Let’s be honest: iconic game franchise Super Mario Bros doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to the big screen. After all, its first film adaption, 1993’s live-action Super Mario Bros, was such a stinker that most of the talent involved in it – including Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto – would rather forget that it existed.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that, nearly 30 years later, Nintendo’s iconic, moustachioed plumber hasn’t been anywhere near the movies since. Well, that’s set to change, with the announcement that a new Super Mario movie is finally heading to cinemas. But this time, it’s going to look a bit different…
Yep, the new Mario movie is set to be an animated extravaganza, brought to us by Illumination – the animation house behind the super-successful Despicable Me franchise and best known for bringing the mischievous Minions into modern pop culture. Universal Pictures and Nintendo will be partnering on the project, with Miyamoto himself serving as a co-producer and creative consultant.
So, here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Super Mario animated film…
Super Mario animated film cast
Production is underway on the Super Mario animated movie, but no members of the voice cast have been revealed yet. We’re expecting some big names, though, especially given Mario’s status as the godfather of console gaming.
Illumination is no stranger to starry voice casts – their previous films have featured A-list vocals from the likes of Steve Carell, Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon. We imagine there’ll be a whole bunch of 80s/90s gaming fans turned Hollywood stars chomping at the bit to lend their dulcet tones to the likes of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Bowser.
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Super Mario animated film trailer
There’s no trailer for the film at the moment – it’s early days for the production, so we wouldn’t expect to see any footage for a while yet.
It’s safe to assume though, what with this adaptation coming from one of the most creative animation houses in the business today, that whatever we do end up with will look amazing. Unlike the 1993 monstrosity, that is, which largely eschewed the colourful Mushroom Kingdom for a drab, real-world setting. For an extra hit of nostalgia, you can watch the 90s-tastic trailer for that film below...
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Super Mario animated film release date
Universal and Illumination are planning to release the Super Mario animated movie some time in 2022, so we won’t have all that long to wait to finally see our favourite dungaree-wearing plumber back on the big screen. Wahoo!
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