- This article is about the 2005 film. For the 1993 live-action film, see Super Mario Bros. (1993 film). For the 2023 computer-animated film, see The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
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The Super Mario Movie is a 2005 computer-animated fantasy adventure comedy film based on Nintendo's Mario video game franchise. Directed by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter, and produced by Nintendo, it is the fourth feature-film adaptation of Nintendo's video game series Mario, following the 1993 live-action film Super Mario Bros. and the 1986 Japanese-only anime film Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! and serves as the first feature-film in the franchise. It is also the first film in the Nintendo Cinematic Universe (NCU). The film stars Robin Williams and Steve Carell as the titular brothers, alongside Natalie Portman, Kiefer Sutherland, Kel Mitchell, Adam Sandler, Mel Brooks, and many others in supporting roles.
After the critical and commercial failure of the 1993 live-action Mario film, Jordan Kerner bought the rights in late 1996. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto became interested in developing the first film during the development of the Nintendo GameCube. Development for an animated Mario film began in mid-1997 but did not leave the planning stage until Sony Pictures acquired the rights in 1998. Through Nintendo's work with Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood to create Super Mario Parks, which had canceled until June 2017, now Super Nintendo World, he met with Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios CEO John Lasseter. By 2000, they were discussing a Mario film and, in January 2001, Nintendo announced that it would produce it with Universal Pictures. Production was underway by 2001, and the cast was announced in September 2002.
The Super Mario Movie premiered at the Mann Village Theater on May 24, 2005, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 1, 2005 by Sony Pictures Releasing, under the Columbia Pictures label, followed by an international release on June 22, 2005 by Universal Pictures overseas and by Toho in Japan, as the first film in Phase One of the NCU. The film received positive reviews from critics, praising its animation, voice cast, visual effects, musical score by Rupert Gregson-Williams and its story, though some criticized its runtime and plot.
The film was a box office success, grossing $1.049 billion worldwide on its budget of $115 million, making it the highest-grossing film of 2005 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. Two sequels followed: The Super Mario Movie 2: Level Up! (2011), and The Super Mario Movie 3: Yoshi Land (2016). The rights for their film is sold off to Universal on February 9, 2010.
Plot[]
Italian-American brothers Mario and Luigi run a plumbing service in Brooklyn, New York, and while they are well respected in the city, they are currently struggling financially due to a lack of plumbing emergencies in the city, as well as a rival business stealing clients from them. Luigi contemplates starting a new career, or even moving out, but Mario convinces him not to, reminding him of their personal motto "A Mario Brother never says can't."
The next day, the brothers are called by a man who says that none of his pipes in the house are working at all. The brothers investigate, and end up stumbling across a large system of pipes, and after entering a large green one, are sucked in through a strange portal. The brothers find themselves in a mysterious new world known as the Mushroom Kingdom, and are met with Toad; the top servant for the princess of the kingdom.
The brothers are led throughout the kingdom, and are brought to the castle, where they meet Princess Peach, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. She welcomes them to the kingdom, insisting that they stay as long as they want. Peach informs them that the Mushroom Kingdom, as well as the many other kingdoms of the world, each get their power from magical Power Stars. However, the kingdom is invaded by the evil Koopa Kingdom, led by King Bowser, who has been stealing all the other kingdoms' Power Stars, aiming to use them to rule over all kingdoms, and become all-powerful. Peach refuses to tell Bowser where the Power Star for the Mushroom Kingdom is, so he kidnaps her, sending the kingdom into a panic.
Mario and Luigi, distraught over everything, decide to go after Bowser and rescue Peach, by going across the many kingdoms to reach the Koopa Kingdom. Toad accompanies them, being the only one who knows how to get to the Koopa Kingdom. As the 3 embark on their journey, they are faced with various obstacles and traps meant to keep the kingdoms safe from intruders. After many failed attempts, the brothers eventually manage to overcome them and continue their rescue mission. Meanwhile, Bowser keeps Peach locked within a dungeon cage, while she continuously refuses to tell him the location of her Power Star. Bowser attempts to make a deal with Peach: He will not take the Power Star if she marries him. Peach is repulsed by the offer, and declines.
The Mario Brothers and Toad find themselves at the Kong Kingdom, a kingdom run by talking apes known as Kongs, led by King Cranky Kong. He allows Luigi and Toad to pass through his kingdom, but refuses to let Mario through, recalling an incident years ago where Mario captured him after he escaped the zoo and went on a rampage in Brooklyn. Toad is eventually able to convince Cranky Kong to give Mario a chance. Cranky Kong agrees to let Mario through if he can beat his son Donkey Kong in a battle.
During the battle, Mario struggles to lay a single hit on Donkey Kong, but is given special abilities from various items from Toad. Using these abilities, he is able to win against Donkey Kong. After the battle, Cranky Kong realizes that the Kong Kingdom’s Power Star was stolen by Bowser, and the Kongs agree to help the brothers on their adventure. They use vehicles they built called Kong Karts to drive across a magical road called the Rainbow Road to reach the Koopa Kingdom faster.
Bowser, in another attempt to get Peach to marry him, sings a romantic love song to win her heart, but Peach remains unfazed by it. Bowser is then informed that the Mario Brothers are arriving, so he sends an army of Koopa troops to stop them. During the ensuing battle, the General of the Koopa army destroys the road in an explosion, separating Mario, Luigi, Toad and Donkey Kong from the rest of the Kongs, who are then kidnapped by the Koopa army.
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Voice cast[]
- Robin Williams as Mario, an Italian American plumber from Brooklyn, New York.
- Natalie Portman as Princess Peach, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, and Mario's love interest, who entered the world of the Mushroom Kingdom as an infant and was raised by the Toads.
- Steve Carell as Luigi, an Italian American plumber and the younger twin brother of Mario, who has a sense of envy and reverence towards.
- Kiefer Sutherland 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.
- Kel Mitchell as Toad, a Mushroom Kingdom resident whose species is also named Toad, who aspires to go on his first real adventure.
- Adam Sandler as Donkey Kong, a powerful gorilla who is often depicted as a friendly rival to Mario.
- Joe Ranft as Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong's little brother.
- Mel Brooks as Cranky Kong, Donkey Kong's grandfather.
- Michael Peña as Wayne Whipple
- Jemaine Clement as Nigel, Luigi's best friend.
- Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike, Mario and Luigi's antagonistic former boss from a company called Wrecking Crew.
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, a Koopa sorcerer and Bowser's advisor and informant.
Additionally, Charles Martinet, who voices Mario and Luigi in the Mario games, voices the brothers' father and Giuseppe, a Brooklyn citizen who resembles Mario's original appearance in Donkey Kong and speaks in his in-game voice. Jessica DiCicco voices the brothers' mother, the plumbing commercial woman, a yellow Toad, and Luigi's bully. Rino Romano and John DiMaggio 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 Eric Bauza voices the Toad General. Della Sabha, voices Lumalee, a nihilistic blue Luma held prisoner by Bowser and baby Peach, and Scott Menville voices the Koopa General, the winged, blue-shelled leader of Bowser's army, as well as a red Toad.
Production[]
Development[]
After the critical and commercial failure of the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film adaptation, the suggestion for a computer-animated Mario film was first put forward by Jordan Kerner during a script meeting. Kerner met Shigeru Miyamoto, founder of Nintendo. Nintendo of America president and Hiroshi Yamauchi's son-in law, Minoru Arakawa. He presented Arakawa with an initial draft of the script. One month after their meeting, Kerner went to Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto to meet Hiroshi Yamauchi. He pitched to Yamauchi the storyline which led to Nintendo receiving interest in the project. Kerner left with a $2 million contract giving the temporary control of the character of Mario over to Kerner. Nintendo retained merchandising rights for the film through a "creative partnership" with Sony Pictures. According to Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, the idea for a new Mario film came from bringing their older games to the upcoming 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.
Through Nintendo's work with Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Florida to create Mario-based attractions, later resulting in Super Mario Parks, now Super Nintendo World, Miyamoto met John Lasseter, founder of Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Pixar Animation Studios animation division. Miyamoto found Lasseter'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 November 1998, knowing that if they felt it would not work that they could easily walk away. In May 1999, Nintendo announced that the film would progress with Miyamoto, Neal H. Moritz, Shinichi Ikematsu and Kerner co-producing. Lasseter said the film was a "priority" for Columbia Pictures and that it would most likely come out in 2004. He added that Miyamoto would be "front and center" during production. In January 2000, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated that the film was "moving along smoothly" with an expected 2005 release date. Furukawa also said Nintendo would own the rights to the film, and both Nintendo and Sony would fund the production. The Super Mario Movie was first officially announced on August 10, 2000, at the San Diego Comic-Con, with a June 1, 2005 release date.
In August 2002, it emerged that Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter after previously co-directly Monsters, Inc. (2001). Following the full casting announcement, the three were confirmed to be directing, Shrek 2 writers, J. David Stem and David N. Weiss wrote the screenplay along with Andrew Adamson and Joe Stillman; Stem and Weiss also wrote the story attached as the screenwriter. In May 2004, it was announced by New York Comic Con that the film's teaser trailer would be released on October 6, 2004. Shortly thereafter, Ed Skudder confirmed that he worked as head of story on the film, along with Paul Briggs (who also voices King Penguin in the film), in addition to Don Hall, Rich Moore and Chris Williams as a co-director.
Writing[]
Stem and Weiss wanted their work on the film to be the opposite of the "irreverent" Shrek 2, aiming to develop a faithful adaptation of the games, which they both felt had not been done before, as well as something "more cinematic" and "more emotional" than Shrek 2. "When people probably first heard our names attached to the movie, they expected we'd do the Shrek 2 treatment to Mario", said Weiss. "But every project we come to, we make new choices depending on who the audience is and what we're going for". Stem asserted that Nintendo involved themselves with every aspect of the production, "from story to visual development to the animation".
The duo wanted the film to serve as an "origin story" for Mario and Luigi, opting to portray them as "blue-collar guys" by focusing on their previous backgrounds as Italian-American plumbers from New York City in early games (specifically Brooklyn, as in older American media). They also wanted to reflect how gamers win in the games by not giving up in spite of making mistakes, turning that into a character trait for the film's portrayal of Mario. For a while, "the filmmakers were very committed" to that version of the story, but then in November 2002, the filmmakers realized the film's plot would be more engaging if they reversed Princess Peach and Luigi's roles from the games, with Peach helping Mario for saving the world from Bowser, because they felt having them in their original roles was "too straightforward".
Casting[]
In February 2003, 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 June 2003, Sebastian Maniscalco revealed he was voicing Spike, Mario and Luigi's boss from the game Wrecking Crew (1985).
During a New York Comic-Con presentation, Miyamoto announced that Robin Williams, Natalie Portman, Steve Carell, Kiefer Sutherland, Kel Mitchell, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Maniscalco would headline the voice cast and that Martinet and Tyrese Gibson 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 Williams as Mario instead of Martinet (who had voiced the character since 1991) or an Italian actor. Martinet voices the brothers' father as well as a citizen of Brooklyn named Giuseppe, the latter using Mario's game voice. Additionally, voice acting veterans Rino Romano, John DiMaggio, and Bonnie Hunt voiced Mario and Luigi's Uncles Tony and Arthur, and mother respectively, as the intention was to cast actors of Italian ancestry for the brothers' family.
Animation and visual effects[]
The film was animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks in Culver City, California. Production was underway by November 2002, with animation ending in December 2004. Post-production work wrapped by May 2005. Lasseter said that Sony updated their lighting and rendering technology for the film, with Kerner claiming that it "pushed the technical and artistic capabilities of [the] studio to new heights".
Lasseter, Stanton, and Docter wanted the animation to juggle stylized animation with realism, with Stanton claiming that "there are moments of cartoony fun, but [...] we wanted it to feel like a big adventure film and that there are stakes and maybe you believe that these characters can die, so they're not super-squashy and super-stretchy, and we used consistent volume on the characters to make them feel a little more grounded". For the go-karts featured in the film, the directors worked with a vehicle design artist and artists at Nintendo to create go-karts that fit their portrayal in the film while drawing inspiration from their portrayal in the Mario Kart games.
Donkey Kong's design was changed for the first time since the video game Donkey Kong Country (1994). For his new design, artists incorporated elements of both his modern design and his original design from his debut appearance in Donkey Kong (1981). For Mario's family, Horvath and Jelenic were given early designs of Mario by Nintendo as references; they ended up using slightly altered versions of those designs in the film.
Soundtrack[]
- Further information: The Super Mario Movie (soundtrack) and Music of the Nintendo Cinematic Universe
During an September 2004 presentation at MCM Comic Con London, Lasseter confirmed that Rupert Gregson-Williams was set to compose the film's score. Gregson-Williams worked closely with longtime Mario composer Koji Kondo to incorporate themes from the games. The film's music references leitmotifs from Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Kart, among other Mario games.
Release[]
Marketing[]
On October 20, the teaser trailer was released live in an Archon presentation. In a short questions and answers period following the trailer reveal at Archon, Sutherland stated that "Bowser has a musical side" in the film, teasing a theme for the character. The teaser trailer received over three million views in 24 hours. Journalists generally praised the trailer's visuals and tone, as well as Sutherland and Mitchell's performances as Bowser and Toad. However, Williams' performance as Mario was described as lacking in emotion and sounding too similar to his normal speaking voice. Vic Hood from TechRadar noted a slight New York accent in Mario's lines, calling it a possible throwback to Mario's depictions in American media such as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and the 1993 film, before Charles Martinet debuted as the character's official voice actor in Mario's Game Gallery where he spoke full dialogue for extended periods of time.
On November 11, the first official trailer was shown in a Carnagecon presentation. Public reactions were still largely favorable, though online discourse continued to center on Williams' performance as Mario.
On December 8, the first clip of the film, showing Toad guiding Mario through the Mushroom Kingdom and to the entrance to Peach's Castle, was revealed at the 2004 Spike Video Game Awards. The Verge's Ash Parrish commented, "Despite the skepticism surrounding Robin Williams' performance as Mario, the movie's visuals — and I cannot stress enough, only the visuals — look incredible".
On January 23, 2005, a preview clip of the film was released during the NFC Championship Game. Some entertainment news sites pointed out the addition of Sandler's "iconic laugh" heard as Donkey Kong in the clip. Emma Roth from The Verge commented, "I'm pleasantly surprised at how well his voice (and laugh) suits the character", while Luke Plunkett from Kotaku commented, "Adam Sandler has been hired to... just be Adam Sandler".
On February 6, 2005, a commercial for the film was released during Super Bowl LVII, featuring a rendition of the title theme from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. A corresponding website which was featured in the trailer was also released, which advertises the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing Service from the film as if it were, according to Plunkett, "...a struggling small business servicing the Brooklyn and Queens areas".
Theatrical[]
The Super Mario Movie held its world premiere at Mann Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California on May 24, 2005, with the cast and crew in attendance. It was released theatrically in the United States on June 1, 2005, and later in Japan on June 22. The film was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for some action violence and mild crude humor. The film was the first film released in Phase One of the NCU.
Home media[]
The Super Mario Movie was released on VHS and DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on December 6, 2005. The film was later released onto Blu-ray and Universal Media Disc (UMD) on September 19, 2006. The DVD sales peaked at $49.3 million, with Blu-ray and UMD sales peaking at $92.7 million by the end of 2009.
The film was also collected in a 10-disc box set titled "Nintendo Cinematic Universe: Phase One – The Beginning" which includes all of the Phase One films in the Nintendo Cinematic Universe. It was released by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on May 10, 2011.
Reception[]
Box office[]
As of November 27, 2005, The Super Mario Movie has grossed $404.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $645.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.80 billion. It became the highest-grossing film based on a video game after just two weeks of release. It also became the first film based on a video game as such to gross $1 billion worldwide.
In the United States and Canada, The Super Mario Movie was released alongside The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. In its first opening weekend, the film grossed $58.3 million ($53.1 million + $5.3 million in Friday night previews), making it the biggest summer opening weekend of 2005, and hit #1 on the domestic box office charts. In its first opening week of projections, estimates were $50-60 million. The film broke its projections with $85.2 million at the domestic box office, keeping its #1 spot on the charts. Its second opening weekend box office projections was raised by 1.2% and grossed $72.6 million ($65.2 million + $7.4 million in Friday night previews), and the film kept its #1 spot on the charts, until its second opening week. Its projections were estimated to $60-75 million, and the film projected less than its estimates, grossing $52.4 million in its second opening week, dropping to #3 on the domestic box office charts.
Meanwhile overseas, the film had a high opening weekend, grossing $69.5 million ($62.4 million + $7.1 million in Saturday night previews), and peaked at #2 on the overseas box office charts. Its opening week's projections were estimated to around $50-60 million, and it broke the projections and brought in $103.4 million in the overseas box office, and its position went from #2 to #1 in a day, as on Wednesday, it grossed $59.5 million. Its second opening weekend earnings dropped by 0.6% and grossed $58.4 million ($53.3 million + $5.1 million in Friday night previews). Its second opening week, however, keep its projection grind going, as estimates were raised to $75-95 million. The Super Mario Movie dominated projections and grossed $148.5 million. Box office projections soon concluded on November 27, 2005, and the film was declared the highest-grossing film of 2005, the highest-grossing animated film of 2005 and the 21st-highest-grossing animated film of all time. In its fifth weekend, the film declined 54%, grossing $18.6 million, finishing in first place overtaking War of the Worlds, and became the 19th film to surpass $500 million at the U.S. and Canadian box office.
Critical response[]
The Super Mario Movie holds an approval rating of 98% based on 275 critics' reviews, according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 8.75/10. Its site's consensus reads: "Wonderfully animated, with the best of effects, the greatest orchestra and enough emotional weight to bring a tear to your eye, The Super Mario Movie supports its help in creating the best video game film, and Nintendo provides the best film for any fan of the classic Mario games." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 92 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore assigned the film a rare grade "A+" on its scale of A+ to F, while PostTrak surveyed audiences and reported that 100% of audiences liked the film, with 98% of them definitely recommending it.
Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four stars and wrote: "The Super Mario Movie may just seem like another cash grab attempt by Nintendo, like it was meant to be for its 1993 predecessor. But, what works about this film is that it works to its fullest extent. The full orchestra is unbelievable, incorporating reiterations of the songs from the classic Mario games. With its voice cast, Charles Martinet stands out as his character, providing the best performance imaginable. When you get to the final showdown near the end of the film, Martinet gives it his all, much more powerful than we've ever seen him do before." He also added that "there is absolutely nothing that could ever be wrong about The Super Mario Movie. Nintendo absolutely delivered the best animation possible."
Sequels[]
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Transcripts[]
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