A big, 40-minute Nintendo Direct is set to air tonight. Still, before the main event, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto took to the company’s Japanese Twitter/X account to reveal the release date of the next Super Mario animated film in Japan.

The tweet reads:

“Hello, this is Miyamoto. We will be broadcasting a Nintendo Direct tonight, but before that, I would like to make an announcement. The release date for the new Super Mario animated movie in Japan has been set for April 24, 2026. We are working with the Illumination team to make it a fun movie, so please continue to look forward to it.”

This next cinematic installment, produced jointly by Nintendo and Illumination, promises continued collaboration between the two, ensuring a faithful and engaging representation of the Super Mario universe.

The announcement follows an initial reveal during the celebrations of this year’s ‘MAR10 Day,’ during which it was disclosed that audiences in the West could look forward to the animated sequel’s premiere on 3 April 2026. Though details were sparse, it was confirmed the narrative would once again draw from the iconic Super Mario Bros. series.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which premiered in 2023, featured a star-studded voice cast including Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, and Jack Black, among other Hollywood heavyweights. For more insights into the first film, be sure to check our review.