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Nintendo Sued, Then Not Sued, Over GameCube Commercial
Posted by Luke Plunkett at 1:20 PM on June 25, 2008
Nintendo fans (and television viewers!) may remember a commercial Nintendo ran a few years back. For Paper Mario, on the GameCube. Was a great ad, with a cute message, and a charming little tune accompanying it. Problem is, that charming little tune is called "You're So Cool", and was composed by Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer for the Tarantino flick True Romance. And Nintendo allegedly used it without permission. On June 12, Hollywood production company Morgan Creek filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. But then, on June 18, they withdrew the case. No reason given. Which sparks the ol' curiosity circuits! Maybe they got their facts wrong? Maybe Nintendo paid them off? Maybe they saw how damn cute the commercial was, how nobody (sadly) remembers True Romance, and just couldn't be bothered?
Nintendo Sued Over Use of Music from 1993 Film [GamePolitics]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Molotov
Posted 2:44 PM 25/6/08
That song made me so mad during that movie
Molotov
karl_hungus
Posted 2:41 PM 25/6/08
what? who are these people that dont remember true romance?
"I'm the Anti-Christ. You got me in a vendetta kind of mood. You tell the angels in heaven you never seen evil so singularly personified as you did in the face of the man who killed you."
"'Cause you, you're part eggplant..."
ahhh...true romance. i forgot all about that song until i watched the video...
karl_hungus
SpearXXI
Posted 2:35 PM 25/6/08
I remember True Romance was an awesome flick, and shows that Tarantino is better at just writing... dun dun dun
SpearXXI
bigman88zz
Posted 2:23 PM 25/6/08
people, people
+ Watch video
bigman88zz
goat999
Posted 2:17 PM 25/6/08
Ah what a great game. I need to replay that.
goat999
.em.
Posted 2:06 PM 25/6/08
@Mesren_Makai:
I remember the one where one female character is talking to another and says:
"Where did you get that dress? The garbage?"
To which the other girl responds:
"Umm....Yeah."
So funny, and it fit with the quirky humor that AC has.
-I think I remember the commercial in question. Odd to sue now though...
.em.
Quicksilver4648
Posted 2:02 PM 25/6/08
Is it bad that Paper Mario for the GameCube has better graphics then some (most) Wii titles?
Quicksilver4648
Klashe
Posted 1:58 PM 25/6/08
Better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it.
Klashe
Sandbox_Emperor
Posted 1:52 PM 25/6/08
I miss old Nintendo commercials.
miles better and more creative than two asian guys driving around in a smart car :I
Sandbox_Emperor
Mesren_Makai
Posted 1:47 PM 25/6/08
@hk458: Yeah, those were great.
I kinda liked the whole "Who are you?" recurring commercial thing. At least...better than the "Wii would like to play!" with people laughing and giggling to themselves waving their controllers at large screens as if they were playing it, when actual cutscenes are playing.
Oh, and the Animal Crossing 'Real World' commercials were funny to watch.
Mesren_Makai
Green-clad Gamer Dude
Posted 1:42 PM 25/6/08
Oh yeah, this is just a funny commercial from Nintendo, too.
+ Watch video
Green-clad Gamer Dude
hk458
Posted 1:39 PM 25/6/08
@Mesren_Makai:
The Star Fox and Smash Bros Melee commercials were the best.
hk458
Mesren_Makai
Posted 1:37 PM 25/6/08
I miss you Gamecube.
And I miss you too, Gamecube commercials.
Mesren_Makai
hk458
Posted 1:36 PM 25/6/08
Im betting that Nintendo threatend to unleash the fanboys.
hk458
Green-clad Gamer Dude
Posted 1:35 PM 25/6/08
@nick.soapdish: Oh that brings back memories. I remember freakin' tune stuck in head for days until the moment I bought the game.
Green-clad Gamer Dude
iao_
Posted 1:34 PM 25/6/08
too bad gustav holst is too dead to sue hans for completely ripping off "the planets" for his gladiator soundtrack.
iao_
hawks66
Posted 1:33 PM 25/6/08
jeezus i love me some old timey video game commercials. any time you guys have a reason for posting one, I am down like a clown.
hawks66
(俗・ ) Grey Gecko
Posted 1:32 PM 25/6/08
Geez, is Hollywood that desperate for money?
(俗・ ) Grey Gecko
nick.soapdish
Posted 1:31 PM 25/6/08
I don't know, I think I have fonder memories of the original Paper Mario commercial. Reminds me a bit of the original Super Smash Bros. commercial, too.
+ Watch video
nick.soapdish
Tetelestia
Posted 1:30 PM 25/6/08
True romance: Me with myself, when a stock drops 7% after I sell it having made 10% from when I bought it. Victory.
Tetelestia
Green-clad Gamer Dude
Posted 1:27 PM 25/6/08
'Tis a good game till this day, 'tis.
Green-clad Gamer Dude
Soulflare
Posted 1:25 PM 25/6/08
So this is news, and then not news?
Soulflare
chenry
Posted 1:25 PM 25/6/08
True Romance is awesome and anyone who hasn't seen it is probably a loser.
chenry
archibaldleech
Posted 1:24 PM 25/6/08
I own True Romance and love that song and love that movie. Tony Scott FTW.
archibaldleech
Nessman
Posted 3:04 PM 25/6/08
likely a payoff, nintendo is doing well so i doubt they'd want to interrupt their success.
as quoted
"GIMME SUM BUTTAH CUZ IM ON A ROLLLLL"
Shigeru Miyamato
Nessman
superberg
Posted 2:57 PM 25/6/08
"...I look back and am amazed that my thoughts were so clear and true, that three words went through my mind endlessly, repeating themselves like a broken record: you're so cool, you're so cool, you're so cool."
Gotta love True Romance.
superberg
Vanguarde
Posted 3:30 PM 25/6/08
@bigman88zz:
Sadly, this 30 second ad is better than the entire Super Mario Sunshine game.
I have not forgiven Nintendo for totally botching the next true Mario game after the masterpiece that is and was Mario 64.
Vanguarde
Vanguarde
Posted 3:28 PM 25/6/08
Perhaps Morgan Creek decided to get a fucking life and move on from 1993?
Vanguarde
UVaDave
Posted 3:24 PM 25/6/08
I own True Romance and love it. Have this song on .mp3!!
UVaDave
chocodile.terror
Posted 5:17 PM 25/6/08
Maybe the reason they backed off has something to do with the fact that Zimmer's work is itself perilously close to the theme from "Badlands".
Link to Gassenhauer by Orff, from Badlands:
+ Watch video
chocodile.terror
Ping5000
Posted 5:10 PM 25/6/08
I liked Sunshine. A lot.
Didn't like Thousand Year Door all that much. The N64 one rocked my pants, though.
Ping5000
sladee
Posted 7:04 PM 25/6/08
Never seen this commercial and I also don't have a gamecube.
sladee
excel_excel
Posted 11:02 PM 25/6/08
@Green-clad Gamer Dude: ha! love that one! Smash Bros the original commercial forever though, thats my favourite!
excel_excel
mzs
Posted 11:27 PM 25/6/08
@chocodile.terror: We have a film score buff here as chocodile.terror! Good find, I love factoids like this.
BTW: Badlands > True Romance
mzs
AgainstOne
Posted 11:27 PM 25/6/08
i've never seen this commercial before, but True Romance was a helluva good flick. i hope it comes to blu-ray.
AgainstOne
Kamizzle
Posted 11:21 PM 25/6/08
True Romance is one of my favorite movies, hell I even worked in a comic shop named Heroes for Sale (after the movie of course)
The movie sold like hotcakes (when it was 5 bucks :D)
So I say, you're wrong Luke!
Kamizzle
icarusprime
Posted 1:18 AM 26/6/08
Own and love both the special edition True Romance DVD and soundtrack. I actually bought the soundtrack the next day after seeing the flick in the theatre back in 1993. So there. = p
icarusprime
ConstantCupcake
Posted 5:57 AM 26/6/08
I remember that commercial precisely because it had a true romance song in it. I remember seeing it and yelling "Holy shit! Nice Tarentino nod!"
ConstantCupcake
Human Bomb
Posted 4:46 AM 27/6/08
@nick.soapdish: "He has NEw enEMies with FUNKY atACKS!" lol
Human Bomb
jackburnt
Posted 11:33 PM 25/6/08
I remember True Romance, as I just watched it for the first time a week or so ago.
And that music is so meaningful in the movie it becomes synonymous.
jackburnt
Insane_Unknown
Posted 1:49 PM 25/6/08
So why can Nintendo get sued for "ripping off" Hans Zimmer, but Hans Zimmer can't get sued for ripping off Carl Orff?
We all know Carl Orff, right? Every one's heard O Fortuna... right? That "True Romance" song sounds almost axactly like Gassenhauer!
Insane_Unknown
mrbojanglesix
Posted 1:45 PM 25/6/08
That score was in "Badlands before it was in "True Romance."
mrbojanglesix
mrbojanglesix
Posted 1:44 PM 25/6/08
The reason they didn't sue is probably that, though the score was in "True Romance," it was first in Terrence Malick's "Badlands," to which, "True Romance" is a spiritual successor. So since Hans Zimmer's score was based on Carl Orff's, I doubt he really had much reason to complain. It was also in Finding Forrester.
mrbojanglesix