As confirmed by Nintendo of America’s official Twitter account, a Nintendo Direct shall premiere the first trailer for the highly anticipated animated Mario movie. The announcement calls it “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” though it’s unclear if that will be its official title. The Direct is to take place this Thursday, October 6, 2022, at 1:05 p.m. PT (4:05 p.m. ET), and you can check it out right here. The post makes a point to confirm that no game information will be featured during the presentation.
As seen below, along with the post comes what appears to be the first look at this movie’s version of the Mushroom Kingdom, which is a lot more vertical than how it’s usually represented in the games. We also get a shot of Mario’s back and full view of some Toads walking around. It’s clear that the Toads look nearly identical to their video game counterparts, which is good news for anyone concerned the movie would attempt unsettlingly realistic depictions, not unlike the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer. Mario himself is still kind up in the air, as we’ve yet to see his face, but his proportions do look right.
It’s worth noting how hands-on Nintendo is being with the marketing of this movie. Unlike some adaptations, where the license is simply handed off to a studio that handles everything from shooting to advertising, Nintendo is seemingly deeply involved in the process of this movie’s creation; so much so that the firm is dedicating an entire Direct for it, which is something Nintendo has never done before. Directs have always either been exclusively about video games or at least heavily centered around them.
This isn’t too surprising, however, as back in September 2021, Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and long-time Nintendo executive, revealed the cast of the Mario movie during a Nintendo Direct. It will feature a star-studded cast with famous actors such as Chris Pratt (Mario), Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), and Anya Taylor-Joy (Peach).
The production is being helmed by Illumination, the animation studio most known for the Despicable Me franchise of movies, which spawned the ubiquitous Minions. Though Illumination’s movies are commercially successful, critical reception to the studio’s offerings can often be hit-or-miss, and many expressed concerns when Nintendo chose Illumination to adapt its most recognizable franchise for the big screen. However, fans won’t have to wait long to get their first real impression of what this movie will be like.