Super Mario Bros Trailer: Hear Chris Pratt’s Mario Voice

It’s Chris Pratt, Mario!

The first look at the animated feature film The Super Mario Bros. Movie from Nintendo, Universal and Illumination sees Pratt as the lead in the viral video game Mario. The teaser debuted at New York Comic Con.

Pratt lends his voice to the Italian cartoon character alongside Charlie Day as Mario’s brother Luigi and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach in love. Jack Black plays Bowser with Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. The film will premiere on April 7, 2023.

The official logline reads: A plumber named Mario travels with his brother Luigi through an underground labyrinth trying to rescue a captive princess.

“Super Mario Bros.” Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, both Teen Titans Go! alums. The screenplay is by Matthew Fogel, who also wrote The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Illumination Studios’ producer and founder and CEO Chris Meledandri allayed any doubts about lead actor Pratt and his lack of Italian ancestry.

“We are working with Chris and his experienced team to create not just a character-licensed film, but a new piece of entertainment, the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ brought to life on screen and allows everyone to enjoy it, whether they know the game or not,” Meledandri said of Deadline during the CineEurope conference. “When people hear Chris Pratt perform, the criticism evaporates, maybe not entirely — people love speaking their minds like they should.”

Meledandri continued, “I’m not sure if that’s the smartest defense, but as a person of Italian-American heritage, I feel like I can make that decision without worrying about being Italian or Italian-American.” offend…I think we’re going to just be good.”

Meledandri called the project “unlike any previous Illumination film.”

“The production so far is constructive and going very well, and both parties are learning a lot from each other,” added Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo Representative Director, of the collaboration with Universal and Illumination. “We humbly ask fans to wait a little longer for the premiere, and we hope they look forward to seeing the unique characters from ‘Super Mario Bros.’ to see. On the big screen.”

Producer Meledandri previously told TooFab in November 2021 that he “understood the comments” about Pratt’s appropriation of Mario’s over-the-top Italian persona. “We cover it in the film, so you’ll see that we definitely agree with that,” Meledandri explained of the accent, clarifying, “That’s not the tenor of the performance throughout the film.”
Guardians of the Galaxy star Pratt teased in an Instagram video that he worked “hard” on the accent for the cartoon character’s famous catchphrases like “It’s-a-me, Mario!” Pratt has previously voiced animated characters in Onward and The LEGO Movie.

“Super Mario Bros.” Premiered in theaters April 7, 2023.

Check out the teaser below.

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