Game Over: Super Mario Bros. Film Cast Announced by Nintendo, Causing Divide Amongst Fans
The Japanese video game company Nintendo and American film distributor Universal Pictures partnered up with animation studio Illumination to create a film based on the Super Mario Bros. franchise.
Illustration by Naomi Ruiz | The Corsair
On September 23, Nintendo announced the cast for the Super Mario Bros. animated film adaptation. The project is produced by the studio Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures during Nintendo’s online live show to present future content Nintendo Direct. The celebrities that will be lending their voices to the film are Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. Charles Martinet who voiced the character since 1992, is relegated to voicing other characters in the franchise.
The 1981 arcade game “Donkey Kong” introduced the character Mario, who grew in popularity after Nintendo’s 1983 Donkey Kong spin-off titled ‘’Mario Bros.’’ Mario was eventually adopted as Nintendo’s official mascot. Before the announcement of a new animated Mario movie, the last adaptation was 1993's ‘’Super Mario Bros.’’At the time of the Illumination film release, it’ll have been 29 years since the live-action movie.
Randy Abrams, who executive produced ‘’S.A.L.E.M.: The Secret Archives of Legends, Enchantments, and Monsters’’, worked in marketing for the English dub release of the Studio Ghibli film ‘’Kiki’s Delivery Service’’ and for the Disney Channel show “Phineas and Ferb,” is familiar with the Mario franchise. Randy has worked in animation for 24 years, and he had his own thoughts about Chris Pratt’s casting as the casting announcement generated surprised reactions amongst fans. “That's what casting is all about, it’s like finding the right person that best fits the role,” Abrams said.
According to Abrams, many fans of animation and games have argued about professional voice actors being left behind for lead roles in big budget animated films. The news of the cast sparked discussion and debates on whether animation studios truly value professional voice actors. “I try my best to not get emotional about it, because so many of my friends are top voice actors, like on one of my projects,” said Abrams.
Abrams wants to see professional voice actors be cast for lead roles in big budget animated movies, but he understands that all the decisions are financially related. “There are almost no voiceover talent that will have that kind of drive to the box office...You’re trying to get the best people for the roles, obviously, but you’re also trying to make sure you have a viable box office,” Abrams says.
The film titled “Super Mario Bros: The Movie” is currently in pre-production according to IMDB. The teaser poster displayed the names of the cast list with the question mark block which appears throughout the series, usually seen floating in mid air. The film’s design or story has not been shown yet, as it is still in development at Illumination.
The film releases December 21, 2022.
