Illumination and Nintendo have revealed the official trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The animated film will be released in theaters by Universal Pictures on April 7, 2023.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (collaborators on Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) from a screenplay by Matthew Fogel (The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Minions: The Rise of Gru).
The film stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad.
They are joined by Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri p.g.a. and by Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo.
The film is co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo and will be released worldwide by Universal Pictures.
“We are thrilled to finally share the very first look at The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” said Chris Meledandri, Illumination’s Founder and CEO, previously.
“Nintendo’s Mario and Luigi are the most iconic and beloved characters in the gaming universe and it has been an incredible honor to work with Miyamoto-san over the past few years to bring this story to film in a way that is authentic to its roots.”
“What kind of movie should Super Mario Bros. be?” said Shigeru Miyamoto, Representative Director, Fellow of Nintendo. “We have been working for a very long time with Chris of Illumination thinking about this question. We are now able to have everyone get a peek at the film.
“With not just the story itself, but through the characters’ look, their emotions, various gestures, we have built a Super Mario world using the language of film. Please enjoy the unique Mushroom Kingdom experience spread widely on the theater screen.”
Miyamoto added: “Also keep an eye out for the characters, and memories from Nintendo games sprinkled in small parts of the screen throughout the film.
“The release is just around the corner, and we are in the fine tuning phase finalizing all the details, just as we do with a Nintendo game. It is a film for all ages to enjoy, and I ask everyone to please cheer for Mario at the theaters.”
Founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, Illumination is one of the entertainment industry’s leading producers of event-animated films, including Despicable Me — the most successful animated franchise in cinematic history — as well as Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch and The Secret Life of Pets and Sing films.
Illumination’s franchises have grossed more than $8 billion worldwide. Illumination has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures. In addition to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination’s other 2023 release is Migration.
Nintendo has created franchises that have become household names worldwide, including Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Pikmin and Splatoon.
Nintendo has sold more than 5.4 billion video games and over 800 million hardware units globally, starting with the launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System more than 30 years ago.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to provide the latest news on streaming, movies, and TV shows. He previously created the websites ComingSoon, SuperHeroHype, and ShockTillYouDrop.