The Super Mario Bros. Movie
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| Directed by | Aaron Horvath Michael Jelenic |
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| Written by | Matthew Fogel |
| Produced by | Chris Meledandri Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Production | Illumination Nintendo |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date | April 5, 2023 |
| Music by | Brian Tyler |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Budget | $100 million |
| Box office | $1.362 billion |
| Franchise | Mario Franchise |
| Sequel | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) |
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a 2023 animated adventure comedy film based on Nintendo's Mario video game franchise. Written by Matthew Fogel, the film was produced by Illumination and Nintendo, with Chris Meledandri and Shigeru Miyamoto as co-producers. It features an ensemble voice cast led by Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong.
The film follows Mario and Luigi, Italian-American plumbers from Brooklyn, who are transported to the Mushroom Kingdom and become entangled in a conflict between Princess Peach and the Koopa king Bowser. It serves as an origin story for the Mario brothers, drawing on elements from across the franchise — including Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart, and Donkey Kong Country — while remaining accessible to audiences unfamiliar with the games. Power-ups such as the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Cat Suit, Tanooki Suit, and Ice Flower all appear, as do game elements like Warp Pipes, kart racing on Rainbow Road, and the Super Star's invincibility power. The 92-minute film balances fast-paced action with family-friendly humor and enough visual detail to reward longtime fans.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie premiered on April 1, 2023, and was released theatrically in the United States on April 5 by Universal Pictures. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it became a massive commercial success, grossing $1.362 billion worldwide. It became the highest-grossing film based on a video game, the first video game film to cross $1 billion, the third-highest-grossing animated film of all time, and the highest-grossing film ever produced by Illumination.[note 1] The film received Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Song (for "Peaches"), and Cinematic Box Office Achievement.
A sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, is scheduled for release on April 3, 2026.
1 Plot✎
Mario and Luigi are Italian-American brothers running a struggling plumbing business in Brooklyn. After seeing a major water main leak on the news, they head underground to fix it but are sucked into a Warp Pipe and separated. Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom, ruled by Princess Peach, while Luigi ends up in the Dark Lands, where he is captured by Bowser. Bowser, who has recently conquered the Snow Kingdom and seized a Super Star, intends to use it to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom unless Peach agrees to marry him.
Mario meets Toad, who brings him to Peach. She trains Mario and the three travel to the Jungle Kingdom to seek an alliance with the Kongs. Cranky Kong agrees to help on the condition that Mario defeats his son, Donkey Kong, in a fight. Mario wins using a Cat Suit, and the combined forces set out in go-karts to return to the Mushroom Kingdom.
| On Rainbow Road, Bowser's army ambushes the convoy. A blue-shelled Koopa General destroys part of the road, sending Mario and Donkey Kong into the ocean, where they are swallowed by a giant eel. Peach and Toad return to the Mushroom Kingdom and urge an evacuation. Bowser arrives and proposes to Peach, who reluctantly accepts after his advisor Kamek tortures Toad. At the wedding, Bowser plans to sacrifice his prisoners — including Luigi and the Kongs — in lava. Peach uses an Ice Flower smuggled into her bouquet to freeze Bowser and halt the execution. Mario and Donkey Kong escape the eel and fight through Bowser's forces. Mario uses a Tanooki Suit to rescue Luigi. Bowser frees himself and launches a Bomber Bill at the Mushroom Kingdom, but Mario redirects it into the Warp Pipe, where it detonates, creating a vacuum that pulls Bowser's castle and everyone into Brooklyn. In Brooklyn, Bowser overpowers Peach, Toad, and Donkey Kong. Mario, inspired by seeing his own business commercial on television, stands his ground. Luigi saves him with a manhole cover, and the brothers grab the Super Star together, becoming temporarily invincible. They destroy Bowser's forces and incapacitate him. Peach shrinks Bowser with a Mini Mushroom, and Toad imprisons him in a jar. The brothers are celebrated as heroes. Later, Mario and Luigi settle into a house in the Mushroom Kingdom and begin a new life together. |
2 Voice cast✎
The voice cast was announced during a September 2021 Nintendo Direct by Shigeru Miyamoto. The casting of Chris Pratt as Mario drew significant public debate, particularly given that Charles Martinet — who had voiced Mario in the games since 1991 — was not given the lead role. Martinet instead voices the brothers' father and a Brooklyn citizen named Giuseppe, the latter using Mario's classic game voice.[note 2]
The principal cast includes: Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike (Mario and Luigi's former boss), and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek. Jessica DiCicco voices the brothers' mother, Mayor Pauline, and several minor roles. Eric Bauza voices Diddy Kong and the Toad General.
Jack Black co-wrote the song "Peaches," in which Bowser professes his love for Princess Peach. The song peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Song.
3 Production✎
3.1 Background✎
After the critical and commercial failure of the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. film, Nintendo became deeply reluctant to license its properties for film adaptations. The idea for a new Mario film gradually developed as Nintendo brought its classic games to the Virtual Console and other digital services. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto recognized that combining Nintendo's game content with video media could expand the company's reach, but wanted a film expert to lead the project.[note 3]
Following the 2014 Sony Pictures hack, leaked emails revealed that Sony Pictures Animation and producer Avi Arad had been trying to secure the Mario film rights for several years, though no deal was finalized. Separately, through Nintendo's collaboration with Universal Parks & Resorts on Super Nintendo World, Miyamoto met Illumination founder Chris Meledandri. The two found their creative processes compatible, and by 2016 they were in serious discussions about a Mario film. In January 2018, Nintendo announced the project would move forward with Miyamoto and Meledandri co-producing.
3.2 Direction and writing✎
Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, best known for Teen Titans Go!, were brought on through Illumination. They described wanting the film to be the opposite of their previous irreverent work — a faithful adaptation of the games with cinematic scope and emotional stakes. The duo chose to frame the story as an origin for Mario and Luigi, portraying them as blue-collar Brooklyn plumbers as in the franchise's older American media. They swapped the traditional roles of Princess Peach and Luigi — making Peach an active co-protagonist who helps Mario rescue Luigi — because they felt the standard formula was too straightforward and wanted to foreground Peach's role as a capable ruler, drawing inspiration from her playable appearance in Super Mario 3D World.
Nintendo was deeply involved throughout production, overseeing story, visual development, and animation. Horvath noted that Nintendo participated in "every aspect" of the filmmaking process.
3.3 Animation and music✎
The film was animated by Illumination Studios Paris. Production began in September 2020 and animation wrapped in October 2022. The directors aimed for a style that balanced cartoon expressiveness with a sense of physical grounding and real stakes.
The score was composed by Brian Tyler, who worked closely with longtime Mario composer Koji Kondo to incorporate leitmotifs from the games, including themes from Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64, and Super Mario 3D Land. Tyler described the soundtrack as a blend of orchestral, choral, and Italian folk elements — including accordions, mandolins, and whistling — with 8-bit chiptune references. Mixing took place at Skywalker Sound.
Jack Black improvised and co-wrote "Peaches," Bowser's love ballad to Princess Peach. The music video, directed by Cole Bennett, was released on April 7, 2023.
4 Release✎
The film was originally scheduled for December 2022, then delayed to April 7, 2023, and ultimately moved up two days to April 5 to release in over 60 markets simultaneously. It opened in Japan on April 28. The world premiere was held at Regal L.A. Live on April 1, 2023.
A teaser trailer debuted during an October 2022 Nintendo Direct, receiving over three million views in 24 hours. Jack Black and Keegan-Michael Key's performances were widely praised, while Chris Pratt's voice for Mario drew criticism for sounding too close to his natural speaking voice. A Super Bowl LVII commercial aired in February 2023, featuring a rendition of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! theme. A corresponding promotional website advertised the fictional "Super Mario Bros. Plumbing" service.
The film was released on digital download on May 16, 2023, and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on June 13. It streamed on Peacock from August 2023, then on Netflix from December 2023, before returning to Peacock in October 2024. During its first six months on Netflix, it accumulated 80 million views, making it the platform's fourth most-watched film for the first half of 2024.
5 Reception✎
5.1 Critical response✎
The Super Mario Bros. Movie received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 59% approval rating based on reviews, while audiences rated it significantly higher. Critics praised the animation quality, the visual faithfulness to the games, and Jack Black's performance as Bowser, but some found the plot thin, the pacing rushed, and Chris Pratt's vocal performance lacking in character. Several reviewers noted that the film prioritized spectacle and fan service over narrative depth.
The audience response was overwhelmingly positive, particularly among families and longtime Mario fans. The gap between critical and audience reception became a widely discussed phenomenon in film criticism.
5.2 Box office✎
The film grossed $574 million domestically and $788 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $1.362 billion. It became the highest-grossing film based on a video game, surpassing the previous record held by Warcraft (2016), and the first video game adaptation to cross $1 billion. It was the second-highest-grossing film of 2023 (behind Barbie), the third-highest-grossing animated film of all time, and the highest-grossing Illumination production ever.
5.3 Accolades✎
The film received three nominations at the 81st Golden Globe Awards: Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Song ("Peaches"), and Cinematic Box Office Achievement — a new category introduced at the same ceremony. "Peaches" peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100.
6 Legacy✎
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is credited with proving that video game adaptations could succeed at a blockbuster scale when handled faithfully and in close collaboration with the original creators. Its commercial performance validated Nintendo's cautious, creator-led approach to licensing and helped establish a broader strategy for Nintendo's entertainment business beyond games — including theme parks, merchandise, and future films.
A sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, was announced on Mario Day (March 10) 2024 and is scheduled for release on April 3, 2026. The sequel is primarily inspired by Super Mario Galaxy and features Yoshi as a new central character alongside Bowser Jr. as the primary antagonist.