Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment released the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie during today’s Nintendo Direct. The teaser gave viewers their first look at the animation style of the film, but not a whole lot about the plot. Audiences also got to hear the voice of Chris Pratt as Nintendo’s iconic mascot. The voice sounds similar to Mario’s voice from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show.
After more than 20 years of hearing Mario exclusively voiced by Charles Martinet, it may feel a bit weird to long-time fans to hear a different voice coming out of his mouth. Chris Pratt voicing Mario has been controversial to say the least, but during Nintendo Direct, Pratt reminded fans about his longtime passion for Mario.
Interestingly enough, Martinet’s voice will still be heard in the Super Mario Bros. Movie, and the actor will continue to voice Mario in future video games. Pratt and Martinet are joined by Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike.
During Nintendo Direct, Illumination shared details including animation concluding by next week, revealing that the movie is pretty far along at this point. Super Mario Bros. Movie isn’t the first time Nintendo’s iconic game has been adapted for the big screen. A live-action Mario movie was released in theaters back in 1993 with Bob Hoskins starring as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi. Dennis Hopper also starred in the Mario film as Bowser. While the live-action movie has had some cult following over the last 29 years, it bombed at the box office. The movie also had little in common with the source material and Nintendo has avoided theatrical adaptations ever since.
It remains unknown if Pratt’s Super Mario Bros. Movie will stick to the source material but based off the teaser trailer, it seems to be closer than the previous Mario film. Nintendo is also a lot more hands-on this time.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie will release in theaters on April 7, 2023. You can watch the embedded trailer below:
