Nintendo is treating them differently because they don't want to have one of the largest media companies on their butts.
@Damo Not sure if you're aware, but the "original music" referred to in the article is actually the Casey Jr. theme song from Dumbo recreated as an 8-bit melody.
https://youtu.be/oNwrm1fxb3A?t=1m32s
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