The 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie is well known for being a major flop. Bearing little resemblance to the video game franchise it was based on, it was criticized for its lack of fidelity to the source material. However, the film also boasted some revolutionary special effects for its time that would be hugely influential to blockbuster filmmaking. In particular, the depiction of the beloved dinosaur character Yoshi would play a huge role in developing another classic dinosaur film, Jurassic Park.
Yoshi’s big screen debut saw him depicted as not a cuddly green dinosaur but a more realistic creature. His screen time in the film was scarce, but he lived up to his game counterpart’s reputation as a helpful ally who helps Princess Daisy escape King Koopa. Despite his brief appearance, Yoshi was something of a technological marvel in real life. His creation was significant enough that he helped play a role in Jurassic Park’s development and launched a production designer’s career.
Super Mario Bros.' Yoshi Puppet Was Technically Complex
For the task of creating Yoshi, the duties fell to production designer Patrick Tatopoulous. Already busy designing the film’s creatures, such as the Goombas, he recommended Dave Nelson to lead the animatronic work. Nelson had been recommended based on his work with animatronics in Child’s Play and the film A Gnome Named Gnorm. The duo beat out Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to develop the small cable puppet, which was considered cutting edge due to its small size and a surprising amount of dexterity.
Moving the puppet was a team effort, requiring nine puppeteers to operate the walking creature. An additional animatronic was also built to move the character’s signature tongue and required precise, controlled movements for even simple functions like curling the tail. The results were considered so impressive that production requested additional scenes be filmed of the Yoshi puppet. The work on Yoshi didn't go unnoticed, as the production crew from Jurassic Park came in to study the development of the animatronics and even considered letting the team develop the small dinosaur puppets in the film. Ultimately, Steven Spielberg gave the job to Stan Winston Studios to avoid splitting up the effects crews.
Super Mario Bros. Kickstarted a Blockbuster Designer’s Career
While the creature designers on Super Mario Bros. did not get the job for Jurassic Park, one of them would go on to have a massive career. Yoshi’s designer, Tatopoulous, worked on some blockbusters after the movie. His later work would include films like Independence Day, Zack Snyder’s trilogy of DC Universe films and the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Meanwhile, Nelson started a creature effects shop specializing in the development of animal puppets and animatronics.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie wasn’t a success on release, but its effects work is commendable. And it made waves for creature and small moving animatronics. And while the designers didn't end up working on Jurassic Park, it launched Patrick Tatopoulous’ career as a production designer for blockbusters. So, while a herd of game-accurate Yoshis appeared in the trailer for the newest Super Mario Bros. adventure, the original film's take on the creatures should not be forgotten.