TheMariofranchise is a long-running series of games that have crossed many genres and decades of gaming history, successfully evolving at a continuous rate to keep up with trends. However, with the release ofThe Super Mario Bros Movie, it is no surprise that some aspects of the game have had to be changed.
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The switch to the big screen always means changes have to come to every video game being adapted. In the case of theMariofranchise, there are a number of things that had to be shifted in order to bring this litany of characters to the big screen for the exciting new movie.
This list contains spoilers
6Luigi’s Kidnapping
The early games in theMariofranchise usually focused on Mario, often alongside Luigi, working towards saving Princess Peach from Bowser. There is a major shift inThe Super Mario Bros Movieas the journey of the film instead chooses to focus on Mario meeting Peach, her training him, and the two of them working together to save Luigi.
Luigi gets captured after ending up in a terrifying place,fairly reminiscent ofLuigi’s Mansion. It isn’t as much of a damsel in distress situation as Peach used to find herself in, but Luigi is trapped and helplessly about to be sacrificed as part of Bowser’s grand plan during his wedding until Mario and Donkey Kong step in. The changes to this aspect of the story were done as part of the larger movement by the filmmakers to empower Peach. Luigi was also able to get the spotlight and stray away from just being a sidekick to Mario.
5Mario’s Accent
One of the most reviled changes that were shown off during the promotional material forThe Super Mario Bros Moviewas the casting of Chris Pratt to play the titular Mario. While the original game character is an Italian plumber, Mario doesn’t speak a great deal in the games, or at all, really.
The change to his voice,bringing Pratt in to play the characteras an Italian-American whose voice was fairly similar to Pratt’s usual voice, was a surprising choice. However, with the overly cartoonish way that Mario usually speaks not being an easy choice to replicate for a big-screen movie, the filmmakers wanted to have a more realistic tone to it, leading to the significant lore change.
4Donkey Kong’s Family
There were a number ofsurprising things about the Kong familyinThe Super Mario Bros Movie. Apart from the fact that their land was interestingly close to that of the Mushroom Kingdom and that Rainbow Road is apparently a shortcut between the two, the fact that the Kong family and race are known for kart riding was a shock to many fans.
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Another interesting note and a definite change from canonical lore is that the king of the Kong clan, Cranky Kong, was in theMarioandDonkey Konggames the grandfather of Donkey Kong. In the movie version, this is retconned, and Cranky is the father of Donkey Kong instead.
3Princess Peach’s Character
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Princess Peach inThe Super Mario Bros Movieand does so with a lot of levels added to the original character. Luigi being the one to get kidnapped by Bowser changed some things for Peach; for instance, she came with Mario on his adventure. A definite change from the lore of theMariogames is that Peach had totrain Mario in the use of power-upsbefore setting out on their first adventure together.
Peach being much more of a fighter was an interesting shift as well. She is shown to be the protector of the Mushroom Kingdom and was shown coming there as a young child, possibly from Earth as Mario and Luigi did. Additionally, Peach is shown to defiantly stand against Bowser and his army, even in a situation where she and Toad would stand completely alone. Instead of preparing the Toad army for a defense of the kingdom, she gave them time to escape by offering herself up. This level of goodness has always been a part of Peach and her character, but it was made much more obvious this time around.
2Bowser’s Musical Stylings
Bowser was changed in some ways from theMariogames with the Jack Black performance inThe Super Mario Bros Movie. While theMariogames have changed his relationship with Peach over time and what his exact motivations are for capturing her, his wanting to marry her is nothing new.
A much more surprising development was the softer side of Bowser’s character, which was showcased in the movie. This particularly came in the form ofBowser’s song written for Peach, which is played multiple times throughout the movie. This new piece of lore and a new side of Bowser’s personality was a definite shift from everything fans know about the fire-breathing villain to date.
1Mario Hates Mushrooms
Mario and mushrooms go hand-in-hand. Throughout theMariogames, the Italian Plumber has always chowed down mushrooms whenever they appear and give him a chance for a power-up. That is why it was surprising to see a canonical lore change that Mario actually hates eating them.
A significant point brought up several times inThe Super Mario Bros Movie, Mario’s hatred of mushrooms was a fascinating addition. Done to poke a bit of fun at the games, Mario’s training sequence was a particularly trying period for him as he went through a great number of mushrooms.
