The Super Mario Bros. Movie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Super Mario Bros. Movie |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by |
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| Written by | Matthew Fogel |
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| Editing by | Eric Osmond |
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 5, 2023 (United States) |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million |
| Money made | $377.6 million |
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an exciting computer-animated adventure film from 2023. It is based on Nintendo's super popular Mario video game series. The movie was made by Illumination, Universal Pictures, and Nintendo. It was directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, with a story written by Matthew Fogel.
The film features a talented group of voice actors. These include Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, and Fred Armisen. The story tells how the famous brothers, Mario and Luigi, became heroes. They are Italian-American plumbers who get pulled into a magical world. There, they must help the Mushroom Kingdom, led by Princess Peach, fight against the evil Koopas and their king, Bowser.
After a live-action Mario movie in 1993 didn't do very well, Nintendo was careful about letting other companies make films based on their games. But Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, wanted to try again. He met Chris Meledandri, who founded Illumination, while working on Super Nintendo World theme park attractions. By 2016, they were talking about a new Mario movie. In 2018, Nintendo announced they would work with Illumination and Universal. The movie was released in the United States on April 5, 2023. It has earned a lot of money worldwide and set new records for animated films and video game movies.
Contents
The Story of Mario and Luigi
Mario and Luigi are brothers from Brooklyn, New York. They have just started their own plumbing business. One day, they see a big water leak on the news. They go underground to fix it. But they are sucked into a magical Warp Pipe and get separated!
Mario lands in the colorful Mushroom Kingdom, which is ruled by the brave Princess Peach. Luigi, however, lands in the scary Dark Lands. This place is controlled by the evil Koopa king, Bowser. Bowser wants to marry Peach and plans to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom if she says no. He captures Luigi to make Mario come to him. Bowser sees Mario as a rival for Peach's attention.
Mario soon meets Toad, a friendly mushroom person. Toad takes Mario to Princess Peach. Peach plans to ask the powerful Kongs for help to stop Bowser. She agrees to take Mario and Toad with her. In the Jungle Kingdom, King Cranky Kong says he will help. But only if Mario can defeat his strong son, Donkey Kong, in a fight. Even though Donkey Kong is very powerful, Mario wins by using a special Cat Suit.
Mario, Peach, Toad, and the Kongs drive back to the Mushroom Kingdom in their karts. But Bowser's army attacks them on Rainbow Road. A Koopa General breaks part of the road. Mario and Donkey Kong fall into the ocean and are swallowed by a giant eel-like Maw-Ray. The other Kongs are captured. Peach and Toad rush back to the Mushroom Kingdom. They tell everyone to leave. Bowser arrives in his flying castle and asks Peach to marry him. She sadly agrees to protect her people.
Mario and Donkey Kong escape the Maw-Ray by using a rocket from Donkey Kong's kart. They hurry to Bowser and Peach's wedding. At the wedding, Bowser plans to throw all his prisoners into lava. But Toad has a plan! He hides an Ice Flower in Peach's bouquet. Peach uses it to freeze Bowser! Mario and Donkey Kong arrive and free the prisoners. Mario even uses a Tanooki Suit to save Luigi.
Bowser gets very angry and breaks free. He calls a huge Banzai Bill to destroy Peach's castle. But Mario knocks it off course and sends it into the Warp Pipe. This makes Bowser's castle appear in Brooklyn! As they fight Bowser, Mario and Luigi grab the Super Star. They become invincible and defeat the Koopas! Bowser is shrunk with a Mini Mushroom and trapped in a bottle.
Mario and Luigi are celebrated as heroes by the people of Brooklyn, including their parents. Mario and Luigi then move into a new house in the Mushroom Kingdom. They now have their own Warp Pipe to travel wherever they need to go!
Who Voices the Characters?
Here are the main actors who lent their voices to the characters in the movie:
- Chris Pratt is Mario, a plumber from Brooklyn who goes on a big adventure to save his brother.
- Anya Taylor-Joy is Princess Peach, the smart and brave ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. She helps Mario on his quest.
- Charlie Day is Luigi, Mario's younger brother and fellow plumber. He is captured by Bowser.
- Jack Black is Bowser, the powerful and evil king of the Koopas. He wants to take over the Mushroom Kingdom.
- Keegan-Michael Key is Toad, a resident of the Mushroom Kingdom who wants to go on an adventure.
- Seth Rogen is Donkey Kong, a strong gorilla and a prince of the Kongs.
- Fred Armisen is King Cranky Kong, the wise ruler of the Kongs and Donkey Kong's father.
- Sebastian Maniscalco is Spike, Mario and Luigi's former boss.
- Kevin Michael Richardson is Kamek, a Koopa wizard and Bowser's trusted advisor.
- Scott Menville is the Koopa General, a strict officer in Bowser's army.
Also, Charles Martinet, who voices Mario and Luigi in the video games, has special voice roles in the movie. He voices Mario and Luigi's father and a Brooklyn citizen named Giuseppe. Jessica DiCicco voices Mario and Luigi's mother. Rino Romano and John DiMaggio voice their uncles, Tony and Arthur. Khary Payton voices the Penguin King.
Making the Movie
How the Idea Started
After the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. movie didn't do well, Nintendo was careful about making more films. But Shigeru Miyamoto, who created Mario, thought about making a new movie. He realized that combining games with movies could make their characters even more popular. Miyamoto knew making a movie was different from making a game. So, he wanted a film expert to lead the project.
Miyamoto met Chris Meledandri, the founder of Illumination, through their work on Super Nintendo World theme park attractions. Miyamoto felt Meledandri's way of creating things was similar to his own. They started talking seriously about a Mario film around 2016. In November 2017, news came out that Nintendo, Universal, and Illumination were working together.
In January 2018, Nintendo officially announced the film. Miyamoto and Meledandri would produce it together. Meledandri said the movie was a "priority" for Illumination. He also said Miyamoto would be very involved in making the film. By January 2020, Nintendo's president, Shuntaro Furukawa, said the movie was "moving along smoothly." He also confirmed that Nintendo would own the rights to the film. Both Nintendo and Universal would help pay for it.
In August 2021, it was revealed that Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who created Teen Titans Go!, were directing the film. Matthew Fogel, who wrote Minions: The Rise of Gru, was writing the script. Horvath and Jelenic wanted to make a movie that was true to the games. They felt this had not been done before. They also wanted it to be "more cinematic" and "more emotional" than their previous work. Nintendo was involved in every step, from the story to the animation.
Writing the Story
The directors, Jelenic and Horvath, wanted the film to be an "origin story" for Mario and Luigi. They wanted to show them as "blue-collar guys," focusing on their past as plumbers from Brooklyn, New York. They also wanted to show how Mario never gives up, just like players do in the games.
They decided to change the roles of Princess Peach and Luigi from the games. In the movie, Peach helps Mario rescue Luigi. They felt having Peach as a strong character, like in Super Mario 3D World, was more interesting. They wanted to show how strong Peach needed to be to protect the Toads. For Bowser, they wanted him to be scary but also show a funny and vulnerable side.
Choosing the Voices
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Middle: Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, and Seth Rogen voice Bowser, Toad, and Donkey Kong, respectively.
Bottom: Fred Armisen, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Kevin Michael Richardson voice Cranky Kong, Foreman Spike, and Kamek, respectively, while Charles Martinet cameos as the brothers' father and a citizen of Brooklyn named Giuseppe.In September 2021, Nintendo announced the main voice cast. This included Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, and Charlie Day as Luigi. Jack Black was cast as Bowser, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. Seth Rogen voiced Donkey Kong, and Fred Armisen voiced King Cranky Kong. Charles Martinet, who usually voices Mario and Luigi in the games, would have special cameo roles.
Some fans had mixed feelings about the casting, especially about Chris Pratt voicing Mario instead of Charles Martinet. The directors explained that Pratt was chosen because he is good at playing a "blue-collar hero with a ton of heart," which fit their vision for Mario. Seth Rogen also shared that he used his normal speaking voice for Donkey Kong. He said he was clear that he doesn't "do voices" and that Donkey Kong's character in the film is based on what is known from the games: he throws barrels and doesn't like Mario much.
After the movie came out, it was noted that Charles Martinet voices Mario and Luigi's father and a Brooklyn citizen named Giuseppe. Giuseppe uses a voice similar to Martinet's game voices for Mario. In the movie, Giuseppe talks about the brothers using exaggerated Italian accents in a TV commercial. This helps explain why Mario and Luigi don't have strong Italian accents for the rest of the film.
Animation and Design
The movie was animated by Illumination Studios Paris in France. The animation work finished in October 2022. The creators wanted the animation to mix a cartoon style with realistic details. They wanted it to feel like a big adventure where the characters could face real dangers.
For the go-karts in the movie, the directors worked with a vehicle designer and artists from Nintendo. They created karts that fit the movie while also being inspired by the Mario Kart games. Donkey Kong's design was updated for the first time since the 1994 game Donkey Kong Country. His new look combines parts of his modern design with his original look from the 1981 Donkey Kong game. For Mario's family, the directors used early designs from Nintendo as a guide.
Music in the Movie
Brian Tyler composed the music for the film. He worked closely with Koji Kondo, who has composed music for Mario games for a long time. Tyler used an orchestra, a choir, and bands. He also included Italian instruments like accordions and mandolins, and even eight-bit sounds from the games. The music features themes from many Mario games, like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario 64.
Jack Black and Keegan-Michael Key improvised some songs for the movie. Jack Black created the song "Peaches", where Bowser sings about his love for Princess Peach. Black had the idea for Bowser to perform a love song. "Peaches" was released on April 7, 2023, and quickly became popular.
Seth Rogen shared that Donkey Kong is introduced with the theme music from Donkey Kong 64, called the "DK Rap".
Promoting the Movie
The first teaser trailer for the movie was released on October 6, 2022. People generally liked the visuals and the tone of the trailer. They also praised Jack Black as Bowser and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. However, some viewers felt that Chris Pratt's voice for Mario sounded too much like his normal speaking voice.
On November 29, the first official trailer was shown. Public reactions were still mostly positive, but discussions about Pratt's Mario voice continued online. A clip of the film was shown at The Game Awards 2022 on December 9. Many people commented on how amazing the movie's visuals looked.
On January 29, 2023, a preview clip was released during the NFC Championship Game. People noticed Seth Rogen's famous laugh as Donkey Kong. Emma Roth from The Verge said she was "pleasantly surprised at how well his voice (and laugh) suits the character."
A commercial for the film was released during Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023. It featured a version of the theme song from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. A website was also launched, advertising the Super Mario Bros. plumbing service as if it were a real business in Brooklyn and Queens.
When the Movie Came Out
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was released in theaters in the United States on April 5, 2023. It was also released in IMAX 2D and 3D. The film was originally planned for a December 2022 release, then April 7, 2023. But on February 28, 2023, it was announced that it would be released two days earlier. It will be available to stream on Peacock on May 9 and on Netflix later in 2023.
What's Next?
Could There Be a Sequel?
In May 2021, Nintendo's president, Shuntaro Furukawa, said that Nintendo would be interested in making more animated films based on their games if the Mario Bros. movie was a success.
The movie's post-credits scene hints that a character named Yoshi might appear in a future movie.
Possible Spin-off Movies
In November 2021, there were reports that Illumination might be making a Donkey Kong spin-off film. Seth Rogen was expected to voice Donkey Kong again. In April 2023, Rogen said he was very interested in a spin-off movie based on Donkey Kong Country.
In February 2022, Charlie Day said he would love to play Luigi again in a Luigi's Mansion movie. He repeated his interest in March 2023.
Images for kids
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Theatrical release poster
See also
In Spanish: Super Mario Bros.: la película para niños
