Fine, I Guess Chris Pratt's Mario Has a Half-Decent 'Wahoo!'

Josh Rosenberg
·6 min read

Mario isn't much of a talker. He mainly just jumps around and stomps on baddies. Sure, he occasionally says his own name—little things here and there, such as "Wahoo!," "Yippee!," and "Let's a-go!"—but never a real, full sentence. Luigi also just says things like "Mario!" or "Luigi time!" So, it was a great shock to the video game community when Nintendo announced the Super Mario Bros. movie and its absolutely bonkers voice cast last year.

Ask any fan: "Where were you when they announced the Mario movie voice cast?" They'll absolutely be able to recall the sheer confusion and amazement at the this can't be real? reveals, like Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario. Rounding out the cast, Nintendo hit us with so many A-list names in quick succession that it was hard to process anything that was going on other than chaos. In the latest trailer, released on Tuesday, fans got a taste of how most of the cast will look and sound—surprising audiences by seemingly... choosing to use their normal voices? Mario certainly sounds like Chris Pratt, Luigi is unmistakably Charlie Day, and Toad is speaking full sentences. It feels like a fever dream, but the question remains: what will audiences think of Super Mario Bros. come April 2023?

What Is the Mario Movie About?

If the film follows the video games, the plot will involve Mario running and jumping through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach from the wicked Bowser. As we saw in the trailer, the evil Koopa King is up to no good, as he burns an entire city made of ice to the ground. Mario, who is transported to the Mushroom Kingdom via a handy green pipe, seems to have no idea where he is. Will he be a real plumber from Earth, magically sent here to save the kingdom? A quick shot of Mario inspecting a sink may just confirm so in the latest trailer. We also get a glimpse of his more realistic-looking face. It might receive some light roasts online since it's noticeably different, but not enough to warrant any strong reactions, like what happened to Sonic the Hedgehog. We also see Luigi running from a bunch of Dry Bones who chase him into a castle, later getting captured by Bowser himself. Donkey Kong does some Mario smashing, Peach swings a big halberd, and the gang even gets together to race, Mario Kart-style, on Rainbow Road. The film looks fun, surprisingly—though the latest trailer did add a bunch of awkward jokes. At the very end, Pratt even yelps a very passable, "Wahoo!"

According to the cast, the plot was previously so secretive that the voice actors didn't even know the full details. Charlie Day, who voices Luigi, revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he was asked to read his lines in various ways because he was unaware of what was happening in the story. "Mario's probably in the know but they don't tell Luigi anything," he joked. "We go in one at a time... I don't even know if I'm really in the movie!"

Nintendo Director Shigeru Miyamoto said that the video game company has been working for a long time to figure out "how to depict the Super Mario characters and world" on screen. The team plans to share more footage in the coming months, before its premiere in theaters next spring.

Who Is In the Cast?

The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, best known for their work on Cartoon Network's Teen Titans Go! They'll be working with Illumination, the Despicable Me animation studio, and Minions: The Rise of Gru screenwriter, Matthew Fogel. Alongside Chris Pratt as Mario, the voice cast includes Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Foreman Spike. Charles Martinet, who has voiced Mario in video games since 1992, will also have a cameo voice role.

Audiences will get their first glimpse of Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario in the Nintendo Direct teaser released for the film on Thursday at 4 pm EST. Pratt announced previously that he will not be voicing the Italian plumber with his traditionally thick and campy accent, prompting mixed reactions from fans. Turns out, Chris Pratt's Mario voice is just Chris Pratt's voice, judging by what we hear in the trailer.

In an Instagram post back in September 2021, Pratt said that he used to steal quarters as a kid from a wishing well at his local laundromat in order to play a Super Mario Bros. arcade machine. That quarter eventually made his wish come true: voicing Mario in a movie. He then said "It's a-me, Mario," before joking that we would have to wait to hear the real voice.

What's Up with the Internet Talking About Mario's Butt?

In the first poster for the film, many fans pointed out that Mario was lacking a bit in the derriere department. For a little guy known to ground-pound his ass onto enemies, the poster revealed quite the opposite design of the video game character's iconic dump truck behind. After Sonic the Hedgehog's creative team had to completely alter their titular character to appear less horrifying and more like how Sonic actually looks, studios have been very careful about discerning memes from actual fan criticism that could affect box office sales. Due to the popularity of Mario and his dedicated video game fanbase, the Super Mario Bros. movie is sure to be critiqued and ridiculed ad nauseam leading up to its release.

Is This the First Time Mario Has Been in A Movie?

Mario has been adapted to the screen before in a Japanese animated film from the 80s, as well as an abominable live-action film in 1993. After its commercial failures, Nintendo was realistically skeptical about making another Mario film. Super Mario video games were still selling in incredibly high numbers, but the video game company eventually rethought its strategy following the announcement of the Super Nintendo World theme park at Universal Studios in Japan. Other computer-animated video game films, such as Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog, also proved to be lucrative, box office successes.The Super Mario Bros. movie will be released in theaters on April 7. 2023. Let's a-go!

You Might Also Like