Goldstar!

Just a tad spicy
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
22,313
Location
Cartoon Country
oh boy, here comes a million comments that the creators is going to turn this into another ttg
To be fair, Teen Titans Go to the Movies! wasn't too bad, based on what I've heard about the film. The Mario Bros. have have several games with a storyline and lore. The producers should just try to capture the look and feel of the Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga games, only in movie form.
 

Mandouga

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
10,928
Location
Newington, CT, USA
Even if it’s in look and feel, adapting just one part of the franchise isn’t really a good idea in the long run. Mario and Luigi is only a sub-series that, like the other ones, was inspired by the main platformer games in the first place, especially the 1985 classic. To put it another way, if it wasn’t for the success of the 1985 game, the the first Super Mario RPG by Square (1996) wouldn’t exist, let alone the Paper Mario games (2000), or the Mario and Luigi RPGs (2003).

This needs to be a movie that doesn’t make blind assumptions of its viewers (you know, using “focus” or “demographic” research). It needs to consider both people who have been playing the games for a long time as well as those who have never played any of them before. It, of course, also needs to consider the franchise’s legacy (hence Shigeru Miyamoto’s involvement). In any case, I am hoping this won’t turn out to be another tribute/parody that ultimately doesn’t know what it’s talking about. Also—and I’m going to say it—it would especially be bad if this movie ended up being “My Little Mario: Plumbers are Magic”. Can you imagine a scene where Mario constantly fireballs Bowser, but is totally invincible (you know, unlike the games where he goes down after he’s fireballed a certain number of times), and/or where he collapses the bridge they fight on…only for Bowser to come right back, and then just flicks Mario away like a fly (complete with Mario doing his “falling into a bottomless pit” scream from Super Mario 64, and possibly even having the “miss” jingle from the 1985 classic playing), and them mock him about how that wasn’t going to work, and possibly even taunt him (and the viewers) with the “this isn’t a game (this is real)” line?

I can’t even begin to imagine (oh sure, Mario would still defeat him, but still)…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Pooky

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Messages
1,847
Location
UK
I'd be surprised if the look of this movie strays far from the "New Super Mario Bros" games look that has sort of become the default visual style for much of the branding (e.g. the theme park that recently opened in Japan), but I guess a lot about this movie seems surprising, so you never know.
 

DogBoneController

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2021
Messages
593
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
Universal has confirmed the voice cast, and it is STACKED. Super Mario Bros. Movie Lands All-Star Voice Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen

Chris Pratt and Charlie Day are voicing Mario and Luigi, respectively (Disappointing that Charles Martinet isn't reprising, but if he gets a voice cameo I'll be fine with it.)
Anna Taylor-Joy voicing Princess Peach
Jack Black voicing Bowser (That was surprising.)
Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
Keegan Michael-Key as Toad (I'll take Black Toad any day)
Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong
Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
Sebastian Maniscalo as Spike (seems like NDA wasn't an issue)

The movie is officially landing December 21, 2022.
 

Frontier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
32,110
Location
Temecula California
Universal has confirmed the voice cast, and it is STACKED. Super Mario Bros. Movie Lands All-Star Voice Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen

Chris Pratt and Charlie Day are voicing Mario and Luigi, respectively (Disappointing that Charles Martinet isn't reprising, but if he gets a voice cameo I'll be fine with it.)
Anna Taylor-Joy voicing Princess Peach
Jack Black voicing Bowser (That was surprising.)
Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
Keegan Michael-Key as Toad (I'll take Black Toad any day)
Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong
Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
Sebastian Maniscalo as Spike (seems like NDA wasn't an issue)

The movie is officially landing December 21, 2022.
I...I don't know what to say about this o_O.

I mean, on paper this cast looks crazy. I mean, hilariously crazy. But at the same time...it feels like such unnecessary celebrity stunt casting.

Like, does anyone really think Chris Pratt is going to sound more authentic as Mario than Charles Martinet? And the guy who has been the voice of Mario for years just gets voice cameos? People are watching the film for Mario, not Chris Pratt.

Like throw actual voice actors a bone for once.
 

DogBoneController

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2021
Messages
593
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
I...I don't know what to say about this o_O.

I mean, on paper this cast looks crazy. I mean, hilariously crazy. But at the same time...it feels like such unnecessary celebrity stunt casting.

Like, does anyone really think Chris Pratt is going to sound more authentic as Mario than Charles Martinet? And the guy who has been the voice of Mario for years just gets voice cameos? People are watching the film for Mario, not Chris Pratt.

Like throw actual voice actors a bone for once.
If it makes you feel better, Martinet and Richardson are named in the teaser poster, so Universal is at least giving VOs some respect.

Pratt is clearly the weirdest of the bunch. He's not even of Italian descent, and he doesn't sound remotely Italian.

Beyond that, the rest of the cast is solid. As far as stunt casting goes, bear in mind Miyamoto almost certainly approved of all these choices since he's executive producer, so Hollywood politics' role in this was comparatively minor.
 

Frontier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
32,110
Location
Temecula California
If it makes you feel better, Martinet and Richardson are named in the teaser poster, so Universal is at least giving VOs some respect.

Pratt is clearly the weirdest of the bunch. He's not even of Italian descent, and he doesn't sound remotely Italian.

Beyond that, the rest of the cast is solid. As far as stunt casting goes, bear in mind Miyamoto almost certainly approved of all these choices since he's executive producer, so Hollywood politics' role in this was comparatively minor.
I get that, but I felt like from a game fidelity standpoint, if they were really being true to the source he would be upfront as Mario.

I mean, it's not that I dislike Pratt, but all of this just seems to be typical Hollywood thinking that they need celebrities to sell the movie. But I guess if Miyamoto approved it he must've heard or seen something right in it.
 

DogBoneController

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2021
Messages
593
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
I get that, but I felt like from a game fidelity standpoint, if they were really being true to the source he would be upfront as Mario.

I mean, it's not that I dislike Pratt, but all of this just seems to be typical Hollywood thinking that they need celebrities to sell the movie. But I guess if Miyamoto approved it he must've heard or seen something right in it.
Sadly yeah, I think they dropped the ball on that.

The real question, I guess, is where do we draw the line?
 

Light Lucario

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
49,197
Location
In a Dream World
I've been laughing so much over this cast list. It looks and sounds so crazy. I guess I should have expected celebrity voice actors. That is really typical of animated movies and maybe it was even more likely to happen with Illumination involved, but it feels especially unnecessary to go so hard for celebrity name brand recognition for a Mario movie. It's Mario for goodness shake. He's the face of Nintendo and has been an video game icon for decades. You don't need Chris Pratt to bring in an audience to watch an animated Mario movie.

It's just so hilariously bad that it's almost amazing. It's hard to tell if this cast can work when we don't have any idea of what the film will be like, but on a surface level, it just looks like they valued the celebrity star power over anything else. While it's a shame that Charles Martinet will only get some cameo roles, I suppose that's better than keeping him out of the movie completely. It would have been more impressive to hear him talk as Mario throughout a whole movie than giving it to a celebrity.
 

Mandouga

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
10,928
Location
Newington, CT, USA
As some have more or less said, I already don’t like what I’m seeing. Indeed, I’m kind of wondering just how “involved” Shigeru Miyamoto really is, and if he has really “approved” anything. You see everyone, IMHO, we have to consider the possibility that his “involvement” may just be lip service (similar to Jim Davis’ so-called involvement in the live-action Garfield movie); something to reassure those viewers (and gamers) who actually know what it’s really about. There’s a TV Tropes article called “Kicked Upstairs”. Everyone needs to hope that Miyamoto-san wasn’t given this treatment. In any case, we also have to consider the possibility that this may be just another tribute/parody movie that partially doesn’t know what it’s talking about (the “partially” being Miyamoto-san himself). Also, before anyone mentions it, it’s one thing to laugh at yourself, it’s another to do it at the viewers’ (and gamers’) expense as well as at the expense of a legacy you yourself helped to create.

For what it’s worth, however, it’s not that I don’t trust Miyamoto-san, it’s Illumitoon I don’t trust…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

DogBoneController

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2021
Messages
593
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
As some have more or less said, I already don’t like what I’m seeing. Indeed, I’m kind of wondering just how “involved” Shigeru Miyamoto really is, and if he has really “approved” anything. You see everyone, IMHO, we have to consider the possibility that his “involvement” may just be lip service (similar to Jim Davis’ so-called involvement in the live-action Garfield movie); something to reassure those viewers (and gamers) who actually know what it’s really about. There’s a TV Tropes article called “Kicked Upstairs”. Everyone needs to hope that Miyamoto-san wasn’t given this treatment. In any case, we also have to consider the possibility that this may be just another tribute/parody movie that partially doesn’t know what it’s talking about (the “partially” being Miyamoto-san himself). Also, before anyone mentions it, it’s one thing to laugh at yourself, it’s another to do it at the viewers’ (and gamers’) expense as well as at the expense of a legacy you yourself helped to create.

For what it’s worth, however, it’s not that I don’t trust Miyamoto-san, it’s Illumitoon I don’t trust…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I can honestly forgive garbage casting if the plot and look are good.

If the characters look like Despicable Me characters, though.....
 

Ghoster1987

howdy
Joined
Aug 15, 2018
Messages
250
Location
usa
Giving how it’s illumination and how their movies feel like they’re made for younger kids and when they try to do humor for older audiences it feels like it was written by a guy who’s stuck in 2005.

my expectations are a little low
 

Goldstar!

Just a tad spicy
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
22,313
Location
Cartoon Country
Come on now, did anyone really think that the studio wasn't going to cast celebrities to voice the characters in the movie? Yeah, Charles Martinet has been voicing Mario and Luigi for years, but outside of the gaming community, no one knows who he is. Known celebrities bring in people who otherwise wouldn't go to see the film and then the studio can print their names at the top of the movie's poster. I'm not saying that this is right or that I agree with this practice, but that's Hollywood for you.

Mind you, the very idea of Jack Black voicing Bowser is just plain bizarre to me. But as long as the characters look and feel like their video game selves, that can be overlooked. If the audience is able to think of the character as Luigi and not Charlie Day, then the writers have done a decent job.

Ghoster 1987 said:
i want Danny Devito as Wario

I think that's a good idea.
 

Spotlight

Staff online

Who's on Discord?

Latest profile posts

Remember back when people were saying that "Streaming is the (bright) future"?
"I can't wait to eat this baby" - Paramount, presumably looking for tax write-offs
Happy Baseball Opening Day
"I'm probably going to watch Nymphomaniac Part II on Disney+ this weekend" isn't something I didn't think I'd ever say, but here we are.

Featured Posts

Top