Nintendo confuses gamers by posting an animated short film with no explanation

Although it regularly branches out into other forms of entertainment and cross-promotion, Nintendo is still best known for the games it creates and its custom gaming hardware, such as the Nintendo Switch. And with that, Nintendo's latest surprise drop on its YouTube channel isn't a trailer or deep dive into an upcoming release. Instead, it's an animated short film called 'Close to You' that is reminiscent of classic shorts from Disney's Pixar Animation Studios.

As soon as it appeared online, the reactions to the short film have been one of general confusion from Nintendo fans, as there's no clear indication if Close to You is related to an upcoming game release or even the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Outside of music that fans say is reminiscent of the Pikmin franchise, and the appearance of what looks to be a red-colored Pikmin in the background of one shot, the animated short film looks to be a standalone thing.

In short, a mother and a small baby or toddler are playing in a room before a knock on the front door interrupts them, leaving the baby alone while the mother goes off to answer the door. From there, the baby's rattler and pacifier begin to move on their own, floating in the air.

Eventually, the baby chasing their toys leads to them taking their first steps as the mother re-enters the room. With a runtime of just under four minutes, it's an impressive-looking short film. For all we know, it could be a teaser for the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with some fans speculating that the baby is Rosalina from the Super Mario Galaxy games and that the film's plot will revolve around the baby eventually getting lost in space.

Either way, it's definitely strange and confusing to see Nintendo drop a short film seemingly out of nowhere with no idea if it's related to a game, movie, or franchise.