LogFAQs > #950436449

Well, it's possible to use motifs in clever ways, and Koji Kondo is known for doing that quite a bit - there's quite a bit of it within SM64 itself. So it's possible this was a very sly nod. The context here could make some sense for it, too - a musical motif that's meant to remind us of Mario's earliest days as we do a dramatic sweep in to see how far he's come now that we're in full 3-D! (A terrible reminder that there were only 15 years between Donkey Kong and Super Mario 64, but 25 years between SM64 and today) But it isn't a remarkably unique melodic sequence, and it doesn't particularly remind even an astute listener of Donkey Kong right away, so like I said, it's borderline. I think it's possible Kondo had intentions there, and it's possible he did not.