A neat observation about the award-winning Nintendo commercial, “School’s Out” directed by Anthony Atanasio, also known as the commercial for Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3:
The HQ upload above is from the director’s official YouTube channel, which is the first time I’ve seen it. If you’ve only seen the broadcast/shortened versions though, you probably didn’t notice that between this version and the commonly found uploads, the signs have been altered in post.
I always just assumed this commercial was filmed in Japan with how they showed the Tokyo school at the beginning, but now, looking at some of the shots and set pieces, I feel completely dumb that I didn’t realize it sooner: this was all filmed in Hong Kong in 2003.
The director’s YouTube channel actually has a behind-the-scenes video, and I highly recommend giving it a watch as a fascinating look at the making of an arguably classic Nintendo commercial, especially to me as a Hong Kong citizen!
So in case you were now curious: where does this final scene with the game store take place in?
…it’s this intersection between Matheson Street and Russel Street in Causeway Bay, right next to (the Hong Kong) Times Square.
This is that place today, now occupied by a pharmacy, but still next to a (different) snack stall:
