Nintendo Confirms “Close to You” Shorts Are the First Films From Nintendo Pictures

After several days of speculation and fan theories, Nintendo has finally clarified the purpose behind this week’s mysterious “Close to You” videos. The company confirmed that the short films mark the very first productions created by Nintendo Pictures, the studio’s in-house animation branch founded in 2022.

The two videos one released on October 7 and another through the Nintendo Today app caught fans off guard. Both feature a warm, wordless story centred around a child and subtle appearances by Pikmin. The soft, cinematic tone immediately set off a wave of theories: some viewers assumed the clips were teasers for a new Pikmin project or even an announcement tied to the upcoming Switch successor.

Now, Nintendo has put the rumours to rest. In a short statement, the company explained:

“These are the first short films created by Nintendo Pictures Co., Ltd. Nintendo Pictures will continue to explore new creative possibilities through video content.”

That simple clarification shifts the focus from speculation to experimentation. Rather than teasing an upcoming release, these shorts appear to be a creative showcase a sign that Nintendo Pictures is beginning to find its voice.

A quiet start for a new creative arm

Nintendo Pictures was established two years ago when the company acquired Dynamo Pictures, a Japanese CG production house that had previously collaborated on Metroid: Other M and cutscenes for Pikmin 3. Since then, the studio has remained largely quiet, leading many to wonder what role it would play within Nintendo’s broader entertainment plans.

The “Close to You” shorts may be small in scale, but they represent something significant: the first time Nintendo Pictures has been credited as the sole creator of an original project. There’s no game promotion here, no movie tie-in, just a small, heartfelt story told through animation.

Nintendo has been gradually expanding beyond games over the past few years. The success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie showed that its worlds can thrive in new mediums, and now the company seems interested in developing internal storytelling tools to match that success.

By producing standalone shorts under the Nintendo Pictures label, the company is giving itself space to experiment with tone, texture, and emotion something it rarely gets to do in traditional game marketing. These short films could easily become testbeds for new artistic directions or even serve as talent showcases for future animated features.

For fans, it’s also a reminder of how far Nintendo has come since its early days of outsourcing cinematic work. Seeing its own internal studio craft something as polished and personal as “Close to You” suggests that Nintendo Pictures is more than a branding exercise; it’s an investment in storytelling.

A glimpse of what’s to come

While the company hasn’t said what’s next for Nintendo Pictures, its statement hints at more experiments ahead. “We will continue to explore new creative possibilities through video content,” Nintendo said an open-ended promise that could encompass everything from web shorts to full animated specials.

For now, though, “Close to You” stands as a gentle introduction to what Nintendo Pictures can do. There’s no dialogue, no big reveal just a quiet, beautifully animated story that says more about Nintendo’s heart than any press release could.

It’s a small step, but one that carries a lot of meaning. And if this is how Nintendo Pictures chooses to begin, the future of Nintendo storytelling looks brighter and maybe a little closer than ever.