Chris Meledandri

"I am speaking on behalf of our directors, Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath, and the entire Illumination crew of artists, when I tell you that producing The Super Mario Bros. Movie with you and your team at Nintendo has been an absolute privilege. Our crew is filled with Mario fanatics, and they're bringing the very best of their talent to this film everyday."

- Chris Meledandri

 is an American film producer and the founder and chief executive officer of Illumination, an animation studio division of, as well as the producer of every film released under the studio to date. Additionally, he serves as a senior advisor for following Universal's acquisition of them in 2016. Prior to founding Illumination, Meledandri was president of and served as executive producer for several films released by the now-defunct.

Meledandri serves as co-producer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie alongside Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. He has stated that Miyamoto would be "front and center" in creation of the film. In 2021, he was appointed the role of Outside Director on Nintendo's board of directors, and is expected to assist Nintendo in their further endeavors into visual content.