The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an animated movie produced by Nintendo in collaboration with and Illumination, co-produced by Mario franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination co-founder. It was first announced during a financial briefing on January 31, 2018, and is scheduled for theatrical release on April 5, 2023 in North America, April 28, 2023 in Japan, and various other dates in April and May 2023 in the rest of the world. It is the third feature film to be based on Mario, following the Japan-only animated film Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! (1986) and the largely unsuccessful Super Mario Bros. live-action film (1993). The film's plot focuses on Mario and Luigi being transported to the Mushroom Kingdom via a Warp Pipe and Mario, Princess Peach, Toad, and others as they venture to stop Bowser from taking over the world while also rescuing Luigi.

A teaser trailer for the film was broadcasted in the form of a Nintendo Direct presentation online and at on October 6, 2022 at 16:00 ET. A second trailer was released in a dedicated Nintendo Direct on November 29, 2022 at 17:00 ET. An official clip and commercial were revealed at. A third Nintendo Direct featuring the film's final trailer premiered on March 9, 2023 at 17:00 ET, just one day before Mario Day in western countries like the United States, and on Mario Day in eastern countries like Japan.

Production
Reports on the supposed existence of the film circulated as early as November 2014 following the, when it was revealed in leaked emails sent by , , , and Michelle Raimo Kouyate that was trying to secure the film rights to Mario for years, though Arad has denied that such a deal was made.

In November 2017,  Nintendo's then-president, Tatsumi Kimishima, stated in January 2018 that a deal had not been finalized, but that an announcement would come soon. By the end of January 2018, Nintendo affirmed that the film would indeed be moving forward, having closed a deal with Illumination. This would mark Illumination's first film based on an existing IP that is not an adaptation of a book.

Several days after the deal was made, Miyamoto explained why Illumination was chosen for the project over other animation companies, saying he has been interested in producing an animated film for quite some time and, contrary to popular belief, making a movie and making a game are completely different procedures. Miyamoto wanted someone with experience in the film industry to co-produce the film, and after talking with numerous directors and producers, he was introduced to Illumination through, with whom Nintendo was making a new theme park. Miyamoto also stated that when he began talks with Meledandri, the latter read numerous interviews about him and felt that they had a similar approach in creation. Miyamoto described Meledandri as having experience in the field of animation beyond Illumination, being executive producer of  and other animated projects for, as well as being "extremely cost-conscious and time-conscious in his quest to make successful movies." Miyamoto also mentioned that Nintendo and Illumination had mutually agreed to call the deal off if neither company could think of an interesting premise, but also noted that the screenplay had been hashed out a number of times and discussions were in progression, hoping to provide more information once the schedule had been ironed out. Miyamoto would later state in early 2020 that the idea for the film came from bringing Nintendo's legacy content to services such as the Virtual Console; such transitions took time for the company, and Miyamoto viewed that as an opportunity to develop Nintendo's content business even further by combining its long-beloved software with video assets.

On November 6, 2018, Meledandri said that he was glad the 1993 film Super Mario Bros. was not well-received, citing the primary reason being that the producers did not involve Nintendo, whereas Illumination was "embracing" Miyamoto and keeping him "front and center" in the film's creation. He said that Illumination's Mario film was in "priority development," and hoped to release the film by 2022. Meledandri also noted that developing a Mario film is "an ambitious task," citing the challenge of adding depth to Mario that would simultaneously compromise generations of fans and feel organic to his iconography as well as supporting a three-act structure. By February 1, 2019, production of the film had formally begun; according to Nintendo, the funds for the production process were being jointly supplied by it and Universal.

Before details on the film's cast were formally announced, Sebastian Maniscalco offhandedly mentioned in a YouTube podcast uploaded on August 5, 2021 that he would be voicing the character Spike from the 1985 game Wrecking Crew, portrayed in the movie as "[the brothers'] boss."

The September 23, 2021 Nintendo Direct presentation featured an appearance from Shigeru Miyamoto announcing the movie as being scheduled for release in the 2022 holiday season (with a planned release date of December 21, 2022 in North America) and revealing its cast list. On the same day, the press release also announced Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic as directors, with Matthew Fogel writing the screenplay. On April 25, 2022, a post on Nintendo of America's Twitter account announced that the movie's release would be delayed to spring 2023 and revealed the North American and Japanese release dates.

Following criticism of Chris Pratt's casting as Mario, Meledandri was quoted as saying, "All I can tell you is the voice that he's doing for us, and Mario, is phenomenal," and that Pratt's performance would not attempt to replicate the "tenor" of Charles Martinet's portrayal, adding, "We cover it in the movie. So you'll see we definitely nod to that."

On November 3, 2021, it was rumored that there will be a Donkey Kong spin-off movie with Seth Rogen reprising his role as Donkey Kong.

On February 18, 2022, Charlie Day expressed interest in doing a Luigi's Mansion spin-off film.

On April 29, 2022, it was rumored that the movie will be a musical with several songs. However, as more information came out regarding the film, it became clear that the rumor did not align with the plot of the film, most notably by stating that Mario and Luigi would have redesigned outfits, Princess Peach would be kidnapped and that Luigi would go after Mario following the latter entering the Mushroom Kingdom, and that the "real world" section of the film would be set in a place called New Dino City and feature a battle between Mario and Donkey Kong.

Ed Skudder, the creator of animated series ' and ', revealed himself to be the head of story for the film on his profile.

In the Nintendo Direct presentation in October 2022, it was announced that is composing the score for the film, which includes themes from the Mario games, in collaboration with series composer Koji Kondo.

On February 28, 2023, it was announced on the movie's social media accounts that the release date for the film would be moved to April 5, 2023 in the United States and in more than 60 countries, 2 days ahead of the initial release date.

English

 * 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
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
 * Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike
 * Eric Bauza as Koopa Troopa soldiers
 * Khary Payton as the penguin king
 * Jessica DiCicco as a yellow Toad
 * Charles Martinet has also been confirmed to make cameos in the film.

Japanese

 * Mamoru Miyano as Mario
 * Arisa Shida as Princess Peach
 * Tasuku Hatanaka as Luigi
 * Kenta Miyake as Bowser
 * Tomokazu Seki as Toad
 * Kōji Takeda as Donkey Kong

Italian

 * Claudio Santamaria as Mario

Other characters

 * Koopa Troopas
 * Koopa Paratroopas
 * Dry Bones
 * Penguins
 * Toads
 * Toadette
 * Cheep Cheeps
 * Biddybuds
 * Bloopers
 * Blooper Babies
 * Spiny Cheep Cheeps
 * Jellybeams
 * Urchins
 * Shy Guys
 * Kongs
 * Diddy Kong
 * Dixie Kong
 * Funky Kong
 * Kiddy Kong
 * Swanky Kong
 * Chunky Kong
 * Bob-ombs
 * Buzzy Beetles
 * Piranha Plants
 * Goombas and Goomba Towers
 * Spinies
 * Sledge Bros
 * Hammer Bros
 * Snifits
 * Bullet Bills
 * Banzai Bills
 * Yoshis
 * Bramball
 * Pauline
 * Little birds
 * Bats
 * Lumalee
 * Chain Chomps

Items and objects

 * Super Mushrooms
 * Fire Flowers
 * Star
 * Mini Mushroom

Foreign translations
In addition to English, the movie is confirmed to be dubbed into the following languages:
 * Bulgarian
 * Cantonese
 * Catalan
 * Croatian
 * Czech
 * Danish
 * Dutch
 * Estonian
 * Finnish
 * Flemish
 * Canadian French
 * European French
 * German
 * Greek
 * Hebrew
 * Hindi
 * Hungarian
 * Icelandic
 * Italian
 * Japanese
 * Latvian
 * Lithuanian
 * Taiwanese Mandarin
 * Norwegian
 * Polish
 * Brazilian Portuguese
 * European Portuguese
 * Romanian
 * Russian
 * Serbian
 * Slovak
 * Slovenian
 * European Spanish
 * Latin American Spanish
 * Swedish
 * Turkish
 * Ukrainian

Additionally, a version of the movie in English with Japanese subtitles will be released. The movie will also be available in English as an option in many other territories where English is not a native language, with locally translated subtitles.

McDonald's
On October 6, 2022, a Happy Meal promotion with toys based on The Super Mario Bros. Movie was leaked. In December 2022, McDonald's launched the promotion and released two distinct lines of toys, each one in a specific set of countries that differs from the other's.

SMBPlumbing.com
A promotional website with the URL "SMBPlumbing.com" went live in February 2023. It acts as the official website of the fictional Super Mario Bros. Plumbing service operated by Mario and Luigi in the movie. The site's home page opens with a statement that Super Mario Bros. Plumbing is family-owned and operated, followed by the tagline "Fixing pipes is our game!" and an embed of a commercial for the service. On March 9, 2023, the page was redesigned with additional content. The page continues with the following sections:
 * About Us: Features an overview of Super Mario Bros. Plumbing signed by Mario and Luigi. In it, the brothers introduce themselves enthusiastically, stating that they "aim to one-up the competition with [their] expert white-glove service". Additionally, they claim to have opened the service because they "were tired of dealing with spiky bosses", a nod to Spike and inadvertent foreshadowing of their encounter with Bowser in the movie.
 * Testimonials: Features nine written reviews of Super Mario Bros. Plumbing by former customers. Three of them, penned by users SpikeIsCool (Spike), BrKlyn Couple, and dunnadunnadunna, are negative, with the first calling the brothers disloyal and subpar, the second stating that "SMBP left my house an absolute MESS!", although conceding that their dog "absolutely loved" Mario and Luigi, and the third stating that they did not hear from the brothers after they went underground. The other six reviews are positive and praise the brothers for their service. One review is written by the brothers' mother, under the username "BrosMom", who describes them in an affectionate light and notes that they treated her "like family". Another review by a user named "Pipe_Dreamz" praises their "amazing looking water," referencing MARIOWiiU, a Miiverse user known for constantly praising the water effects in various Wii U games. A positive review was left by someone with the username "jump.man", a reference to "Jumpman", what Mario was called in instructions for the arcade version of Donkey Kong.
 * Careers: A listing of various job positions at Super Mario Bros. Plumbing, namely dispatcher, bookkeeper, marketing manager, and driver.
 * Service Area: A graphic of the two regions of New York the business operates in, Brooklyn and Queens. The user must first solve a fake to access this section.
 * Van Tour: The actual tour of the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing van. This section is not present on the website outside of the United States. The van is set to visit the following locations at these times:
 * Austin, Texas: March 10
 * New York, New York: March 10, March 30
 * Boston, Massachusetts: March 24-26
 * Los Angeles, California: April 1
 * San Francisco, California: March 20-24
 * Live Chat: A chatbot where the user can ask and respond with pre-written messages.

The website has various links and graphics the user can interact with.
 * In the website's header, the "Call or Text Us At 929-55-MARIO" tag plays the Nintendo GameCube start-up jingle when clicked on. By calling the provided number, Luigi tells the caller to text the same number for service and to visit the website. Texting the number causes Super Mario Bros. Plumbing to give the option to sign up for updates on the film; if the texter sends "ON THE DOUBLE" after signing up, it causes Super Mario Bros. Plumbing to send their business card. Booking an appointment leads to the movie's Fandango page or the official website in other regions.
 * In the opening section, when clicked on, the "Certified Super!" seal of approval plays an enhanced version of the power-up sound effect from Super Mario Bros.; the "" sign plays the race countdown sound effect from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe; and the manhole under the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing van used to lead the user to a poster of The Super Mario Bros. Movie featuring Bowser and Kamek overlooking the Koopa Troop. After the site's update, it leads to a link to the final trailer.
 * In the "About Us" section, when clicked on, the "24/7 Emergency Services!" sign plays the jumping sound effect from Super Mario Bros., immediately followed by the same sound effect slowed down.
 * In the "Testimonials" section, when clicked on, the invalid file icon leads to a page showing three Warp Pipes. Each pipe plays a different enhanced version of the pipe entrance sound heard in the Mario games; clicking on the middle pipe, right pipe, and left pipe in that order causes the page to play an arrangement of the Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros. Clicking on the middle pipe, left pipe, and right pipe makes Mario jump out of the middle pipe and plays the Underground Theme. Inspecting the website's console output after visiting the 404 error page shows an  version of a Lumalee.
 * In the "Careers" section, when clicked on, the "Apply Now" button used to lead the user to a web page informing them that the application process is still being worked on prior to the site's redesign. After the redesign, the button leads to a clickable list of jobs. Clicking on any of them leads back to the main page.
 * In the "Service Area" section, failing the CAPTCHA plays the sound of Bowser breathing fire while completing it plays the item roulette sound from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Clicking the Brooklyn portion of the map plays audio from the Donkey Kong arcade game. Clicking the Queens portion plays audio from the Family Computer Disk System version of Kid Icarus. Booking an appointment leads to the movie's Fandango page or the official website in other regions.
 * In the "Van Tour" section, clicking on the "Follow Us!" button leads to the business' Instagram account.

The website, outside of its real life legal notice, is shown as copyrighted in 2023 and built by Mario and Luigi.

Brazilian carnival
On February 18, 2023, Bloco Happy, one of the s in, promoted the film by giving The Super Mario Bros. Movie-branded Mario and Luigi caps and inflatable tubes. A  decorated with posters of the film was also present.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Giveaway
On March 8, 2023, a giveaway sponsored by began. To enter, participants must go to the giveaway's webpage, press on the ? Block, and fill in the form. Completing the form shows a clip from the movie. For each day that the promotion is active, entrants can redeem one more chance to win a prize. 50 grand prize winners will be given two tickets to, ten first prize winners will be given a 50 dollar Amazon gift card, and 20 second prize winners will be given the "7-inch Feature Bowser with Fire Breathing Effects". The giveaway ends on April 30, 2023.

Fandango Super Mario Bros. Movie Sweepstakes
On March 9, 2023, a sweepstakes sponsored by began. To enter, a participant must purchase a ticket to The Super Mario Bros. Movie using Fandango's website or fill in the form at supermariosweepstakes.com. Doing either of these actions gives one sweepstakes entry; up to ten entries can be obtained per person. The prize of the sweepstakes is four tickets to the Los Angeles premiere of the movie, a round airline trip to and from Los Angeles, a 500 USD check, and two nights at a hotel. The sweepstakes ends on March 24, 2023.

Soundtrack
A soundtrack will be released via Back Lot Music (' in-house record label) and.

References to other media

 * Donkey Kong: In the coliseum, the platform Mario and Donkey Kong stand on is the red girders from the level 25m. Barrels and blue ladders can also be seen in the same scene. The sound that plays when Donkey Kong obtains a Fire Flower is the same one that plays when a barrel is broken with a hammer in the NES version of the game. Audio from this game is played on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website.
 * Nintendo Entertainment System: The Toad at the antique store asks about an NES cartridge, to which the clerk tells them to blow into it.
 * Wrecking Crew: Foreman Spike appears in the film.
 * Super Mario Bros.: The Warp Pipe sound from this game can be heard several times throughout the movie. The bridge over a sea of jumping Cheep Cheeps that Mario, Princess Peach and Toad walk across is very similar to World 2-3 from this game. A screenshot of the exterior of a fortress can be seen inside the antique store and a nearby barrel contains axes. The store's "open" sign is styled after this game's in-game logo. The Ground Theme, Underground Theme, and Underwater Theme are arranged in this film's score. One of the reviewers on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website is named "anothercaserole", a reference to the Mushroom People's quote, "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" Another reviewer is named "dunnadunnadunna", a vocal interpretation of the main melody of the Underground Theme.
 * The Legend of Zelda series: On the map in the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial, a road in Queens named "Link Street" is shown, which is a reference to Link.
 * Kid Icarus: Audio from the Family Computer Disk System version of the game is played on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website.
 * On the map in the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial, a location in Brooklyn named "Punch Out" is shown. In the thumbnail for the video on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website, it is shown to be a pizzeria (referred to as "Punch-Out Pizzeria" on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website), with the logo harkening back to the NES Punch-Out!! logo. On the Brazilian and French versions of the website, one of the testimonials mentions eating mac and cheese at the restaurant, referencing Little Mac.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2: The design of the poster featuring Toadette is based on the title screen of this game. Magical Potions can be seen in the antique store. Part of the game's Ground Theme is arranged in the film's score.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: Music Boxes, P Switches, P-Wings, Lakitu's Clouds, anchors, treasure chests as they appear in this game's Toad Houses, and a hammer can be seen in the antique store. On the back wall of the store is a picture of Princess Peach as she appears in this game's letters. The Tanooki Suit, which debuted in Super Mario Bros. 3, also appears. The sign above the vertical lift Mario and Toad use resembles the world maps from this game. The Toad House/P Switch music, Spade Panel minigame music, and Hammer Bro mini-boss music are arranged in this film's score.
 * The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!: The Mario Rap is used for the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing ad campaign. Two posters for this film use lyrics from the rap.
 * Super Mario World: The game's coin sound effect plays when the first Toad hits a Coin Block. A Dragon Coin, ! Blocks, Power Balloons, and keys and Trampolines styled after the ones from this game can be spotted in the antique store. Cape Feathers appear in the teaser poster. Rotating Blocks appear in the sixth poster for the film. The map of Peach's Castle and its surrounding areas resemble the world map from this game. The Ground Theme is arranged in the film's score.
 * Mario Kart series: A Rainbow Road appears, which Mario, Peach, Toad, and the Kongs drive karts on (or, in Peach and Cranky Kong's case, bikes). Mario's vehicle resembles a mix of the Standard Kart M and the Pipe Frame, Peach's vehicle resembles the Mach Bike, Toad's vehicle resembles the Tiny Titan, and one of the Koopa Troop's vehicles resembles the Bullet Bike. Additionally, Peach wears her biking outfit in the movie. A winged Spiny Shell appears in one of the posters.
 * Donkey Kong Country series: The Jungle Kingdom, an island that resembles Donkey Kong Island, appears on the model of the surrounding land masses in Peach's Castle; the kingdom is visited in the film. Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Swanky Kong appear on the character poster featuring Donkey Kong.
 * Super Mario All-Stars: Various signs around the Mushroom Kingdom use sprites from this game.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Island appears on the model of the surrounding land masses in Peach's Castle.
 * Super Mario 64: A cannon from this game appears in the teaser poster. The Main Theme is arranged in this film's score. Bob-omb Battlefield appears in the film.
 * Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!: Swanky Kong is in his attire from this game.
 * Yoshi's Story: At the construction site are crates that have pictures of grapes and bananas on them which resemble their depictions from this game. Later, watermelons with zig-zag lines appear on a fruit stand, resembling the watermelons from this game.


 * Super Smash Bros. series: During a fight with Donkey Kong and against a wooden cutout of Bowser, Mario does an overhand punch in midair, which resembles his forward aerial from Super Smash Bros. Melee onwards.
 * Nintendo GameCube: The console's startup jingle plays when clicking the phone icon on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website.
 * Luigi's Mansion series: In the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing voicemail, Luigi mentions (and puts emphasis on) a mansion when listing examples of residences customers may own.
 * Super Mario Sunshine: A Strollin' Stu sound can be heard right before Mario meets Toad, though the sound is very faint. One of the images on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website features a sign with the "Sunshine" part of the logo and suns that resemble Mario's life meter.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Asking about the business' background on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website informs the user that they specialize in the "patented Double Dash Drainage".
 * New Super Mario Bros. series: The "Super Mario Bros." part of the series' logo is used in the logo for Super Mario Bros. Plumbing. As Mario exits the Warp Pipe to Peach's Castle, a "bah" is played. A fortress, as it appears in the series, can be seen in the background when Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom for the first time.
 * Super Mario Galaxy: Lumalee makes an appearance. Bats appear in one of the posters. The whistle heard in the Toad Brigade theme from this game is featured in the film's score. An arrangement of the Toad Brigade theme itself plays when Toad is introduced in the film.
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii: The hills surrounding Peach's Castle resembles the hills from this game. A Bramball appears in Mario's poster and in the film. This game's coin sound can be faintly heard when the second Toad hits a Coin Block. During the scene where Donkey Kong and Mario defend the Mushroom Kingdom from the Koopa Troop, the power-up sound effect from this game plays when Mario eats a Super Mushroom.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns: A pair of Rocket Barrels, as originally seen in this game, appears as part of Donkey Kong's kart.
 * Super Mario 3D Land: A Boomerang Flower can be seen in the antique store. Biddybuds and little birds appear.
 * Mario Kart 7: Mario, Peach and Toad arrive at the Jungle Kingdom via a kart with a glider. On the machine that builds vehicles are reels that resemble the vehicle parts menu.
 * New Super Mario Bros. U: Rocky peaks that resemble the formations seen at Rock-Candy Mines appear. Two Stone-Eyes appear in the background of the Sand Kingdom scene.
 * Mario Kart Arcade GP DX: In one of the posters, the pose Mario is in resembles a pose he takes in this game's key artwork.
 * Super Mario 3D World: Toad and Mario travel through a Clear Pipe, which debuts in this game, to reach Peach's Castle. Mario briefly runs like how he does in this game after reaching the top of the construction site. Voxel Super Bells can be seen at the front of the antique store. Cat Mario appears during the fight with Donkey Kong. Some trees resemble those from this game. Diamond-patterned blocks from this game appear.
 * Mario Kart 8: A design on the vehicle-building machine references the Wii U GamePad's functionality as a horn. Anti-gravity is used in the Rainbow Road scene.
 * Super Mario Maker: The custom cursor on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website is the same as the one found in this game's Course Maker. Builder Toads can be seen when Toad and Mario travel across lifts.
 * Super Mario Odyssey: A Crazy Cap store appears. Patches designed after the Fossil Falls, Tostarena, and Peach's Castle stickers from this game appear on Toad's backpack. The Sand Kingdom is actually visited in the film.
 * Super Mario Maker 2: A Super Hammer appears on a sign at the construction site.

Quotes

 * "Mushroom Kingdom, here we come!" - Mario
 * "Alright... Let's-a go." - Mario
 * "There's a huge universe out there... with a lot of galaxies. They're all counting on us." - Princess Peach
 * "Thank you for calling Super Mario Brothers Plumbing! It's-a me, Luigi! Ah, if you need service, please-uh text us the same number you just called! 929-55-MARIO! That's 929-556-2746! Message us about any issues wherever you live! House, condo... mansion? And we'll be sure to text you back right away, because at Super Mario Brothers Plumbing, we don't say, 'Let's-a wait'; we say, 'Let's-a go!' Oh, and uh, check out our website smbplumbing.com! We're still working on it, so.... more updates to come. Buh-bye!" - Luigi (Super Mario Bros. Plumbing voicemail)
 * "I've finally found it. Now who's gonna stop me!?" - Bowser
 * "DO NOT TOUCH THAT MUSHROOM, YOU'LL DIE!" - Toad
 * "That is but a taste of our fury. Do you yield?" - Penguin king