News Nintendo Direct: The Super Mario Bros. Movie | 10/6 1:05 p.m. PT

[TreIII]

No but their parents will. Like when they got Benedict Cumberbatch to play.. who was it, The Grinch or something? The kids don't even know who that is, but the people buying the tickets do. When they see names of actors they know and like all over the commercials and posters, I'm sure it softens them a bit when the kid asks to go see the movie.

Honestly, I don't think this type of thing works out as well as Hollywood suits THINK it does.

Like, yeah, the parent/guardian/babysitter is stuck watching the feature for 90-120 minutes with their kid(s). But chances are, if the movie is actually enjoyable, or they can at least follow along, they won't feel like the whole ordeal was torture disguised as a gift of love for their kids.

And on the flip side, I don't think known names would soften the blow any better in the case of a stinker. For example, my Dad took me to see the live-action Mario movie. He knew who Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper were. It didn't make sitting through the duration of that turd with me any better!

 

[SeafoamGaming]

Trimmed

wait a sec aren't you the cringelord who defended Saudi Arabia when people had legitimate concerns for their human rights and tried to both sides that too



Jesus christ, you aren't fooling anyone

Uh, after that mess pulled me here out of sheer shock, I'll just state that as one who's only heard of Jack Black prior to the casting reveal (due to early memes and Nickelodeon stuff), I do find his support for AS incredibly disappointing: most of my life I've masked and hidden my Aspergers from the world and openly refuse to mention it solely due to the nature of how horrid organizations like Speaks treat Autism and all forms of it as a plague to be rid of or a burden. I just pretend I don't even have it at this rate and don't acknowledge it if someone asks me if I am (thankfully that hasn't happened since graduation...)

The sheer amount of times I went to school and was bullied, excluded, or baby-talked to because people knew I had aspergers and treated me like an unaware person unable to learn anything really infuriated me, especially when I could easily see right through someone who wasn't acting sincere around me. Learning later how one of my district's special ed classes supported Autism Speaks really made a lot of that behavior and dismissal from students/some of my aides make more sense in hindsight, unfortunately, and it just goes to show how organizations like those are not at all in good faith.

While I definitely don't think everyone who pledges to them is necessarily doing it knowing how or why they support what they do (Big people who have it referred to by their agents or see it as the "big organization", for one), that doesn't mean I can't be disappointed in Jack Black for still backing them and not hearing from concerned fans, or for others who likewise give money to them thinking they help when they really just hinder. I'll still enjoy his performance in the movie no doubt, but generally for celebrities I don't even recognize most of them, so to see the one I did recognize from my kid days doing this shit, is very disappointing...

 

[SuperFakerBros]

Anyone else want to volunteer their Republican family? I'll call them bigoted too. We got all night, let's go.

I got a somewhat distantly related MAGA uncle but the rest of us more or less acknowledge that he's a fucking moron

 

[MondoMega]

I hate politics, but here’s my essay on why voting for fascists is an epic gamer move (being ignorant and perpetuating the pain and struggles of others is awesome as long as we get to save some extra cash).

Awesome post. Good work on acting fast though staff.

Anyway, about this “Super” Mario fella…

Orrrrr, even better, if Nintendo likely stuck to their guns and remind everyone of the value of their IP, instead of letting Illumination insist on Hollywood talent.

The very idea that a Mario movie, a movie that first and foremost is going to be marketed to children, somehow needed "recognizable" names like Pratt as a headliner, is still so very inane to me. You think young children are going to care that much that the dude who plays Star-Lord or the generic action man from the last Jurassic Park trilogy is Mario's new voice?

In cases like this or their grinch movie the names on the posters are mainly for parents more than the kids I imagine. It’s more than a bit cynical (and suits think it happens far more often than it does) but for some it makes taking their kids out for a couple hours a little more tolerable if there’s at least an actor they like in the movie.

Heck doesn't Marvel/Disney is still giving spotlight to a known anti-vaxx in the next Black Panther movie?

Yeah they’ve still got Letitia Wright, TERF anti-vaxxer taking the starring role in Black Panther 2. Though at the very least, reliable leaks for the movie suggest that

Spoiler

in response to those public outbursts they’ve changed the ending to reduce her role in the future and she won’t remain the MCU’s Black Panther.

Don’t forget they are also giving Pratt the spotlight too with Guardians 3, though if any consolation is necessary there it might be his last film for the MCU.

 

[chocolate_supra]

Honestly, I don't think this type of thing works out as well as Hollywood suits THINK it does.

Like, yeah, the parent/guardian/babysitter is stuck watching the feature for 90-120 minutes with their kid(s). But chances are, if the movie is actually enjoyable, or they can at least follow along, they won't feel like the whole ordeal was torture disguised as a gift of love for their kids.

And on the flip side, I don't think known names would soften the blow any better in the case of a stinker. For example, my Dad took me to see the live-action Mario movie. He knew who Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper were. It didn't make sitting through the duration of that turd with me any better!

As far as enduring the film, I totally agree. But I think they only do it to get the tickets sold and name recognition tends to go towards that (whether it works or not, that's the belief so they keep it up).

 

[chocolate_supra]

The funny thing about the whole "vote conservative because lower taxes!" angle is that the 2017 Trump tax "cuts" that Republicans rammed through caused the accountants at the small business I worked for to almost immediately inform us that our quarterly taxes had gone up because of changes to the tax code that lessened deductions small businesses were qualified for. Then over the course of a month or two almost every material supplier we worked with emailed us one after the other to inform us that their taxes had gone up and they'd need to charge us more. Then as long-time clients (we served mostly other small business owners and a lot of teachers) came to us over the remainder of the year, they all apologized for their regular orders getting smaller because a lot of their tax deductions had been removed and they just couldn't afford as large of orders as they used to.

All while watching on the news that massive corporations were thanking Trump and the Republicans for lowering their taxes so much that they were able to give all these fancy bonuses. We were being told "taxes are so much lower now!!" by the news while our actual experience and the experiences of everyone we dealt with was the exact opposite. Our taxes went up, our material costs went up, and our income shrank, it was fuckin madness. And even now, when I tell people the business I used to work for tanked hard everyone blames covid and the Democrat lockdowns and I have to blow their fuckin minds and describe to them how actually Trump and the Republicans fucked us and every other small business we know way before covid pushed us all over that edge.

Tax cuts my angry, unemployed ass.

 

[Josh5890]

Don’t forget they are also giving Pratt the spotlight too with Guardians 3, though if any consolation is necessary there it might be his last film for the MCU.

Completely off topic, but unless something insane happens with Guardians 3, I think we see the team in one of the Avengers films that are three years out. This is supposedly Gunn's last MCU film so I feel like the latest we will see the Guardians is 2025 when the Avengers films release.

Ok, go Mario!

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

The funny thing about the whole "vote conservative because lower taxes!" angle is that the 2017 Trump tax "cuts" that Republicans rammed through caused the accountants at the small business I worked for to almost immediately inform us that our quarterly taxes had gone up because of changes to the tax code that lessened deductions small businesses were qualified for. Then over the course of a month or two almost every material supplier we worked with emailed us one after the other to inform us that their taxes had gone up and they'd need to charge us more. Then as long-time clients (we served mostly other small business owners and a lot of teachers) came to us over the remainder of the year, they all apologized for their regular orders getting smaller because a lot of their tax exemptions had been removed and they just couldn't afford as large of orders as they used to.

All while watching on the news that massive corporations were thanking Trump and the Republicans for lowering their taxes so much that they were able to give all these fancy bonuses. We were being told "taxes are so much lower now!!" by the news while our actual experience and the experiences of everyone we dealt with was the exact opposite. Our taxes went up, our material costs went up, and our income shrank, it was fuckin madness. And even now, when I tell people the business I used to work for tanked hard everyone blames covid and the Democrat lockdowns and I have to blow their fuckin minds and describe to them how actually Trump and the Republicans fucked us and every other small business we know way before covid pushed us all over that edge.

Tax cuts my angry, unemployed ass.

One of the great Republican myths..."lower taxes" just means cuts at the top while people at the bottom suffer. And that's not getting into the white supremacy, the homophobia, the transphobia, and all the rest. Awful. I'm glad so many here see through the bullshit.

 

[Gartooth]

Chris Pratt is such a terrible miscast that it put a cloud of collective worry over the quality of the entire movie because people still wondered if the creative crew from Nintendo and Illumination were of sound mind until we got the trailer.

Every other actor in the cast had people eventually see the potential after the announcement shock wore off except for Pratt.

Nintendo was either too cowardly to have faith in their IP that they sold out to Hollywood or they frankly misunderstand the character of Mario and I'm not sure which option is more disappointing.

 

[Abzeronow]

Honestly, as an autistic person, I'm disappointed that Jack Black supports Autism Speaks. It's not going to change whether I see the movie or not. I don't like the Chris Pratt cast because Charles Martinet is the better voice actor and choosing a celebrity over a professional voice actor is just the wrong choice.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

I find this to be interesting. My family who is always bending over to do something for others is selfish because they don't wish to give over 35% of their money to the government, and instead want to keep that money so they can choose where it is best used to help others and so they can make sure they can take care of themselves.

This is the problem. Someone has a different priority than you, and because of this, you hate how they vote and simply say "if they vote republican, they are racist and homophobic"

This is literally like me saying "if you vote democrat, you think nobody shoudl work for a living and everyone should live off government hand outs"

It's an ignorant take. There is more at play when you vote than social issues. It's fine if social issues are the ONLY concern you have. Again, your priorities are your priorities. And you will find plenty of people here, online, and IRL that agree with your priorities. But calling my parents racist because they vote for what best helps them in their life is just ignorant. I am sorry. It is. Because being racist, being homophobic, is based on personal ideologies and actions, not those of something you are loosely affiliated to through a ballot. This is exactly why politics are not talked about on my channel. Look how angry and assumptive people get just based on if you vote red or blue. It's really scary. And this is the world I am raising my children in where everyone pretends life is black and white, when really life is fully of a bunch of grey - and that includes politically.



I am so happy that explaining things about why people vote the way they do in my family makes you want to call me "ignorant as fuck". Why are we resorting to insults? Is that really called for?

Life isn't black and white just because you want it to be, unfortunately.


I noted that this is not my viewpoint of the democratic party. I am saying that this is what factually happens in our area and helps shape the viewpoints. In my county, 7,034 people are on wellfare. Of that, according to our county polling, 70% of them have 3+ children with parents who don't work. Of that 70%, polling showed 69% of them voted democrat. That 69% represented 98% of all democratic votes in the county.

Does that mean you aren't considering individual circumstances? Of course, polling never does that. It's just an explanation for why people think the way they do. I do not view democrats this way, but I can understand why people around me where I live do. That's all.

...dude, please stop. Your ignorance is on full display. Republicans are solely for tax cuts for the very wealthy and powerful and are all in on cutting social programs, education, Healthcare benefits and protections, forcing extremist Christian beliefs on everyone, enforcing bigotry, etc. and you're going on about Democrats supposedly just wanting free stuff, not wanting to work, and the fuck all help your parents likely got, unless they're really rich, as compelling reasons to vote Republican is ridiculous, especially when you try to say you and your folk aren't racist while going on about welfare queens. Like that's among the oldest dog whistles the Republican party has used since the party realignment

 

[Bowser Sr.]

Chris Pratt is such a terrible miscast that it put a cloud of collective worry over the quality of the entire movie because people still wondered if the creative crew from Nintendo and Illumination were of sound mind until we got the trailer.

Every other actor in the cast had people eventually see the potential after the announcement shock wore off except for Pratt.

Nintendo was either too cowardly to have faith in their IP that they sold out to Hollywood or they frankly misunderstand the character of Mario and I'm not sure which option is more disappointing.

I actualy have worry over it's quality because the studio making it has precisely a single movie I liked, and said movie is "liked" in the sense that I didn't hate it. My singular hope is that the Director, whose work I enjoyed in the past, manages to make it work despite the studio and despite whatever restrictions Nintendo put on it. As cool as the trailer was, it is too little to see if he pulled through to me, but I'll be watching this anyway since an animated Mario movie is a childhood dream come true despite the rest of the baggage, so might as well hope for the best.

 

[chocolate_supra]

My singular hope is that the Director, whose work I enjoyed in the past, manages to make it work despite the studio and despite whatever restrictions Nintendo put on it.

Oh wait, who's directing and what'd they do previously?

 

[Bowser Sr.]

Oh wait, who's directing and what'd they do previously?

Michael Jelenic, he was the headman behind a few Warner Bros shows that I really liked, chief among them Batman: Brave and the Bold, a cartoon I'd easily consider in my top 5.
One of the episodes he did the writing on himself with his own hands is a spectacularly funny musical episode by the by, if anyone has any worries about the possibility of this Mario film being a musical.

 

[chocolate_supra]

Batman: Brave and the Bold

Oh shit
I am not well-versed in this show but I am aware

 

[hero_of_grime]

Honestly, after going back and listening to the older Mario cartoons, I don’t mind the Pratt voice as much. It’s more subtle than prior media, but it’s definitely more palatable to a wider audience. Illumination is very data driven (to a fault) but they know what the mainstream want. He’s a character here and not just a mascot so I’m willing to give them a pass, though Charles Martinet is very much capable of doing the very subtle accent they seem to be looking for. What I’m really curious about is what Mario’s age is… 25 like Miyamoto previously said? His age is very ambiguous based on his look and voice.

 

[Deleted member 2]

wait a sec aren't you the cringelord who defended Saudi Arabia when people had legitimate concerns for their human rights and tried to both sides that too



Jesus christ, you aren't fooling anyone

You've got to be fucking kidding me with this shit

This dude seriously had this "Saudi Arabia can't be ALL bad?? Dictatorships can be GOOD? Have YOUUUU lives under a dictatorship? If not, aren't you just being JUDGEY???" bullshit up publicly on his Twitter for months this whole time...?

 

[chocolate_supra]

You've got to be fucking kidding me with this shit

This dude seriously had this "Saudi Arabia can't be ALL bad?? Disctatorshios can be GOOD? Have YOUUUU lives under a disctatorship? If not, aren't you just being JUDGEY???" bullshit up publicly on his Twitter for months this whole time...?

Did we find Elon's alt..?

 

[CyberWolfBia]

Well, despite everything discussed here.. when comes to the movie, I am more excited than I anticipated; very inclined to give it a chance, especially to support the Brazilian Dub, since the main actor is giving his best Martinet impression for Mario;

I still worry on narrative and characterization, but so far of what we've seen, my biggest compliment is "Doesn't even seems like an Illumination movie!", with the most genuine tone I can sound.

Also, I felt it was important that the movie was first presented to us in that teaser format, controlled entirely by Nintendo in their usual habitat. It was specifically crafted to ease people's fear and hesitation on the whole idea.

I don't doubt that when we get an actual full trailer, solely marketed by Universal, we'll see the expected jokes and pop song montage; but that's fine.. I think first impressions matters most in cases like this.

 

[chocolate_supra]

Well, despite everything discussed here.. when comes to the movie, I am more excited than I anticipated; very inclined to give it a chance, especially to support the Brazilian Dub, since the main actor is giving his best Martinet impression for Mario;

I still worry on narrative and characterization, but so far of what we've seen, my biggest compliment is "Doesn't even seems like an Illumination movie!", with the most genuine tone I can sound.

Also, I felt it was important that the movie was first presented to us in that teaser format, controlled entirely by Nintendo in their usual habitat. It was specifically crafted to ease people's fear and hesitation on the whole idea.

I don't doubt that when we get an actual full trailer, solely marketed by Universal, we'll see the expected jokes and pop song montage; but that's fine.. I think first impressions matters most in cases like this.

I agree, actually, despite all my bellyaching about the one specific element

 

[Mekanos]

Yeah knowing one of the directors is the showrunner for Brave And Bold makes me pretty confident in this movie. At least, if it's bad, it's not because of him.

You've got to be fucking kidding me with this shit

This dude seriously had this "Saudi Arabia can't be ALL bad?? Disctatorshios can be GOOD? Have YOUUUU lives under a disctatorship? If not, aren't you just being JUDGEY???" bullshit up publicly on his Twitter for months this whole time...?

The best part is "at least Saudi Arabia has low crime." Big "the trains run on time" vibes.

Okay but for real, I think this needs to be clarified for every "centrist" clown out there (I'd argue the political center doesn't exist in a meaningful way, but that's another topic): this whole "life isn't black and white, red and blue, we need to meet in the middle" tap dance ignores one simple truth: the left and the right have different material goals. They want different things! There's no uniting vision where every person on the political spectrum will be like "yeah, that's good enough." I mean our YouTuber friend spells it out here: his parents want tax cuts and poor people want assistance. Yeah. Duh! A perfect example of how the petit bourgeois function to reify power structures that oppress and marginalize people.

I don't care about economic anxiety if you're voting for a party that is actively stripping civil rights. I simply don't. There's nothing you can say to make me sympathetic to your family. That doesn't mean they are bad people necessarily (insomuch as one can make a value judgment on that kind of thing), but it does mean I probably won't like them or seek to support them, and it definitely doesn't mean I'm gonna be nice to them if you bring them up on a forum to say "not all Republicans, my family isn't racist, they just don't care about racism!"

His argument does perfectly put to bed the idea that Republican voters are the "real working class." In actuality rural Republican voters are a perfect example of reactionary petit bourgeois; they're car dealership owners, restaurant managers, landlords, people who actually own capital, but drive pick-up trucks and wear torn up fishing hats and talk with an accent, so they get to pass themselves off as working class. So forgive me if I don't have sympathy for these people.

Anyway, let's talk about some bros...

Wait.

 

[sagadego20]

You've got to be fucking kidding me with this shit

This dude seriously had this "Saudi Arabia can't be ALL bad?? Dictatorships can be GOOD? Have YOUUUU lives under a dictatorship? If not, aren't you just being JUDGEY???" bullshit up publicly on his Twitter for months this whole time...?

2 weeks ban is too nice for that fool

 

[Deleted member 2]

Yeah knowing one of the directors is the showrunner for Brave And Bold makes me pretty confident in this movie. At least, if it's bad, it's not because of him.


The best part is "at least Saudi Arabia has low crime." Big "the trains run on time" vibes.

Okay but for real, I think this needs to be clarified for every "centrist" clown out there (I'd argue the political center doesn't exist in a meaningful way, but that's another topic): this whole "life isn't black and white, red and blue, we need to meet in the middle" tap dance ignores one simple truth: the left and the right have different material goals. They want different things! There's no uniting vision where every person on the political spectrum will be like "yeah, that's good enough." I mean our YouTuber friend spells it out here: his parents want tax cuts and poor people want assistance. Yeah. Duh! A perfect example of how the petit bourgeois function to reify power structures that oppress and marginalize people.

I don't care about economic anxiety if you're voting for a party that is actively stripping civil rights. I simply don't. There's nothing you can say to make me sympathetic to your family. That doesn't mean they are bad people necessarily (insomuch as one can make a value judgment on that kind of thing), but it does mean I probably won't like them or seek to support them, and it definitely doesn't mean I'm gonna be nice to them if you bring them up on a forum to say "not all Republicans, my family isn't racist, they just don't care about racism!"

His argument does perfectly put to bed the idea that Republican voters are the "real working class." In actuality rural Republican voters are a perfect example of reactionary petit bourgeois; they're car dealership owners, restaurant managers, landlords, people who actually own capital, but drive pick-up trucks and wear torn up fishing hats and talk with an accent, so they get to pass themselves off as working class. So forgive me if I don't have sympathy for these people.

Anyway, let's talk about some bros...

Wait.

I'd play the shit out of that game

 

[chocolate_supra]

His argument does perfectly put to bed the idea that Republican voters are the "real working class." In actuality rural Republican voters are a perfect example of reactionary petit bourgeois; they're car dealership owners, restaurant managers, landlords, people who actually own capital, but drive pick-up trucks and wear torn up fishing hats and talk with an accent, so they get to pass themselves off as working class. So forgive me if I don't have sympathy for these people.

Bo Burnham has entered the chat

 

[Catalyst]

Lmao, imagine saying dictatorships aren’t always bad. That’s like saying cancer isn’t always bad. The guy probably defends Putin too.

 

[chocolate_supra]

Lmao, imagine saying dictatorships aren’t always bad. That’s like saying cancer isn’t always bad. The guy probably defends Putin too.

I mean

Defending Putin is becoming more and more a mainstream American conservative position

 

[Deleted member 2]

Dude would argue it was good that an asteroid wiped out half of America because it really brough some families closer at the end

 

[chocolate_supra]

Dude would argue it was good that an asteroid wiped out half of America because it really brough some families closer at the end

We have determined the asteroid will bring millions of jobs!!

 

[Mekanos]

Bo Burnham has entered the chat

Not familiar with him, based or cringe?

 

[Deleted member 2]

Not familiar with him, based or cringe?

Bolth

 

[chocolate_supra]

Not familiar with him, based or cringe?

based beyond belief

Here's the context for why your post reminded me of him:

Spoiler: language is NSFW

 

[Deleted member 2]

anyway, that Mario movie, huh? Doesn't look too bad

 

[chocolate_supra]

anyway, that Mario movie, huh? Doesn't look too bad

I'm ready to listen to Key continue to be chaotic Toad

Also the scenery is so pretty

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

anyway, that Mario movie, huh? Doesn't look too bad

I still adore that poster. If the movie is as interesting as that? I'm gonna love it.

 

[Mekanos]

I still adore that poster. If the movie is as interesting as that? I'm gonna love it.

Yeah, once I saw that poster I was like "wow, maybe this will be good."

And if that teaser is indicative of what we get - a fun action-packed adventure through the Mushroom Kingdom with a genuinely menacing Bowser - I'll love this movie. I'm simply too invested in the franchise to not, it's been with me since I could pick up a controller.

Before this movie my favorite "narrative" adaptation of the Mario series was definitely the Super Mario Adventures comic. I'd give anything to get more quality adaptations like that. I genuinely love this universe and could spend forever in it. So I'm crossing my fingers that not only is this movie good, but it opens the floodgates for a deluge of Mario media the likes of which we haven't seen.

oh god I've become the consume product guy forgive me marx

 

[MondoMega]

Yeah, once I saw that poster I was like "wow, maybe this will be good."

And if that teaser is indicative of what we get - a fun action-packed adventure through the Mushroom Kingdom with a genuinely menacing Bowser - I'll love this movie. I'm simply too invested in the franchise to not, it's been with me since I could pick up a controller.

Before this movie my favorite "narrative" adaptation of the Mario series was definitely the Super Mario Adventures comic. I'd give anything to get more quality adaptations like that. I genuinely love this universe and could spend forever in it. So I'm crossing my fingers that not only is this movie good, but it opens the floodgates for a deluge of Mario media the likes of which we haven't seen.

oh god I've become the consume product guy forgive me marx

We missed out on so much from Nintendo not greenlighting Ian Flynn’s Mario comic pitch. Not that it would’ve lasted too long (RIP Archie Mega Man, one of the best video game adaptations ever; you died too young…) but it would’ve led to an interesting take on the universe for sure.

There’s no chance this film remains a one-off. Not just in regards to the eventual sequel and DK spin-off; like a lot of illumination’s films from what I can see this one will also have a short or two attached for the home media release.

 

[BlightStar]

... what happened here during the night. But yes, Dictators can f*ck off.
--
But yeah, the movie
About voices, I do not like Chris Pratt for obvious reasons. BUT, in general, I try to judge the actor and the voice differently, just so that I can enjoy the movie more.
I do not actually mind his Mario voice. I understand why they did what they did.
It's like, a circle of 'nothing is fine'
Do Martinet's normal Mario voice, and people would find it grating. Have him change the voice to be easier to listen to, people would wonder why they picked him if he is not gonna have his traditional Mario voice. Have Chris Pratt do a Martinet impression and people will hate that for obvious reasons. Do a normal Chris Pratt voice and people will hate how different he sounds from Martinet.
I believe no matter what, the internet would not 'accept' the voice Mario has. So I understand why they went with a relatively normal and 'easy' voice. It usually fits a protagonist in a movie. Helps the rest of the more goofy cast stick out.

 

[VolcanicDynamo]

Yeah, once I saw that poster I was like "wow, maybe this will be good."

And if that teaser is indicative of what we get - a fun action-packed adventure through the Mushroom Kingdom with a genuinely menacing Bowser - I'll love this movie. I'm simply too invested in the franchise to not, it's been with me since I could pick up a controller.

Before this movie my favorite "narrative" adaptation of the Mario series was definitely the Super Mario Adventures comic. I'd give anything to get more quality adaptations like that. I genuinely love this universe and could spend forever in it. So I'm crossing my fingers that not only is this movie good, but it opens the floodgates for a deluge of Mario media the likes of which we haven't seen.

oh god I've become the consume product guy forgive me marx

This...this is how I feel to a tee. Look, to be genuine, I play up the whole "Famiboards Resident #1 Super Mario Fan" thing as a bit, yes, but I truly, earnestly love the Mario universe. Ever since I was a toddler I loved it, and I don't think I'll ever not love it. I have my reservations about the film, but I want this film to be good and I want it to succeed so badly.

I am ready to be an annoying Mario fan, I am that excited for this film.

 

[Arrietty]

I'd personally be fine with Charles' altered Mario voice. Pratt's Mario is just... as generic as it could be. It's just not even a Mario voice. I'm not saying this because it doesn't sound like the game voices, we had different Mario VAs before and they suit Mario pretty well. This one is just too unfitting and lacks any sort of charm. It's not doing it for me.

Maybe I can watch a different dub with subtitles

 

[lexony]

I just wish they would focus less on the voice actors going on with the marketing. I don’t want to see Chris Pratt or even other actors at the Game Awards announcing the next trailer.

 

[MondoMega]

I'd personally be fine with Charles' altered Mario voice. Pratt's Mario is just... as generic as it could be. It's just not even a Mario voice. I'm not saying this because it doesn't sound like the game voices, we had different Mario VAs before and they suit Mario pretty well. This one is just too unfitting and lacks any sort of charm. It's not doing it for me.

Maybe I can watch a different dub with subtitles

Say what you will about the quality of the ‘93 film (and behind the scenes stories don’t tell a pretty tale) but it should at least be agreed that Hoskins as Mario was some pretty great casting for a live action Mario.

Irrespective of the obvious subject i’m tired of talking about you just can’t say the same for Pratt. Nothing about him or the performance really screams ‘Mario’. We all know he was chosen to be a big name for the poster first and foremost, not because they felt he was a good fit for the character. Charles is a professional VA and i’m sure he could’ve come up with a take on the voice that works for a feature length film.

 

[electronic-hot]

Literally any other Chris woulda worked. Evans, Pine, O'Dowd, Walken...

you’ve got me imagining a version of this movie with like tim heidecker as mario doing a bad walken impression the whole way through and now the film we’ll actually get is going to disappoint me no matter what

 

[DecoReturns]

Gotta say. I’ve seen most of the criticism being directed at Illumination for Pratt. And I feel Nintendo should be taking most of the heat for this. And they’ve been just riding the “wow. Nintendo made Illumination actually try with the Mario movie” type praise, tho I don’t agree with it.

It’s Their IP and they can have a say in what happens. I get why they went a route. But it’s clear sign of “not paying attention” to the person they cast. This has been going on for a while regarding Pratt. But he’s had the back of a lot of “good” celebs that are also to afraid to call him out on all the signs. Elliot page was right to call him out a years ago.

 

[BlightStar]

Random detail I really like about the trailer btw
When Mario slides off the mushroom onto the ground, that entire animation just looks sooo smooth and nice. Very visually pleasing.
From all the Illumination movies I have seen, I am very surprised to see the animation and texture quality being this very high. it is legit really impressive.

 

[Mekanos]

Gotta say. I’ve seen most of the criticism being directed at Illumination for Pratt. And I feel Nintendo should be taking most of the heat for this. And they’ve been just riding the “wow. Nintendo made Illumination actually try with the Mario movie” type praise, tho I don’t agree with it.

It’s Their IP and they can have a say in what happens. I get why they went a route. But it’s clear sign of “not paying attention” to the person they cast. This has been going on for a while regarding Pratt. But he’s had the back of a lot of “good” celebs that are also to afraid to call him out on all the signs. Elliot page was right to call him out a years ago.

I would actually be curious how involved Nintendo is on casting in this movie. Obviously they have the final say, but that lineup does mostly scream "Universal picked celebrities that would maximize mindshare and marketing." Regardless, I'm not surprised that Nintendo isn't tuned into this given that they generally are slow on the uptake regarding social issues.

Ultimately the Pratt thing is just him failing a PR check. There are definitely lots of conservative actors in Hollywood that we don't hear about because they do a good job keeping that part of their lives private (or at least scandal free). That said, Pratt has mostly kept mum on it and banked on the controversy dying down (which was probably the winning move). Looking at celebrities like Roseanne and Gina Caranno who had incredibly lucrative jobs and could not stop tweeting racist conspiracy theories, Pratt's choice to button up, stay quiet, and be "nice Christian man" is probably all he needs for this to blow over. There's a bunch of stuff in his personal life that definitely raises eyebrows (not much mention about the time he worked for Jews For Jesus, an antisemitic organization), but nothing really actionable in terms of firing/blacklisting him. Compare him to James Woods, for example.

Pratt's probably not gonna change being Christian and conservative (he explicitly said he will not throw a church under the bus even if he tries to distance himself from them), so co-workers and friends will just shrug and accept it as long as he doesn't do anything super disruptive. In a vacuum, that's probably not a bad thing, if I had a Christian co-worker I probably wouldn't want to raise hell (heh) about it either unless something really bad happened. But looking at the whole thing collectively, it's certainly not flattering. At the end of the day, it's not enough for anyone to do anything about it.

All of this though? Complete noise to Nintendo. They either don't know, don't understand it, or don't care. Even the vast majority of Americans don't care, because on paper Chris Pratt is no different than their unassuming Christian neighbor. And honestly, as far American Christians go, they're probably right.

 

[Bowser Sr.]

I actualy would not be surprised if we found out Nintendo is the reason they went with Chris Pratt and actively chose him among whatever list of available picks they were shown, because we've had Miyamoto in the past talking about how his vision for Mario is that he is an active guy in his mid 20s, which is very much in contrast with the way most of the world had Mario in their head as this "italian uncle who works at the deli" kinda character, so I could see Pratt's voice and the kind of role he usually plays (Hollywood Generic Guy is pretty much the cinematic equivalent of Mario's "Player Gateway Character" shtick) being something that might fit with that mental image of the character Miyamoto has.

 

[CyberWolfBia]

Despite all the control Nintendo has over this movie unlike other adaptations, I wouldn't exactly put my hand on fire on the casting proccess.. Pratt also almost was casted for the Sonic movie on James Marsden's place; Usually what they do is have a list of potential actors and pick whoever is available and willing at the moment.

I'd say Nintendo was probably picky on auditions when they once had a couple of viable options, but at the end of the day, they probably never really wanted anything too distant of what Pratt is doing for Mario voice-wise.

 

[Skipper93653]

If the movie does indeed start off with Mario and Luigi in New Donk City, then I would say that Chris Pratt's take could be more appropriate for the role than Charles Martinet but we'll have to see how that as a whole turns out. Choosing Chris might be to do with how Mario is characterized in the movie. At the very least, I am happy Charles is still in the movie in some capacity rather than being absent completely.

 

[WestEgg]

If I recall correctly, Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman both were enthusiastic about wanting to play Mario for a live action movie before Bob Hoskins was ultimately cast. Would have been interesting to peek into those parallel universes where either worked out, but the 1993 movie is such a massive tangle of what ifs anyway.

 

[Dinoman96]

I actualy would not be surprised if we found out Nintendo is the reason they went with Chris Pratt and actively chose him among whatever list of available picks they were shown, because we've had Miyamoto in the past talking about how his vision for Mario is that he is an active guy in his mid 20s, which is very much in contrast with the way most of the world had Mario in their head as this "italian uncle who works at the deli" kinda character, so I could see Pratt's voice and the kind of role he usually plays (Hollywood Generic Guy is pretty much the cinematic equivalent of Mario's "Player Gateway Character" shtick) being something that might fit with that mental image of the character Miyamoto has.

There's always been lots of funny stories about how Miyamoto always wanted Mario to be perceived as cool and mature and not just some kiddy mascot crap. There's the infamous tale of him banning Mario doing the peace sign to shake off the "Kiddy" image.

Another fun story: During the development of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, actually), they originally proposed having bicycles but Miyamoto rejected this because he doubted the idea of Mario riding a bike. However, he then immediately approved of adding motorcycles during the development of Mario Kart Wii, because he wanted to "make the world of Mario a little more for boys".

Wii.com - Iwata Asks: Mario Kart Wii

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