What is Up with Nintendo's Short?

The internet was abuzz yesterday with a animated short film that Nintendo dropped on their YouTube channel. Unlike most videos which are either announcements, trailers, or developer interviews, this was a short with the kind of animation quality you would normally find in Pixar film. Unknown to most people, Nintendo founded an animation division in 2022 called Nintendo Pictures. So far, their work has been limited to the occasional anime episode, some video game videos, and things related to gaming. Does this short have anything to do with a Nintendo property?

Some fans are speculating that this may be Lucas, and that this may be tied to an upcoming Mother (AKA: Earthbound) property. I can see enough here to suggest that could be the case. Or, it may just be a test. Pixar made short films for years before breaking into feature animation with "Toy Story." Right now Illumination is handling the Mario Bros. movies and Universal is making a live action Zelda movie, but I'm sure the company would like to eventually make those movies themselves and not have to share in the profits.

While I do believe that this is likely tied to Earthbound, I think, more likely, it is a test to show that they are capable of making high quality animation on their own. This is something to point to the shareholders when they eventually announce that they are expanding even more into the world of animation. Whatever it is, one thing we likely can agree on is that it is well animated, and it will be great to find out what the context of this is. What do you think? Share your theories in the comments below.