For Miyamoto, now 70, who is sometimes billed as the Steven Spielberg of video games, his new role as a Hollywood producer was something of an adjustment
When Shigeru Miyamoto first created a princess-rescuing plumber more than four decades ago, Nintendo's future mascot was just a collection of pixels who didn't have a flamboyant Italian accent—or even a name.
This Wednesday, Mario, now the most famous character in video game history, stars in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," a major new animated film released in theaters by Hollywood giant Universal Pictures.
"I don't think anybody thought Mario would be this big, including myself," legendary game designer Miyamoto told AFP.