First up is Abbye Finnan, producer of Super Nintendo World…
Nintendo Life: Can you talk about the process of what it was like to translate the Japanese park here in the west?
Abbye Finnan: We know we have to adjust certain things. Part of our problem here is size. We have very limited space here, because the studio is so close. So, we have to cut some things down a bit, without them looking cut down. You still want people to have… If not same experience, a very similar experience. So I think the trickiest part is figuring out exactly how we’re going to pull it off, to bring the magic to life.
So, for example, we don’t have a Yoshi attraction here, but we still wanted to include Yoshi, so that’s why we have a Yoshi section in the queue. He’s still trying to bring that character’s world closer to the guests without being able to pull off Yoshi’s attraction at this point.
Are there other elements that you’re really proud of that you’ve been able to bring to this park, like the Yoshi elements?
I’m a big fan of Yoshi, he’s my favorite character, so I love that we were able to include him in the park. There is one interactive thing that I would love to have here just because it seems fun and would be interesting to build, and that is The Shrinking Room. I just think it would be interesting to figure out how to do it, and take pictures, and yeah… that’s the boring part of my job (laughs).
Did you work closely with Nintendo of America and Japan?
Nintendo of America, they’re based in Seattle, so it’s a much easier journey for them, especially with the COVID protocols being different in Japan, so it’s been a lot easier for us to work with them. Then they take that information to NCL and relay everything we talked about, almost every night, if they were here, they would come back that night and talk to the Nintendo team in Japan.
Did you have any special interactions or moments that made you realize “the park is over!”?
I’ve had two or three adults come up to me and just say “thanks, this is amazing. I’ve been playing Mario all my life and to be able to experience this definitely lived up to my expectations.” It was one of those moments where we thought “wow, we did it, we really did it.”
Have any key creators visited the park yet?
Miyamoto-san was out, he was out all week, and I was lucky enough to be on a walk with him when he could walk around and play all the games and ride the attractions. He was really good in Bowser Jr., so it was fun to see that. Mr. Takahashi-san is also here and this is his first time to see him. Mr. Miyamoto had seen it before, but now that we were done opening for guests, he could really go through and play all the games and rides as many times as he wanted.
Next, we talk to Julia Thrash, head chef (well, if you don’t count Chef Toad) at Toadstool Cafe…
Nintendo Life: How much more involved were you in creating the menu at Toadstool Cafe?
Julia Thrash: So Chef Toad actually created the entire menu. Chef Toad actually took all his inspiration from the Mushroom Kingdom. So if you look at the menu, everything either looks like a mushroom, tastes like a mushroom, is mushroom, or is themed with an arc of the Mushroom Kingdom. I was sort of the “middle man” between Chef Toad and Nintendo, so I was really looking to see if the dish matched what Nintendo was looking for.
Is Chef Toad easy to work with?
Oh yes, he is! He is an absolute pleasure to work with.
Does the restaurant plan to serve the same dishes throughout the year?
Chef Toad is always working on something new.
Are there any dishes that have left the Japanese menu completely unchanged?
Chef Toad also had a full view of the restaurant. But when he came here to open this restaurant, he took it some inspired by the Japanese menu, but most of it is purpose-built for this restaurant. So you will see some similarities as Chef Toad created them in both restaurants. But most are made here.
Is there anything you would like to see expanded or developed in the restaurant over time?
I just wish that the reactions of the guests who come would be greater. I think that will be the biggest thing. It’s more “how can we continue to develop that emotion for the guests that come in?” Because as long as we can do that, we are successful.
Big thanks to Abby and Julia for taking the time to talk to us. The answers above have been slightly edited for clarity.
Will you be visiting Super Nintendo World soon? What aspect of the park excites you the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.