The Super Smash Bros. Movie

Super Smash Bros.: The Movie is a 2009 computer-animated action-adventure superhero comedy film directed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Wedge, produced by Ayika Sakamoto, Kensuke Tanabe, Steven Mnuchin, and John Davis, written by Terry Rossio and Ron Bass, based on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros. video game series] by Nintendo, based on a screenplay by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and a story by Masahiro Sakurai, translated into English by Gerry Swallow. It is also the seventh film of the Nintendo Cinematic Universe (NCU). It features an ensemble voice cast including Robin Williams, Steve Carell, Katharine McPhee, Danny DeVito, Kiefer Sutherland, Adam Sandler, Andrew Sabiston, Kazumi Totaka, Charlize Theron, Elijah Wood, Jenny McCarthy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tara Strong, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Catherine Disher, Scarlett Johansson, Makiko Ohmoto, Will Ferrell, Eric Newsome, Ryan Reynolds, Sean Schemmel, Rachael Lillis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dakota Fanning, Lani Minella, Dan Woren, Greg Chun, Spike Spencer, David Hayter, Jason Griffith, Freddie Highmore, Tim Blaney, and Jeff Manning.

Set in the fictional Smash-verse, a brand new worldwide tournament was happening in just 10 days. Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Samus Aran, Link, Zelda, Fox McCloud, Popo, Nana, Yoshi, Kirby, King Dedede, Pikachu, with many others, are training for the big tournament, and one will be crowned the greatest fighter of the year. Mario, an all-time winning champion, had his doubts on winning, after hearing that an upcoming challenger had been training ever since the previous tournament the year prior. His name was Dark Master.

Development on a film based on Super Smash Bros. was first conceived in 2000 after the critical success of Super Smash Bros. 64 for the Nintendo 64. Director Shigeru Miyamoto had a plan of making a cinematic SSB film, though never came to full agreement until 2003. 20th Century Fox had approached Nintendo about a film adaptation to the popularity of the series, after the success of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Miyamoto, with producers Ayika Sakamoto and Kensuke Tanabe and writer Masahiro Sakurai, agreed on a film based on the series. Production began in July 2003 and wrapped up in December 2008.

Produced by Nintendo Animation, Davis Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, with Sony Pictures Imageworks and Rhythm & Hues Studios providing animation services and Weta Digital providing performance capture, Super Smash Bros.: The Movie had its world premiere on April 25, 2009 at the Regency Village Theater in Westwood Village, Los Angeles and was theatrically released six days later on May 1, in the United States by 20th Century Fox, and on May 5, in other territories by Warner Bros. Pictures, as the final film in Level One of the NCU. It was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, praising its animation, visual effects, plot, musical score by John Powell, voice cast, humor, themes, and emotional weight, with many praising its use of source material, though some criticized the 115 minute runtime. It was a box office hit, grossing $1.275 billion worldwide on its budget of $350 million, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 2009. A sequel was conceived and had a planned release date of May 30, 2014.

Plot
The film opens with an exciting montage of the various Super Smash Bros. characters training for the upcoming tournament. We see Mario and Luigi sparring, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong practicing their moves, Samus Aran perfecting her aim, Link and Zelda practicing their sword fighting, Fox McCloud testing his Arwing, the Ice Climbers scaling a mountain, Yoshi munching on fruit, Kirby practicing his inhale move, and King Dedede lifting weights.

After the montage, we see Mario and Peach having a conversation about the upcoming tournament. Peach expresses her excitement and confidence that Mario will win, but Mario is hesitant. He reveals that he's heard about a new challenger who has been training since the previous tournament, and he's worried that this challenger will be a serious threat to his championship title.

The new challenger is revealed to be a mysterious figure named Dark Master, who wears a cloak and conceals his face. He has a reputation for being a ruthless fighter who will stop at nothing to win. Throughout the second act, we see Dark Master in training, honing his skills and devising strategies to defeat the other Smash Bros. characters. Meanwhile, the other Smash characters continue to train, but tensions start to rise as they become increasingly competitive with each other. Mario and Donkey Kong have a heated argument over who is the better fighter, and Link and Zelda have a disagreement about tactics.

The tournament begins, and the Smash characters compete in a series of matches. The action is intense and fast-paced, with each character using their unique abilities to try to gain the upper hand. We see Mario and Master Hand go head-to-head, with Mario narrowly escaping defeat. As the tournament continues, Dark Master's true identity is revealed: he is actually a villain from a different dimension who wants to conquer the Smash-verse and enslave its inhabitants. He has been using the tournament as a cover to gather intelligence and test the Smash Bros. characters' fighting abilities. With the stakes raised, the Smash characters must band together to defeat Dark Master and his army of minions. They put aside their differences and work together to come up with a plan to stop Dark Master. The Ice Climbers lead the charge, scaling a tall mountain to reach Dark Master's stronghold, while the other characters distract the villains with a series of intense battles.

In the climactic battle, the Smash characters face off against Dark Master and his army. The action is fast and furious, with each character using their unique abilities to try to gain the upper hand. At one point, it seems like all hope is lost, but Mario rallies the troops with an inspiring speech, and they fight back with renewed vigor. In the final act, the Smash characters emerge victorious. Dark Master is defeated, and the villains are driven back to their own dimension. The Smash characters celebrate their victory, with Mario hoisting the championship trophy high in the air.

As the credits roll, we see a montage of the various characters returning to their own worlds, with each one reflecting on the lessons they learned during the tournament. Mario and Peach share a tender moment, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong make up after their argument, and Link and Zelda reconcile their differences. The film ends with a shot of the Smash-verse, with the characters looking on as the sun sets on a hard-fought victory.

Voice cast

 * Robin Williams as Mario
 * Steve Carell as Luigi
 * Katharine McPhee as Princess Peach
 * Danny DeVito as Wario
 * Kiefer Sutherland as Bowser
 * Adam Sandler as Donkey Kong
 * Andrew Sabiston as Diddy Kong
 * Kazumi Totaka as Yoshi
 * Charlize Theron as Samus Aran
 * Elijah Wood as Link
 * Jenny McCarthy as Princess Zelda
 * Jake Gyllenhaal as Sheik
 * Tara Strong as Toon Link
 * Tom Cruise as Fox McCloud
 * Leonardo DiCaprio as Falco Lombardi
 * Johnny Depp as Wolf O'Donnell
 * Catherine Disher as Popo
 * Scarlett Johansson as Nana
 * Makiko Ohmoto as Kirby
 * Will Ferrell as King Dedede
 * Eric Newsome as Meta Knight
 * Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu
 * Sean Schemmel as Lucario
 * Rachael Lillis as Jigglypuff
 * Arnold Schwarzenegger as Captain Falcon
 * Dakota Fanning as Ness
 * Lani Minella as Lucas
 * Dan Woren as Mr. Game & Watch
 * Greg Chun as Ike
 * Spike Spencer as Marth
 * David Hayter as Solid Snake
 * Jason Griffith as Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Freddie Highmore as Pit
 * Tim Blaney as R.O.B.
 * Jeff Manning as the Announcer
 * Manning also provides the voice of Master Hand
 * Hugh Jackman as Dark Master

Development
The hard-planned development first came up in the year 2000, after the critical success of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64. Shigeru Miyamoto had once conceived the idea of a cinematic Smash Bros. film that year, though the company had declined the idea initially at the time, due to the critical and commercial failure of Super Mario Bros. (1993). Miyamoto had tried explaining ways that the cinematic Smash Bros. film couldn't fail, though most employees were still skeptical on the film.

In 2003, the idea was brought up again, and the employees were now thinking of the idea being a reality. Ayika Sakamoto and Kensuke Tanabe, two producers responsible for the Smash Bros. games, was hired to produce the theatrical film, which would be a fully computer-animated film. Around the same time, 20th Century Fox had approached the company prior to the events mentioned before, and Miyamoto gladly accepted the idea, and had shared it with employees at Nintendo. Chris Wedge of Blue Sky Studios served as director of the film with Miyamoto, while John Davis and Steven Mnuchin served as producer with Sakamoto and Tanabe.

The storyboarding process began in July 2004. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, a film production and scriptwriting duo, was hired to write the screenplay of the film, with Masahiro Sakurai providing a scripted story. Since it was in Japanese, Gerry Swallow helped translate the script into English. The storyboarding process concluded on November 5, 2006.

Casting
At the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con International, Miyamoto stated that Super Smash Bros. would feature an ensemble cast, and that the most important element of the film would be "great characters so that the audience feels they're going on this journey with them". He also noted that the title had a double meaning, referring not only to the superheroes but also to the characters, all of whom are fighters. He and Wedge wanted each of the characters to be well-developed enough to be able to stand alone.

Visual effects and animation
The visual effects and animation was provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks, with additional work done in its Canadian studio, and additional visual effects work was provided by Rhythm & Hues Studios. The style of each character was altered slightly, though kept the same feel as the original games. For characters such as King Dedede, facial motion capture was provided by Weta Digital. At the time of the film's production, Weta had been working with Fox on Avatar, directed by James Cameron. Because of this, Weta had to simultaneously do the motion capture work for Super Smash Bros., while they also had to do motion capture work for Avatar, making a combined total of 10,300 hours.

Music
"Further information: Super Smash Bros.: The Movie (soundtrack) and Music of the Nintendo Cinematic Universe"The music for Super Smash Bros.: The Movie was composed by John Powell. Original music samples from Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee were re-orchestrated by Powell. The score's album was released on Warner Bros. Records on May 1, 2009, coinciding with the film's release. The film's soundtrack album was released on May 5, 2009 by Interscope Records. The album charted at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received certified triple platinum from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

On April 3, 2009, it was confirmed that the lead single of the soundtrack is a song by American single and rapper Sean Kingston called "Fire Burning" to be included on the film's soundtrack album, and to be released exclusively on radio and digital download on April 24. The second single, "I Gotta Feeling", is sung by America group The Black Eyed Peas, who allowed their label, Interscope Records, to release the film's soundtrack.

Marketing
The marketing campaign started in full swing on October 18, 2008, when the teaser trailer made its debut, first online at the official Volkswagen website at 8:45 p.m. EDT, then 8:55 p.m. EDT across media outlets owned by Nickelodeon (the owner of MTV Networks), including Nicktoons Network and TeenNick. That trailer appeared in theatres attached to Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, which opened on November 7. Super Smash Bros.: The Movie was marketed alongside Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which was in its finalization process. The first teaser poster for the film was revealed on February 15, 2009, which depicted the Smash Ball, with a golden glow shining around it, with shadows of Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, Link, Star-Fox, Kirby, Samus, Captain Falcon, and Pikachu present in front of the Smash Ball, with the text: "PREPARE FOR THE BIG DAY" above it.

Theatrical
Super Smash Bros.: The Movie premiered at the Regency Village Theater on April 25, 2009 in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, and was later theatrically released on May 1, 2009 in the United States by 20th Century Fox, on May 5, 2009 in other territories by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for violence, rude humor and mild language.

Home media
Super Smash Bros.: The Movie was released on DVD, Blu-ray and Universal Media Disc (UMD) on November 3, 2009 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The film was also collected in a 10-disc box set titled "Nintendo Cinematic Universe: Level One – The Beginning" which includes all of the Level One films in the Nintendo Cinematic Universe, released on June 22, 2010.

Box office
Super Smash Bros.: The Movie opened theatrically in North America and Japan on May 1, 2009 and peaked at #1 with its opening of $286.1 million on its first day. The film grossed $758 million in the United States and Canada and $517 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $1.275 million on its budget of $350 million.

Critical response
Super Smash Bros.: The Movie received near critical acclaim upon release, with many considering it one of the greatest films of all time, and one of the greatest video game films of all time. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 97% based on 288 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.55/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Gorgeously animated, heart-pounding, and possibly the greatest action movie from Nintendo yet, Super Smash Bros. can easily hype up any fan of the original video games with its more mature themes compared to other films, and possibly some of the greatest visuals for the beloved characters." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore assigned the film a rare grade "A+" on its scale of A+ to F.

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