It’s been almost 30 years since Nintendo’s flagship character, Mario, had his own movie. But now, he’s making his long-awaited return. Yep, a new animated Mario movie is coming out soon, and people are rightfully intrigued.
Who’s voicing Mario? Who’s the studio behind the movie? When is it coming out?
Don’t worry because here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Mario movie.
The Cast of the Mario Movie
A lot of the cast was revealed last year, and the internet exploded when they heard some of the actors that would be a part of this film. Chris Pratt, the lead actor in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, will voice Mario.
Pratt has experience acting in animated movies. He voiced the main character in both Lego Movies, and he starred alongside Tom Holland in Pixar’s Onward. Apart from Mario, he will also voice Garfield in his upcoming movie. Even with all this experience, it’s a little surreal to see Mario’s mouth open and hear Chris Pratt’s distinctive voice coming out of it.
But let’s get back to talking about the Mario cast. Anya-Taylor Joy will voice Princess Peach, Charlie Day will voice Luigi, Keegan-Michael Key will voice Toad, and Jack Black will voice Bowser. We’ve already had a little taste of these actors voicing these characters in the movie’s first trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lScwfa32NdA?embedable=true
The trailer also did a good job showing off the film’s amazing animation. Speaking of which, who’s the studio behind it?
The Studio Producing the Mario Movie
That would be Illumination. You’ve probably never heard of them; they’ve only produced small, independent films like Minions: The Rise of Gru. Just kidding, that movie has made almost a billion dollars worldwide.
Apart from the Despicable Me franchise, Illumination also produced the Sing films and 2 Dr. Seuss adaptations.
In the Nintendo Direct video where they showed off the new trailer, Chris Meledandri, founder of Illumination, said it’s been over 7 years since he and Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Nintendo, first started talking about making this film.
The Mario Movie’s Plot
Not much is known about the upcoming movie’s story, but if it’s even remotely like the games, it’s not that hard to guess. Bowser is causing mayhem in the Mushroom Kingdom and other surrounding kingdoms, and it’s up to Mario, his brother Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad to save the day.
A lot of the main Mario games aren’t necessarily story-driven, but they could draw inspiration from the Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi series; both of which have a heavier emphasis on story.
Release Date
Now, for the most important piece of info: when is the movie coming out? The Mario Movie is set to release on April 7, 2023; only a month and a half short of releasing exactly 30 years after his last movie.
The Future of Nintendo Movies
As usual, people are already speculating on what’s next. It seems like now, more than ever, franchises dominate the theatres. Who’s to say that a Nintendo film franchise can’t potentially be on the horizon?
That all depends on this movie. With its recognizable characters, and its talented cast and crew, it has all the potential to be a hit. But only time will tell what awaits Nintendo, Illumination, and Mario.