Today we summarise some fun facts and easter eggs in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, one of this year’s most anticipated animated films. This April 7th, the adaptation of the all-time favorite video game was released. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic made this film possible with Matthew Fogel’s screenplay. The companies that collaborated were Nintendo, Illumination and Universal Pictures.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Fun Facts
This movie is one of the best this year, featuring characters known for decades. In only 93 minutes, it manages to entertain the whole family, and most fans have received it well. Here are three interesting fun facts from The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
There was Another Mario Movie and Three Series
Image via Pop TV
As we already know, the plumber Mario works in subway pipes. He and his brother Luigi travel through a mysterious tube to a magical world where they live many adventures.
The latest movie based on the Super Mario Bros video games has been a resounding success. However, many thought this was impossible due to the failure of the first movie developed in 1993. Super Mario Bros. starred Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo.
The failure of the first movie left a bitter taste in those involved. That made Nintendo quite reluctant to cede its copyrights for any film adaptation. However, although there wasn’t any film since 1993, there were three animated series.
All three series had only one season. The first series was The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! released in 1989. The show had two segments, one animated and one live-action. The second series, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, came out in 1990. Lou Albano and Danny Wells played the plumber brothers. Finally, in 1991 Super Mario World was released with only 13 episodes.
Fans Rejected Chris Pratt as Mario
Image: Nintendo
When the first trailer came out, fans generally rejected and criticized Chris Pratt for voicing Mario. Some wondered why they didn’t hire Charles Martinet, who had done the original voice for the video game. For many, it was evident that Martinet was the best choice.
Others felt that failing that, Universal should have hired someone to do the voice with an Italian accent. Criticism centered on that most felt that Chris Pratt did not even attempt to sound with an Italian accent. He made no effort to make his voice different, talking precisely like him.
In the face of all this, the filmmakers had to make a formal statement to affirm that the idea had always been for someone other than Martinet to be Mario. They were looking for a real man with a real family to portray in the film. That worked out very well for Pratt, who initially proposed not to have an accent so as not to make his voice irritating. The voice was required to feel genuine and ordinary.
To calm things down, Pratt acknowledged that the fandom was passionate and understood their complaints completely. He admits he is part of these fans, promising that “neither the film nor his performance would ruin anyone’s childhood” and asking them to give him a chance before criticizing him.
Fact: The Mario Movie Cast is Fun
One of the aspects most praised by fandom has been the casting. Another fun fact is that although Charles Martinet didn’t end up being Mario, he had a noteworthy part in the movie. Martinet played two characters, Mario’s father and Giuseppe. The latter was a supporting character who appeared twice throughout the film.
Charlie Day as Luigi
Continuing with the casting, Charlie Day played Mario’s brother, Luigi. And unlike what happened with Pratt, he did not fare badly in the fan reviews. On the contrary, he was very well received. But John Lenzamo, who did the voice in the ’93 film, was unhappy about it. He felt not having someone Latino in the cast wasn’t inclusive.
Image via Nintendo
Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach
On the other hand, actress Anya Taylor-Joy voiced Princess Peach. Taylor-Joy was delighted with the changes to the character. Contrary to the original video game, Peach is no longer a damsel in distress.
The actress said at the time that she was very flattered to have been considered for the role. However, the only way to play it was for the princess to be a proper ruler with leadership and not just an ornamental princess. That matched the directors’ vision perfectly.
Jack Black as Bowser
Actor Jack Black voiced the Darth Vader-inspired villain Bowser. He was initially unaware that he would have to sing and found out halfway through production. The actor has a band and has participated in films such as School of Rock. However, the idea surprised him; he was on the verge of jumping ship. In the end, they managed to convince Black with a short 30-second song, which, together with producer Jones Fighter, became a song that now plays worldwide.
Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
Finally, we can only close this section by talking about actor Seth Rogen, who plays the character of Donkey Kong. A really fun fact is that Rogen made it very clear that he was not a voice actor when they called him for the Mario movie. He said from the beginning that if they wanted him, the character would sound exactly like him; otherwise, he would leave. However, if they accepted him, he would try to make Donkey Kong sound very cool. And he definitely did.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Easter Eggs (Spoilers)
At this point, we will show the easter eggs in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. If you haven’t watched the film yet, be careful, as all spoilers are ahead.
- Bowser’s Floating Island corresponds to Bowser’s castle from Paper Mario 64.
- The Penguins of the Penguin Kingdom are the penguins from Super Mario 64.
- The Koopa Squadron Leader is the blue shell Koopa from Mario Kart.
- The sound you hear from Kamek as he disappears and appears is the same sound he makes in Super Mario World 5.
- The Super Mario Brothers commercial song is the same one from the TV series The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! from the 90s.
- You will go to an interactive page if you enter the site that appears on the screen during the commercial.
- The pizzeria where Mario and Luigi meet is Punch-Out, in reference to the Nintendo boxing game Punch-Out!!. The characters in the pizzeria photos are all taken from the Punch-Out!! games.
- The pizzeria paintings also show scenes from the Duck Hunt game.
- The TV shows the news that Pauline has won re-election as mayor of New York. If you recall, that mayoral role we saw in Super Mario Odyssey in New York City.
- The man playing in the arcade is Jumpman, the protagonist of the first Donkey Kong game.
- The pizza-eating man is Spike, Mario’s enemy in Wrecking Crew. You can read the name of the 1985 video game released for the NES on his shirt and hat.
- A newspaper page on the wall shows a column by Little Mac, the main character in the Punch-Out!! video games.
More References to Nintendo Games
- When Mario tells Luigi, “You can’t be afraid all the time,” Luigi replies that he would be surprised. That refers to the fearful personality that characterizes Luigi in his Luigi’s Mansion video games.
- Luigi’s cell phone ringtone is the Nintendo GameCube’s intro sound.
- Next to the Punch-Out pizzeria is a place called Shine Travel Agency, which references Super Mario Sunshine. The dolphins in Shine Travel Agency refer to the Dolphin brand and Delfino Island from Super Mario Sunshine.
- A basket at Green Grocery store reads Pixel. When Mario and Luigi race through Brooklyn, you’ll see the bicyclist from the game Excitebike on a sign.
- Mr Game and Watch, the protagonist of Game & Watch, the first portable console in the history of video games, appears on several signs.
- The Castle Burger restaurant is a complete reference to the castles we find at the end of the first Super Mario Bros. games.
- Francis is the dog in the house where Mario and Luigi go to work, which may refer to a character from Paper Mario named Francis.
- The bathroom has a drawing resembling Mario Kart’s unique crown.
- In Mario and Luigi’s house is a picture of the tower of Pisa and several references to Italy. That confirms that Mario and Luigi are Italian.
- The appearance of Mario and Luigi’s father is similar to the image of Mario and Luigi’s father that appears in an official Quiz from 1996.
- The console Mario uses to play is the NES, released in 1985.
Image via Nintendo
The Super Mario Movie: A Fun Hit, That’s a Fact!
The failure of the first Mario movie made its creator Shigeru Miyamoto reject the realization of another film for a long time. So the years went by, between lengthy negotiations where they tried to change his mind.
Everything began to change when Miyamoto started working on theme parks with Universal. Specifically, in 2016, when he met the founder of Illumination Pictures, they began discussing a film. With this, they were looking to expand the Mario Universe. They would have to do everything differently this time per Miyamoto’s request. That made looking for a real expert to direct the film necessary.
In 2020, ideas began to mature when they found the creators of Teen Titans Go!, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. The team was the perfect choice to direct this film. So Miyamoto and Nintendo started working together, hand in hand with Illumination, and from the beginning, they were in the project.
The teamwork is definitely paying off with the film’s success in such a short time. The public’s acceptance of The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been so broad that it has grossed over a billion dollars worldwide.
What was your favorite fun fact in the Mario movie? Tell us in the comments.