The latest trailer for the Super Mario Bros. feature film gives fans a revelatory glimpse at the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond.
Nintendo and Universal Pictures released the full-length trailer for The Super Mario Bros., providing the best look yet at the animated film. While fans were treated to a teaser trailer this past October, the full trailer ups the ante spectacularly, revealing the extent of the film's call-outs to the iconic game franchise. The trailer shows Mario facing off with Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) and teaming up with brother Luigi before embarking on a visually spectacular adventure that clearly evokes details that will have gamers freaking out. Indeed, Mario can even be shown flying in his Super Mario Bros. 3 Tanooki raccoon suit. As if that wasn't enough, the clip culminates with another surreal onscreen representation of Mario and company racing go-karts. That's right, the film features a Super Mario Kart sequence!
Based on the hit Nintendo video game series, Super Mario Bros. finds the titular plumber transported to a fantastical world filled with castles, princesses, and monstrous turtles galore. While the film has been in the works since 2017, fans have only gotten their first taste of things to come in the past few months. These include Chris Pratt's starring role as the voice of Mario himself, which has been largely derided by fans online who believe that Nintendo and Illumination should have cast long-time Mario voice actor Charles Martinet in the role. Pratt previously opened up about his work on the film, noting, "I worked really closely with the directors and trying out a few things and landed on something that I’m really proud of and can’t wait for people to see and hear."
The Voice of Mario
Voice acting legend Tara Strong has weighed in on the controversy, lending her belief that Martinet should have been offered the role. Strong offered a comparison between voice acting and the studio's decision to hire a more face forward Hollywood talent in a Twitter post reading, "Voice actors- I’m gonna put my heart & soul in this for at least 20 years, help sell billions in merch, make the studios millions of dollars & make generations around the world happy. Hollywood- We don’t care." However, Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri defended Pratt's casting, saying, "I sit here and say that I love [Pratt's] performance as Mario."
In stark contrast to the backlash surrounding Pratt's Mario, fans have lauded Jack Black's performance as the film's lead antagonist, the iconic turtle dragon King Bowser, who features prominently in the new trailer. Fans already got to see Bowser in the previous trailer, shown in action against an army of penguin soldiers, showcasing the wide range Black has in store for audiences. The film also stars Charlie Day as Luigi, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach.
Super Mario Bros. jumps into theaters on April 7, 2023.
Source: Illumination