The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Disney Version)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a 2023 American computer-animated action-adventure comedy film based on Nintendo's Mario video game franchise. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Nintendo, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 61st film produced by the studio, it was directed by Don Hall and Byron Howard, co-directed by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston, and produced by Clark Spencer, Roy Conli and Nintendo's founder Shigeru Miyamoto, from a writer J. David Stem, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick, and David Ronn. The ensemble voice cast includes Chris Pratt, Jayma Mays, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, John Cena, and Steve Carell. The film features an origin story for the brothers Mario and Luigi, two Italian-American plumbers who are transported to an alternate world and become entangled in a battle between the Mushroom Kingdom, led by Princess Peach, and the Koopas, led by Bowser.

After the critical and commercial failure of the 1993 live-action Mario film, Nintendo became reluctant to license one of its intellectual properties for film adaptations. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto became interested in developing another film when Nintendo was bringing its older games to the Virtual Console service, and through Nintendo's work with Walt Disney World to create Super Nintendo World, he met Walt Disney Animation Studios. By 2016, the two were discussing a Mario film and, in January 2018, Nintendo announced that it would collaborate with Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures to produce it. Production was underway by 2020, and the cast was announced in September 2021.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie premiered at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles on March 31, 2023 and was theatrically released in the United States on May 26, 2023. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but a more positive response from audiences. It has grossed $1.750 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2023 and setting box-office records for the biggest worldwide opening weekend for an animated film and the highest-grossing film based on a video game.

Voice Cast

 * Chris Pratt as Mario, a struggling Italian-American plumber from Brooklyn, New York, who is accidentally transported to the world of the Mushroom Kingdom and embarks on a quest to save his brother.
 * Jayma Mays as Princess Peach, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario's mentor and love interest, who entered the world of the Mushroom Kingdom as an infant and was raised by the Toads.
 * Charlie Day as Luigi, Mario's timid younger brother and fellow plumber, who is captured by Bowser and his army.
 * Jack Black as Bowser, the King of the Koopas, who rules the Dark Lands, steals a powerful Super Star, and plots to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom by marrying Peach.
 * Kevin Hart as Toad, a Mushroom Kingdom resident whose species is also named Toad, who aspires to go on his first real adventure.
 * John Cena as Donkey Kong, a powerful anthropomorphic gorilla and heir to the throne of the Jungle Kingdom.
 * Steve Carell as King Cranky Kong, the ruler of the Jungle Kingdom, and Donkey Kong's father.
 * Jake Gyllenhaal as Spike, Mario and Luigi's former boss from Wrecking Crew.
 * Brendan Gleeson as Mario's dad
 * Alan Tudyk as Kamek, a Koopa sorcerer and Bowser's advisor and informant.

Additionally, Charles Martinet, who voices Mario and Luigi in the Mario games, voices Giuseppe, a Brooklyn citizen who resembles Mario's original appearance in Donkey Kong and speaks in his in-game voice. Bonnie Hunt voices Mario and Luigi's mother, while Josh Dallas and Nate Torrence voice the brothers' uncles, Tony and Arthur, respectively. Paul Briggs voices the Penguin King, the ruler of the Ice Kingdom descended upon by Bowser's army, while Leah Latham, voices Lumalee, a nihilistic blue Luma held prisoner by Bowser, and Jesse Corti voices the Koopa General, the winged, blue-shelled leader of Bowser's army. Pauline and Diddy Kong make voiced cameos as the mayor of New York City and as a crowd member viewing Mario's fight with Donkey Kong, respectively.

Development
After the critical and commercial failure of the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film adaptation, the Japanese video game company Nintendo became wary of licensing its properties for film adaptations. According to Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, the idea for a new Mario film came from bringing their older games to the Virtual Console and other services. Such transitions took time for the company, and Miyamoto recognized that "our content business would be able to develop even further if we were able to combine our long-beloved software with that of video assets, and utilize them together for extended periods". Miyamoto knew that the process of making a film was far different from that of making a video game, and wanted a film expert to lead the effort.

Following the November 2014 hack of Sony Pictures, emails between producer Avi Arad, studio chief Amy Pascal, TriStar Pictures head Tom Rothman, and Sony Pictures Animation president of production Michelle Raimo Kouyate were released, revealing that Sony had been attempting to secure the film rights to the Mario franchise for several years. Arad visited Nintendo in Tokyo in February and July 2014 in an attempt to secure a deal. In October, Arad emailed Pascal and said he had closed the deal with Nintendo. Pascal suggested recruiting Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania director Genndy Tartakovsky to help develop the project, while Kouyate said she could "think of 3–4 movies right out of the gate" and hoped to build a "Mario empire". However, after the emails leaked, Arad denied that a deal had been made, stating that negotiations had only begun. BuzzFeed News noted that the emails did not take into account potential conflicts with Sony Pictures' corporate sibling Sony Interactive Entertainment, one of Nintendo's chief competitors.

Through Nintendo's work with Walt Disney World to create Mario-based attractions, later resulting in Super Nintendo World, Miyamoto met John Lasseter, founder Walt Disney Animation Studios animation division. Miyamoto found Meledandri's creative process similar to his own and felt he would be the proper lead for a Mario film. They had started more earnest discussions by 2016, knowing that if they felt it would not work that they could easily walk away. In November 2017, reports emerged that Nintendo was collaborating with Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios to make an animated Mario film. Then-Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima clarified that a deal had not been finalized, but that an announcement would come soon. Kimishima hoped that if the deal were successful, a 2020 release date would be possible.

In January 2018, Nintendo announced that the film would progress with Miyamoto, Clark Spencer and Roy Conli co-producing. Spencer said the film was a "priority" for Walt Disney Animation Studios and that it would most likely come out in 2022. He added that Miyamoto would be "front and center" during production. In January 2020, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated that the film was "moving along smoothly" with an expected 2023 release date. Furukawa also said Nintendo would own the rights to the film, and both Nintendo and Universal would fund the production.

In August 2021, it emerged that Don Hall and Byron Howard will directing the film after Big Hero 6 and The Smurfs. Following the full casting announcement, Hall was confirmed to be directing, Shrek 2 writers, J. David Stem and David N. Weiss along with Zookeeper writers Jay Scherick and David Ronn wrote for the writer. In September 2022, it was announced by New York Comic Con that the film's teaser trailer would be released on October 6, 2022;the teaser formally revealed the film's title, The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Casting
In February 2021, Mario voice actor Charles Martinet said the possibility of reprising his role in the film would be a "marvelous thing" and that if he were asked to voice Mario he would "go in and play with great joy and happiness". In August 2021, Jake Gyllenhaal revealed he was voicing Spike, Mario and Luigi's boss from the game Wrecking Crew (video game)|Wrecking Crew (1985). During a September 2021 Nintendo Direct presentation, Shigeru Miyamoto announced that Chris Pratt, Jayma Mays, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, John Cena, Alan Tudyk, Steve Carell, Brendan Gleeson and Gyllenhaal would headline the voice cast and that Martinet would be featured in "surprise cameos". The announcement was met with a mixed reaction from fans; while some welcomed the idea of celebrity actors voicing the characters, others questioned and criticized the choices, in particular Pratt as Mario instead of Martinet (who has voiced the character since 1991) or an Italian actor.

Music
During an October 2022 Nintendo Direct presentation, Conli confirmed that Henry Jackman was set to compose the score for the film. Jackman worked closely with longtime Mario composer Koji Kondo to incorporate themes from the games within the film's score.He described the composition as "big", featuring an orchestra, choir and bands, as well as "Italian instruments, accordions, live drums, mandolins […] whistling human voices", and "eight-bit [sounds]". Recording sessions for the score began on October 17, 2022, at the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Sound mixing took place at Skywalker Sound, where Kondo and Miyamoto responded positively to a fifteen-minute suite of new themes Jackman had written for the film. Music in the film references leitmotifs from Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64, and Super Mario 3D Land, among other Mario games.

Songs from Jack Black and Kevin Hart were improvised for the film. Black Hydra composed the music for its official trailer, called "Super Mushroom", based on the Super Mario Bros. theme. The instrumental was released on November 30, 2022, on YouTube.

In a March 2023 video, Seth Rogen shared that Donkey Kong is introduced in the film accompanied by the title theme music from Donkey Kong 64, the "DK Rap", composed by Grant Kirkhope. In contrast to the licensed songs that were used in the film, Kirkhope did not receive credit for the "DK Rap" in the film's end credits, an oversight the composer found disappointing.

Jack Black co-wrote the song "Peaches", wherein Bowser professes his love for Princess Peach, alongside the directors, editor Eric Osmond, and song producer John Spiker. Having Bowser perform a love song was Black's idea. "Peaches" was released on April 7, 2023, with a music video directed by Cole Bennett. According to Black, it was filmed within a few hours. Upon its initial release, "Peaches" appeared on No. 61 on the iTunes streaming chart.Later, the song appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching position 83.

Theatrical
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was released theatrically in the United States on May 26, 2023, and will be released in Japan on April 28, in both regular formats and in Disney Digital 3-D, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema and IMAX 2D and 3D.

Home Media
The Super Mario Bros. Movie will see a release on premium video-on-demand at June 9. It will also be available to stream on Disney+ in July 2023.