The first trailer for Nintendo’s animated “Super Mario Bros.” movie is finally here, as Chris Pratt brings the mustachioed, Italian plumber to life. The trailer debuted during a Nintendo Direct video presentation on Thursday, Oct. 6.
Alongside Pratt as its central character, the “Mario” movie boasts a star-studded cast of Mushroom Kingdom characters including Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike.
The trailer opens on Bowser and his massive, fiery castle descending upon an ice kingdom. Bowser’s army of Koopa Troopas, led by Spike the Magikoopa, face off against the ice kingdom’s legions of blue penguins, seen in the “Mario” games. However, the penguins’ snowballs are no match for Bowser. He burns down the icy castle and takes control of a “Mario” star power-up.
“I finally found it. Now, who’s gonna stop me?” Bowser yells.
Enter: everyone’s favorite Italian plumber. In a new scene, Mario flies through a green pipe into the Mushroom Kingdom, where he bounces off huge, red mushrooms until he flops on the ground. The “Mario” theme song twinkles in the background as he awakens to find Toad. “What is this place?” Mario wonders aloud, in a very Pratt-like voice. Toad leads Mario through the valley of gigantic mushrooms, with Princess Peach’s castle looming in the distance. After the credits roll, the trailer ends with Luigi being chased through a spooky forest by a group of Dry Bones.
The “Mario” movie was announced in September 2021 with an original December 2022 release date, but the film has since been delayed to April 27, 2023. Illumination Entertainment, the studio behind hit movies like the “Despicable Me,” “Minions” and “Sing” films, is making the movie with Nintendo. Chris Meledandri is producing for Illumination, along with Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic are directing, and the script is from Matthew Fogel.
Pratt, who is not an Italian plumber in real life, recently teased his Mario voice, calling it “unlike anything you’ve heard” in the popular “Super Mario. Bros” video games.
“I worked really closely with the directors and trying out a few things and landed on something that I’m really proud of and can’t wait for people to see and hear,” Pratt told Variety. “It’s an animated voiceover narrative. It’s not a live-action movie. I’m not gonna be wearing a plumber suit running all over. I’m providing a voice for an animated character, and it is updated and unlike anything you’ve heard in the ‘Mario’ world before.”