Chris Pratt provides the voice of Mario in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie, and today at New York Comic Con, Universal Pictures and Nintendo released the first teaser video. The film will include a full ensemble of voice actors bringing the world of Super Mario to life for the big screen, based on the Japanese video game property that has had a lively and active fandom for over forty years. In addition to Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy voices Princess Peach, Charlie Day plays Luigi, Jack Black voices Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key voices Toad, Seth Rogen voices Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen voices Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson voices Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco voices Spike.
Pratt’s casting has been heavily criticised ever since the film’s announcement, with many viewers, worried that he would execute an exaggerated imitation of an Italian accent. While Illumination’s CEO defended Pratt’s hiring earlier in the summer, Pratt himself came forth to clarify that he is only providing his voice for the part and not appearing in any live-action scenes. Some eyebrows were raised when it was revealed that Pratt will be voicing both Garfield, the lasagna-loving cat, and Mario. It was just last week that the first movie poster was released, and it showed Toad welcoming Mario into a familiar environment, much to the dismay of the other toads, who were horrified by Mario’s entrance.
This has left many fans wondering when the film will be set. In today’s teaser, we see Mario’s voyage to the Mushroom Kingdom, putting an end to the mystery of how he got there. The clip also featured Bowser’s blazing anger as he struggles with a flock of cute penguins. Though the preview was brief, the animation is impressive. Immediately after the teaser was unveiled, Jack Black walked up to talk about his role while dressed in a flamboyant flame-themed ensemble. Matthew Fogel (The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Minions: The Rise of Gru) wrote the screenplay, while Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! to the Movies) directed the Super Mario Bros. film. Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination, and Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto served as producers, with funding from both Universal Pictures and Nintendo.
Its official release date is set for April 7, 2023.