The Super Mario Bros. Movie

* Main Poster
* Logo
* Teaser Poster
* Early Teaser Poster

***The Super Mario Bros. Movie*** is an animated movie produced by Nintendo in collaboration with Universal Pictures and Illumination, co-produced by *Super Mario* franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination co-founder Chris Meledandri. It was first announced during a financial briefing on January 31, 2018, and was released on April 5, 2023 in North America and many other regions, on April 28, 2023 in Japan, and on various other dates in April in other parts of the world, and will be released in Poland on May 26, 2023. In the film, Mario and Luigi, two struggling plumbers, end up being separated after being sucked into the Warp Zone via a mysterious pipe, with Mario ending up in the Mushroom Kingdom while Luigi ends up in the Dark Lands. Mario then teams up with Princess Peach and Toad, and the three of them go on an adventure to stop Bowser and the Koopa Troop from taking over the world and rescue Luigi from him.

A teaser trailer for the film was broadcasted in the form of a Nintendo Direct presentation online and at New York Comic Con on October 6, 2022 at 16:00 ET. A second trailer was released in a dedicated Nintendo Direct on November 29, 2022 at 17:00 ET. An official clip and commercial were revealed at The Game Awards 2022. A third Nintendo Direct featuring the film's final trailer premiered on March 9, 2023 at 17:00 ET, one day before Mario Day in western countries like the United States and on Mario Day in eastern countries like Japan.

The film has received mixed reviews from critics, but has been received more positively by general audiences. It has also been a commercial success, setting numerous box office records for animated features within several countries and grossing over $1 billion USD. Additionally, the movie holds the record for being the highest-grossing video game film adaptation of all time.

## Plot

Main article: The Super Mario Bros. Movie/Plot
## Cast

* Chris Pratt as Mario
* Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach
* Charlie Day as Luigi
* Jack Black as Bowser (also most grunts and roars)
	+ Kenneth W. James provides some of his grunts and roars (archival, uncredited).
* Keegan-Michael Key as Toad
* Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
* Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong
* Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
* Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike
* Juliet Jelenic as Lumalee
	+ Yuya Takezawa provides his sound effects (archival, uncredited).
* Eric Bauza as the Toad General, Koopa Troopa soldiers, Dry Bones, and Diddy Kong
* Khary Payton as the Penguin King
* Jessica DiCicco as Mario and Luigi's mother, a yellow Toad, the woman from the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial, Baby Peach, Pauline, and the Bully
* Charles Martinet as Mario and Luigi's father and Giuseppe
* Rino Romano as Uncle Tony
* John DiMaggio as Uncle Arthur
* Scott Menville as the Koopa General, Koopa Turned into Dry Bones, There's No Time Toad
* Nate Bihldorff as Shy Guy (archival, uncredited)
* Kazumi Totaka as Yoshi (archival, uncredited)

### Additional voices

* Carlos Alazraqui as Antiques Owner Toad, Palace Guard 2
* Jason Broad as News Anchor
* Ashly Burch as Chanterelle, Morning Green Toad
* Mark Hamill
* Rachel Butera as Female Construction Worker
* Catherine Cavadini as Blue Toad Asking Who Mario Is
* Will Collyer as Palace Guard 3
* Django Craig as Koopa Wedding Guard
* Aaron Hendry as Construction Workers
* Andy Hirsch as Construction Workers
* Barbara Iley as Morning Yellow Toad, Blue Toad Guarding Bowser
* Phil LaMarr as Plumbing Customer Man, Construction Workers
* Jeremy Maxwell as Brooklyn Bystander
* Daniel Mora as Snifit, Fan Kong
* Eric Osmond as Construction Workers
* Noreen Reardon as Cheering Penguin
* Lee Shorten as Jungle Kingdom Guard
* Cree Summer as Plumbing Customer Woman
* Nisa Ward as Palace Guard 1
* Nora Wyman as Yellow Toad At Antiques

## Locations

(in chronological order)

* Snow Kingdom
* Bowser's Castle
* Brooklyn
	+ Punch-Out Pizzeria
	+ Construction Site
	+ Castle Burger
	+ Brooklyn Couple's House
	+ Mario and Luigi's Apartment
	+ Sewer
* Mushroom Forest
* Mushroom Kingdom
	+ Toad Town
	+ Peach's Castle
		- Obstacle Course
* Dark Lands
* Bob-omb Battlefield
* Desert Area / Sand Kingdom
* Yoshi's Island
* High Cliffs / Rock-Candy Mines
* Fire Flower Meadows
* Jungle Kingdom
	+ Cranky Kong's Palace
	+ Great Ring of Kong
	+ Donkey Kong's Hut
	+ Underground Garage
* Rainbow Road
* Ocean

## Production

After the critical and commercial failure of the 1993 *Super Mario Bros.* film adaptation, Japanese video game company Nintendo became wary of licensing its properties for film adaptations. According to Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the idea for a new *Mario* film came from bringing their older games to the Virtual Console and other services; such transitions took time for the company, and Miyamoto recognized that "our content business would be able to develop even further if we were able to combine our long-beloved software with that of video assets, and utilize them together for extended periods." Miyamoto knew that the process of making a film was far different from that of making a video game, and wanted a film expert to lead the effort.

Following the November 2014 hack of Sony Pictures, emails between producer Avi Arad, studio chief Amy Pascal, TriStar Pictures head Tom Rothman, and Sony Pictures Animation president of production Michelle Raimo Kouyate were released revealing that Sony had been attempting to secure the film rights to the *Mario* franchise for several years. Arad visited Nintendo in Tokyo in February and July 2014 in an attempt to secure a deal. In October, Arad emailed Pascal and said he had closed the deal with Nintendo. Pascal suggested recruiting *Hotel Transylvania* director Genndy Tartakovsky to help develop the project, while Kouyate said she could "think of 3–4 movies right out of the gate" and expressed hope in "build[ing] a *Mario* empire." However, after the emails leaked, Arad denied that a deal had been made, stating that negotiations had only begun. *BuzzFeed News* noted that the emails did not take into account potential conflicts with Sony Pictures' corporate sibling Sony Interactive Entertainment, one of Nintendo's chief competitors.

Through Nintendo's work with Universal Parks & Resorts to create *Mario*-based attractions (see Super Nintendo World), Miyamoto met Chris Meledandri, founder of Universal Pictures' Illumination animation division. Miyamoto found Meledandri's creative process similar to his own, and felt he would be the proper lead for a *Mario* film. They had started more earnest discussions by 2016, knowing that if they felt it would not work that they could easily walk away. In November 2017, reports emerged that Nintendo was collaborating with Universal and Illumination to make an animated *Mario* film. Then-Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima clarified that a deal had not been finalized, but that an announcement would come soon. Kimishima hoped that if the deal was successful, a 2020 release date would be possible.

In January 2018, Nintendo announced that the film would progress with Miyamoto and Meledandri co-producing. Meledandri said the film was a "priority" for Illumination and that it will most likely come out in 2022. He added that Miyamoto would be "front and center" during production. In January 2020, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated that the film was "moving along smoothly" with an expected 2022 release date. Furukawa also said Nintendo would own the rights to the film, and both Nintendo and Universal would fund the production.

In August 2021, it emerged that Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic were directing the film after the discovery of an Illumination animator's LinkedIn profile that included the film in their list. Following the full casting announcement, Horvath and Jelenic were confirmed to be directing, with Matthew Fogel attached as the screenwriter after previously scribing Illumination's *Minions: The Rise of Gru* (2022).

In September 2022, it was announced by New York Comic Con that the film's teaser trailer will be released on October 6, 2022. Shortly thereafter, Ed Skudder confirmed that he worked as head of story on the film. In October 2022, the film's title was revealed as *The Super Mario Bros. Movie*

In November 2022, the official trailer was shown in a Nintendo Direct with footage showing Mario losing a fight against Donkey Kong in an arena filled with other Kongs, Bowser interacting with a captured Luigi; Mario training on an obstacle course resembling a typical *Super Mario* game level; power-ups such as the Tanooki Suit and the Fire Flower; and several characters driving go-karts on a path reminiscent of the Rainbow Road, a recurring location in the *Mario Kart* series. Public reactions were still largely favorable, though online discourse continued to center on Pratt's performance as Mario.

In December 2022, the first clip of the film, showing Toad guiding Mario through the Mushroom Kingdom and to the entrance to Peach’s Castle, was revealed at The Game Awards 2022. *The Verge*'s Ash Parrish commented, "Despite the skepticism surrounding Chris Pratt's performance as Mario, the movie's visuals — and I cannot stress enough, only the visuals — look incredible".

In January 2023, a preview clip of the film was released during the NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. The footage revealed Rogen’s performance as Donkey Kong and included Mario's transformation into Cat Mario, first seen in *Super Mario 3D World*. Some entertainment news sites pointed out the addition of Rogen's "iconic laugh" heard as Donkey Kong. Emma Roth from *The Verge* commented, "I'm pleasantly surprised at how well his voice (and laugh) suits the character" while Luke Plunkett from *Kotaku* commented, "Seth Rogen has been hired to... just be Seth Rogen".

In February 2023, a Super Bowl commercial for the film was released, featuring a rendition of the title theme from *The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!*. A corresponding website which was featured in the trailer was also released, which advertises the Super Mario Bros. plumbing service from the film as if it were, according to Plunkett, "...a struggling small business servicing the Brooklyn and Queens areas".

On March 23, 2023, it was announced that press screenings of the movie had officially begun.

Following the film's release, concept art for the film was leaked online on April 22, 2023. The various art shows some characters, such as Toadsworth and Toadette, who were considered to appear, while others showed more of the Snow Kingdom and its land, as well as some power-ups that did not make the final film.

## Release

The film had its premiere on April 1, 2023 in Los Angeles. Much of the cast and crew were present including Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, and Sebastian Maniscalco. The red carpet itself featured a mushroom theme to it, some of the cast wore outfits corresponding to the characters they voice, and the life size Super Mario Bros. Plumbing van was also shown, being driven by Pratt with Day as a passenger.

### Box office

Prior to the movie's release, it was initially projected to gross at least $85 to $90 million in the domestic box office over the opening 5-day period - a projection that is considered to be on the conservative side. Later, projections were increased to $125 million in the domestic box office and $225 million in the worldwide box office over the same period. On opening day, the movie grossed $66.4 million worldwide, surpassing the lifetime global box office gross of the live-action film.

The film has set several box office records; it currently ranks as the highest-grossing film of 2023, has surpassed Warcraft to become the highest-grossing film adapted from a video game, and has surpassed for the biggest opening weekend for an animated film. It has also surpassed to become Illumination's highest-grossing film, and is currently the third highest-grossing animated film of all time, as well as the 18th highest-grossing film of all time overall.

Upon its release to DVD, the movie generated $75 million in revenues on Premium Video On-Demand (PVOD) platforms in its first three weeks

### Critical reception

*The Super Mario Bros. Movie* has received mixed reviews from film critics. It has been praised for its visuals, score, and faithfulness to the video games, while the screenplay and plot have received criticism. Some critics have found the plot to be lacking in substance and sidelined in favor of the amount of fan service. Jack Black's performance has additionally been a subject of praise.

Audience reviews were strikingly more positive, acclaiming the film for the same reasons as the critics, but some have criticized the pacing and the film's length.

John Leguizamo, who portrayed Luigi in the live-action film, criticized *The Super Mario Bros. Movie* for a lack of Latin representation in its cast (despite Anya Taylor-Joy and Fred Armisen having Latin heritage), and stated that he did not intend to watch the animated film.

### Home release

The film was released on June 13, 2023 (one week earlier in some markets) on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD, with the 4K version also being sold as a SteelBook depicting a Super Mushroom on the front and as a limited collectable Super Star tin. In Australia, the film released on July 5, 2023, with the SteelBook version being made exclusive to stores.

## Quotes

Main article: The Super Mario Bros. Movie/Quotes

## Gallery

Main article: The Super Mario Bros. Movie/Gallery

## Transcript

Main article: The Super Mario Bros. Movie/Transcript
## Videos

The Super Mario Bros. Movie - Official Teaser TrailerOfficial Teaser TrailerThe Super Mario Bros. Movie - Official Trailer-2Official TrailerThe Super Mario Bros. Movie - “Mushroom Kingdom” - Official Movie Clip-2"Mushroom Kingdom" clip from The Game Awards 2022The Super Mario Bros. Movie - Smash-2"Smash" promotional spot from the NFC Championship NFL GameMiyamoto Announces Mario Movie w- Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, and More!Cast annoucementThe Super Mario Bros. Movie - Final Trailer-2Final Trailer
## Trivia

* This is the first Super Mario Bros. film adaptation in more than thirty years since the last one, which released in 1993.
* This is the first Illumination feature film to be a collaboration with another company. (in this case with Nintendo)
* This is the second Illumination film to get rated by the MPAA (Motion Pictures Association of America) a few months earlier than usual with the first being Sing 2 in June 2021. (the same month the first trailer released)
* This is the second Illumination film to have toys manufactured by Jakks Pacific, the first being Minions with a 20" Kevin toy.
* This is the eighth Illumination film to have a collaboration with McDonald's.
* This is the second Illumination film that will release in April, the first being Hop back in 2011.
* This is the first video game based film to reach $1 Billion at the global box office, surpassing *Sonic the Hedgehog 2*, the previous record holder of highest grossing video game film.
* This is the final Mario-franchise media to feature Charles Martinet as a voice actor, prior to his retirement in August 2023.

## External links

* Official websites: United States, Canada (English, French)
* Universal Pictures web pages: United States, Canada (English, French), Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan
* Nintendo Japanese web page
* Super Mario Bros. Plumbing websites: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan
* Illumination web page
* Illumination Mac Guff web pages: United States, France
* Facebook accounts: United States, Japan
* Instagram accounts: United States, Japan
* Twitter accounts: United States, Japan
* TikTok account

## References

1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `April5`
2. ↑ @NintendoAmerica (April 25, 2022). This is Miyamoto. After consulting with Chris-san, my partner at Illumination on the Super Mario Bros. film, we decided to move the global release to Spring 2023–April 28 in Japan and April 7 in North America. My deepest apologies but I promise it will be well worth the wait. *Twitter*. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
3. ↑ Template:Media link
4. ↑ Universal Pictures UK. *Universal Pictures UK*. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
5. ↑ NY\_Comic\_Con (September 22, 2022). Join us October 6th at 4pm ET for the teaser trailer premiere of Nintendo & Illumination's upcoming Super Mario Bros. film, releasing April 7, 2023. *Twitter*. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
6. ↑ Nintendo Direct: The Super Mario Bros. Movie. *nintendo.co.jp*. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
7. ↑ Nintendo of America (October 6, 2022). The Super Mario Bros. Movie Direct. *YouTube*. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
8. ↑ Nintendo of America (November 29, 2022). The Super Mario Bros. Movie Direct - 11.29.22 (Second Trailer). *YouTube*. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
9. ↑ thegameawards (December 8, 2022). The Super Mario Bros. Movie - World Premiere Trailer | The Game Awards 2022. *YouTube*. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
10. ↑ NintendoAmerica (February 22, 2023). Join us at 2:00 p.m. PT on 3/9 for the world premiere of The Super Mario Bros. Movie's final trailer! No game information will be included in this #NintendoDirect. #SuperMarioMovie 📽️: . *Twitter*. Retrieved February 22, 2023. (Archived February 22, 2023, 16:12:45 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
11. ↑ Super Mario Movie Secures Most Successful Opening Weekend For Any Animated Film, Ever *Nintendo Life*. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
12. ↑ Jonah Valdez (April 17, 2023) The Super Mario Bros is now the highest-grossing video game adaptation ever *Stuff.co.nz*. Retrieved April 19, 2023
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 https://twitter.com/illumination/status/1441169014923804681
14. ↑ [1]
15. ↑ [2]
16. ↑ @bauzilla (October 6, 2022). 👀👀👀. *Twitter*. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
17. ↑ @bauzilla (October 7, 2022). 🍄🍄🍄. *Twitter*. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
18. ↑ @kharypayton (October 6, 2022). "*Throw your hands in the ai-ya, if youz a true playa! #SuperMarioBrosMovie*". *Twitter*. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) Full Cast & Crew. *IMDb*.Template:Better source
20. ↑ @ChahadiJad (December 26, 2022). "*It's official on Instagram that @jessicadicicco is going to voice a yellow toad in the upcoming super mario bros movie!* ". *Twitter*. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
21. ↑ @jessicadicicco (April 19, 2023). *"You’ve found me! I voiced the mystery lady in the SMB Plumbing commercials. Mystery solved!! @MattyDanner #SuperMarioMovie"*
22. ↑ @jessicadicicco (April 20, 2023) *"Yes! I voice the newscaster! And also Baby Peach, Luigi’s bully, and I have to see the movie to remember the others…"*
23. ↑ [3]
24. ↑ [4]
25. ↑ [5]
26. ↑ @supermariomovie (April 2, 2023). "*The ⭐️⭐️⭐️ aligned for the #SuperMarioMovie premiere!*" *Twitter*. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
27. ↑ @NickEdwardEvans (April 1, 2023). "*It’s-a the super Mario bros movie red carpet 🤩*". *Twitter*. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
28. ↑ @CinemabangCom (April 2, 2023). "*Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black and the cast of The Super Mario Bros. Movie on the red carpet at the World Premiere. #TheSuperMarioBrosMovie #AnyaTaylorJoy #JackBlack*". *Twitter*. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
29. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro (March 16, 2023) ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ To Score At Least $85M-$90M+ 5-Day But Is Bound To Mushroom – Early Box Office Outlook Archive *Deadline*. Retrieved March 19, 2023
30. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro (April 2, 2023) ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Locks Up $38.5M Opening: Is This Enough To Start A Franchise? – Sunday Box Office Archive *Deadline*. Retrieved April 3, 2023
31. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro, Nancy Tartaglione (April 3, 2023) Let’s A-Go: ‘Super Mario Bros Movie’ Leveling Up To $225M+ Global Bow, Possibly Year’s Best So Far – Box Office Preview Archive *Deadline*. Retrieved April 3, 2023
32. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `BoxOffice2`
33. ↑ Top 2023 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office *The Numbers*. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
34. ↑ Rebecca Rubin (April 10, 2023) ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Box Office: All the Records Smashed on Opening Weekend *Variety*. Retrieved April 19, 2023
35. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Stuff3`
36. ↑ The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) *Box Office Mojo*. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
37. ↑ Barnes, Brooks (June 7, 2023). "Universal Says On-Demand Film Strategy Has Increased Audience". *New York Times*. Retrieved June 15, 2023
38. ↑ THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE *Rotten Tomatoes*. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
39. ↑ Luis Joshua Gutierrez (April 6, 2023) Former Luigi Actor John Leguizamo Is Boycotting The Super Mario Bros. Movie *GameSpot*. Retrieved April 23, 2023
40. ↑ Craddock, R. (April 10, 2023). Super Mario Bros. Movie DVD, Blu-ray And 4K Steelbook Pre-Orders Are Now Live. *Nintendo Life*. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
41. ↑ Super Mario Bros Movie, The Steelbook. *JB Hi-Fi*. Retrieved April 11, 2023.