Super Mario Bros. (2009 film)

Super Mario Bros. is a 2009 computer-animated action-adventure comedy film based on the video game franchise of the same name by Nintendo. Directed by Ash Brannon, it is produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Neal H. Moritz, and written by Miyamoto, Joe Stillman, Brian Lynch and Aaron Sorkin based on a screenplay by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Produced by Universal Animation Studios, Nintendo Films and Original Film, and distributed by Universal Pictures, it features the voices of Zac Efron, Amy Poehler, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Black, Gilbert Gottfried and Patrick Warburton. In the film, two Italian plumbers named Mario and Luigi are struggling to make business in Brooklyn. But when investigating a pipe leakage beneath the surface, they both get teleported to a colorful and vibrant atmosphere called The Mushroom Kingdom. There, they meet: Princess Peach, the ruler of the Kingdom; Toad, a joyful and energetic mushroom-like man; and Donkey Kong, a loyal ape who is a guard for the Kingdom. Reports of an attack from Bowser was to hit the Mushroom Kingdom, and it is left up to Mario and Luigi to defeat Bowser and save the Kingdom from certain destruction.

Super Mario Bros. had a prior effort in 1993 with Hollywood Pictures, to a critical and commercial failure. Shigeru Miyamoto was so appalled by the disappointment that he declined the production of any further Nintendo film adaptations, leading to a planned Zelda movie being cancelled in 1994. Universal Pictures was interested in producing a Mario film in 2003, and later approached Shigeru Miyamoto. Fast & Furious producer Neal H. Moritz of his Original Film production company purchased the rights to the film the year prior. As the Nintendo GameCube was proven to be a moderate commercial success, Miyamoto was still reluctant in producing a Mario film. However, the two companies reached a tentative deal to make the film entirely via computer-animation. The development began in September 2004, with the voice cast being announced in February 2005. Universal Animation Studios was attached to the project in July 2004. The animation was produced at Universal Animation Studios' main facilities in Universal City, California. Christopher Lennertz composed the film's score.

Super Mario Bros. premiered on September 12, 2009 at the Regency Village Theater, before it was theatrically released on November 27, 2009 by Universal Pictures. The film was accompanied by the 2009 animated short film Shot-to-Dot. Upon release, the film received universal acclaim from critics, audiences and fans of the video games, with praise for the animation, voice cast, screenplay, musical score by Christopher Lennertz, plot, story, Easter eggs and references to the classic games, and faithfulness to the source material. Grossing $1.202 billion worldwide against its $120 million production budget, Super Mario Bros. broke numerous box office records, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2009 (until it was surpassed by James Cameron's Avatar), the highest-grossing animated film of 2009, and is currently the twenty-sixth-highest-grossing film of all time behind Iron Man 3, and the sixth-highest-grossing animated film of all time behind Incredibles 2.

The film's success spawned a media franchise alongside the main video game series, which includes two sequels: Super Mario Bros. 2: The Next Level in 2013 and Super Mario Bros. 3: The Wrath of to the Koopas in 2016; and a spin-off 2D animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon in 2011. The show serves as a reboot to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, a 2D animated cartoon produced by DIC Entertainment.