Fans are speculating about what Nintendo’s new post might mean.
Nintendo unexpectedly released a four-minute animated short titled Close to You. The clip appeared on YouTube, in the Nintendo Today app, and across the company’s social channels.
The story centers on an infant left alone in a nursery. When the mother steps out, the baby’s pacifier suddenly comes to life and tries to escape. At the end, the child takes his first steps chasing the coveted object, and just as the mother lifts him into her arms the pacifier is back in his mouth. The screen then fades to black, the Nintendo logo appears — and that’s it.
Nintendo offered no explanation or additional comment. The title Close to You appears only in the post caption and is not shown in the video itself. The characters are unnamed, the plot contains no clear ties to any established franchise, and the visual style feels closer to a Pixar short than to Nintendo’s usual productions.
Social media commenters were left bewildered. Questions quickly popped up under Nintendo’s post: “What was that?”, “Why?”, “Is that really Nintendo?”. Users say they didn’t understand the short and are trying to determine whether it hides some deeper meaning.
With the Super Mario Galaxy adaptation slated for 2026 and the company launching its in-house animation arm, Nintendo Pictures, some viewers have suggested that Close to You could be a test project or a teaser for a future film. Theories range from a depiction of Rosalina’s infancy (the Mario Galaxy character) to a showcase of the new team’s capabilities, but there’s no confirmation either way.
The short is available at this link.
Source: iXBT.games