Gamasutra is reporting more on that Animal Crossing movie that is on its way to Japanese theaters this December:

As a result of the game's success Nintendo has already hinted at plans for a Wii version and is also planning an animated movie, to open in Japan this December. Unnamed members of the game's development team are said to be involved in the production, which will apparently retain the themes which has made it so popular - despite the fact that the game has no overarching storyline or ending. The director of the movie will be Jouji Shimura, who has previously worked on properties such as Master Keaton and Shin Angyo Onshi.

Nintendo has previously hinted at plans to enter the animation business, although it is unclear whether this new Animal Crossing project is a major part of those plans, or merely a separate response to the game's success.

Actually, Nintendo getting into animation is a fantastic idea. They have a portfolio of kid friendly characters to easily rival Disney or Warner Bros... yet their game worlds tend to have a touch of surreality to them, like Fleischer Brothers shorts. As long as it was the sort of animation that used to be ubiquitous — high-quality, aimed at children and adults alike — I could see myself getting excited about a Mario animated movie. - Florian Eckhardt

Previously: Anime Crossing
Animal Crossing Hits 3 Million In Japan, Anime Planned [Gamasutra]

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