The main thing to keep in mind is that Nintendo is first and foremost a video game company, specifically a Japanese one, thus there is a cultural barrier that still finds a way of manifesting itself even in today’s hyper-globalized world. There are game franchises that clearly cater to Western audiences, there are others that do the same for Japanese players, and -naturally- there’s some overlap in between for the likes of Mario, but in the end, this all means Nintendo cannot bring Mario to movie theaters on its own and that’s where Illumination comes in.
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Illumination And Nintendo Partnership
Nintendo and Mario’s creator Shigeru Miyamoto are very much aware that they do not possess the necessary expertise and know-how to barge into the international movie industry because it’s not even something they’d necessarily be able to do in Japan. Conversely, Illumination can proudly flaunt the success of Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets, both original IPs that have gone on to reap massive box office hauls while running on budgets still under $100m.
Although it’s all pure speculation, it’s hard to imagine a Super Mario movie being on par with a Pixar or MCU blockbuster in terms of budget, so it’s probably safe to say that it won’t be exceeding $120-150 million, if it even goes over the $100m mark at all. This clearly is the more sensitive approach considering that Detective Pikachu and Warcraft are the highest-grossing video game movies ever ($430m), but Sonic the Hedgehog’s more modest $319.7m haul actually makes it more successful due to a way smaller budget, hence why Sonic already has a sequel in progress.
The fact that Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri is a Nintendo board advisor speaks volumes of the importance that the company’s creative department is placing on the studio’s ability to make the content appealing, enjoyable, and also profitable enough for a future Nintendo cinematic universe to be a thing. All of which leads to the cast.
The Super Mario Bros. Cast
With a December 21, 2022 release date, it’ll take some time before a Super Mario Bros trailer comes out, however, when that Nintendo Direct is announced get ready for some wild reactions as millions of fans all over the world first listen to Mario speak with someone else other than Charles Martinet lending him his voice. For all intents and purposes, Martinet is Mario in the heads of most people, yet the more one thinks about it, it’s easier to realize that unless it’s at a convention or during special events and interviews, few people have heard the man deliver full dialogue instead of Mario’s usual catchphrases.
Perhaps it’s this, combined with the obvious mainstream appeal someone like MCU star Chris Pratt has, that really convinced Miyamoto to pass on Martinet this time around. Pratt has been the most puzzling and criticized cast choice because, quite frankly, it’s hard to imagine him doing Mario’s voice, at least that is if Mario keeps the similar cartoonish tone heard on every game.
Upon the announcement, Pratt shared a short video on his Instagram account telling a story of how he used to scrounge for quarters to get a chance to play Super Mario Bros. as a kid, and though he kept his best “It’s-a me” to himself, it’s clear he’s aware how meaningful Mario is to so many people. Regardless of that, Pratt deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt because he’s still a pretty competent voice actor (The Lego Movie), but he undoubtedly has to prove himself more than any other cast member.
As for the rest of the cast, none of them have raised as many questions over the past few hours, and maybe that’s because it’s not really hard to imagine chess queen Anya Taylor-Joy doing Princess Peach justice; or the comedic talents of Jack Black, Seth Rogen or Keegan-Michael Key improving on grunts and sounds of their respective characters.
It’s terribly unfair to dismiss Pratt without even hearing him speak his first line of dialogue, nevertheless, Miyamoto and the actor must know that failing to deliver a convincing Mario could be a Sonic CGI version 1 catastrophe if it goes wrong. Also, since Martinet is in the movie, it’s likely he’d be the first person to want Pratt and Charlie Day to pull off a decent Mario and Luigi.
Nintendo Is Going Big or Going Home
Hardly anyone might have envisioned such a star-studded cast for a Super Mario Bros. movie, in fact, probably most Nintendo fans would have gladly taken Martinet doing half the characters by himself. Yet, in a world where live-action Sonic (with its own voice cast controversies) has already done well, having Mario place second behind the blue hedgehog should be unacceptable for Nintendo.
Unlike past video game or anime to movie adaptations, Super Mario Bros. appears to be under the tight scrutiny of its creator. For anyone out there thinking “What have they done to Mario?”, when Pratt’s face came up on the screen, they ought to think that the man presenting him was Mario’s father and his relationship with Nintendo and the character is a lifetime compromise.
Nintendo first-party games are priced the way they are for a reason, there’s a certain guarantee of quality and dedication consumers know they will find when purchasing them. Though not visually impressive by the hyper-realistic standards of other platforms, Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild are nonetheless beautiful works of art, so when the first seconds of Super Mario Bros. come out, expect to see pristine quality animation and a final result that passed with Miyamoto’s seal of approval on it.
Nintendo already made the huge mistake of letting others work on their beloved Mario, and just look at what they did to their boy. Maybe it’s time to realize that Illumination and Pratt are just here to prevent the next Mario movie from taking another 30 years to put together.
The untitled Super Mario Bros. movie is scheduled for release in North America on December 21, 2022.
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