Top 10 Behind the Scenes Secrets About the Super Mario Bros. Movie

Although there was a 1986 Japanese animated film entitled “The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!,” the 1993 live-action adaptation is what most people think of when they hear, “The first ‘Mario Bros.’ movie.” After that infamous Bob-omb, Nintendo wasn’t in a rush to entrust Hollywood with more properties. With the Virtual Console demonstrating the longevity of these classic games and characters, Nintendo finally revisited the idea of Mario venturing into other mediums. Shigeru Miyamoto reflected, “I began to consider 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 would also be more involved with this “Mario” movie as a co-producer.

After the live-action misfire, Miyamoto decided that animation was the way to go if Mario ever returned to the silver screen. Illumination seemed like a logical choice, as Nintendo had recently entered a partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts to create themed areas and attractions. However, a film probably wouldn’t have materialized if Miyamoto hadn’t hit it off with Illumination founder Chris Meledandri. The Super Nintendo World deal led to Miyamoto meeting Meledandri. According to Miyamoto, “We clicked and decided maybe we should do some kind of collaboration.” It took a couple of years to materialize, but the film was officially announced in January 2018. Three years later, news broke that Meledandri would join Nintendo’s board of directors to assist with future film endeavors.

Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic are best known for developing “Teen Titans Go!,” which has been a hit for Cartoon Network yet not exactly beloved by fans of the source material. In 2012, Horvath admitted that he hadn’t read the “Teen Titans” comics and the duo had no intention of replicating the previous animated version. With “Mario,” they were not only determined to make a faithful adaptation, but a “cinematic” one. The two were big fans of the games growing up, wanting to deliver a genuine “Mario” movie-going experience. Horvath told Animation Magazine, “There had never been a really authentic ‘Super Mario’ movie or TV show that was satisfying. So, in a way, it was the opposite of what we did on ‘Teen Titans.’”

Charles Martinet has been voicing the Italian plumber in the gaming realm since the 1994 CD version of “Mario Teaches Typing.” Over the years, Martinet has also voiced Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and… Paarthurnax from “Skyrim?!” Longtime fans and members of the voice-acting community, such as Tara Strong, were disappointed that Martinet wouldn’t be voicing Mario in the film. Thankfully, Martinet was given two awesome cameos. Martinet is first heard as Giuseppe, who resembles Mario’s design in 1981’s “Donkey Kong.” Giuseppe is seen playing the same arcade game, although it’s retitled “Jump Man,” paying homage to Mario’s original name. Martinet has an even more prominent (and unrecognizable) role as Mario and Luigi’s father, demonstrating his range and reminding us all who the OG is.

Funnily enough, when Donkey Kong first hit the arcade scene, Universal pursued legal action against Nintendo, believing that it had stolen King Kong’s likeness. As it turned out, King Kong was in the public domain and Nintendo won the case. Things have come full circle 40 years later with Donkey Kong appearing in a Universal film. For the “Mario Bros. Movie,” Donkey Kong’s look was given its first update since 1994, combining elements of the 1981 design and the more modern 3D look first seen in “Donkey Kong Country.” The film is loaded with references to the “Donkey Kong” franchise, including the “DK Rap.” The only downside to this Easter egg is that the song’s composer, Grant Kirkhope, wasn’t featured in the film’s credits.

While the film follows the classic formula of Mario having to rescue someone, Luigi and Peach essentially swap places with the latter taking on a more active role. Although Peach has been kidnapped in numerous games, the directors argued that she’s also a strong monarch who protects the Toads. They wanted the film to reflect this, drawing inspiration from the character’s portrayal in “Super Mario 3D World.” Even before that 2013 title, Peach had a more hands-on role in games like “Super Mario Bros. 2” and “Super Mario RPG,” as well as in other media like the “Super Mario Adventures” comics. You could say that Anya Taylor-Joy went method for the role, playing the games in preparation and emerging as a “hardcore adult arcade individual.”

When Chris Pratt was cast as Mario, it wasn’t quite on par with the “Ugly Sonic” controversy. Still, it would be an understatement to say that not everybody was pleased, especially when word broke that Pratt wouldn’t be doing a thick Italian accent. Fans remain split on Pratt’s accent, which aims to balance Brooklyn and Italian-American. Early in production, though, Mario sounded more like a New Jersey resident. When Pratt tried out this voice, the directors turned it down, feeling that it sounded too much like Tony Soprano. Similarly, Charlie Day originally sounded too much like a “Goodfellas” character before settling on Luigi’s voice. We’d love to visit the alternative reality where James Gandolfini and Joe Pesci played Mario and Luigi in the 1993 film.

Nintendo and Sony nearly joined forces to develop a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Famicom. The deal fell through with Nintendo inadvertently creating its greatest rival, the PlayStation. Over 20 years later, Sony sought to reteam with Nintendo in hopes of producing a “Mario” film franchise. The 2014 Sony hack revealed that producer Avi Arad had met with Nintendo and Chairperson Amy Pascal suggested Genndy Tartakovsky for the film. Although Michelle Raimo of Sony Pictures Animation aspired to “build a Mario empire,” Arad clarified that they had only entered early negotiations. Nintendo ultimately went with Illumination instead. We guess this made more sense given Nintendo’s blossoming partnership with Universal, but this lessens the chances of a Mario/Crash Bandicoot crossover movie.

“The Mario Movie” comes with a carefully-crafted score from Brian Tyler, who also borrows musical cues from the legendary Koji Kondo. The filmmakers allowed the cast to contribute to the soundtrack as well. Keegan-Michael Key says that he improvised a song while recording Toad’s voice, but Jack Black’s Bowser gets the film’s big showstopper. Horvath decided that it wasn’t enough for Bowser to just say that he loves Peach. He needed to pour his heart out in song. Black performed and co-wrote “Peaches,” which made it onto the iTunes Top 100 and US Billboard Hot 100. This marked Black’s solo debut on the latter chart after almost three decades of tenacious music. Bowser doesn’t win the princess’ heart, but will his song win an Oscar?

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Cosplaying at Premiere
Ironically, The Red Carpet Outfits Were Better Than the '93 Movie’s Costumes

Box Office Milestones
It’s Already the Highest-Grossing Video Game Adaptation Ever… Take That, “Warcraft!”

John Leguizamo’s Boycott
The '93 Film’s Luigi Is Upset by the Lack of Latin Representation, Although Taylor-Joy Is of Argentine Descent

Jack Black’s History With Video Games
Fittingly, He Grew Up Playing Arcade Games & Doing “Pitfall!” Commercials

We all know the Mario Bros., but the film introduces a whole Mario family. By the way, is “Mario” the family’s last name in this universe too? Well, in any case, you might not recognize the family from any games, but their designs were based on unused character sketches that Nintendo sent the filmmakers. According to Horvath, the design of Mario’s dad in the movie is practically a “one-to-one” adaptation of the artwork that Nintendo provided. The design of Mario’s mother is also close to the Nintendo sketches with some minor tweaks. They strayed slightly from some of the other character designs with Mario’s grandpa originally looking more like a boxer. For the most part, though, the directors kept it in the family.