Super Smash Bros.: The Movie (2007 film)

Super Smash Bros.: The Movie is a 2007 computer-animated action-adventure superhero comedy film directed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Wedge, produced by Ayika Sakamoto, Kensuke Tanabe and Lori Forte based on a screenplay by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and a story by Masahiro Sakurai, translated into English by Gerry Swallow. It features the voices of Charles Martinet, Jen Taylor, Kenneth Wendell James, Grant Kirkhope, Andrew Sabiston, Rebecca Denise, Alésia Tokoyo Glidewell, Jonathan Potts, Bonnie Jean Wilbur, Jim Walker, Jay Ward, Dex Manley, Catherine Disher, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Birnbaum, Ted Lewis, Eric Newsome, Sarah Natochenny, Kate Bristol, Sean Schemmel, Rachael Lillis, Eric Kelso, Dakota Fanning, Lani Minella, Dan Woren, Greg Chun, Spike Spencer, David Hayter, Jason Griffith, Freddie Highmore, and Jeff Manning.

Set in the fictional Smash-verse, a brand new worldwide tournament was happening in just 10 days. Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Samus, Zero-Suit Samus, Link, Zelda, Fox McCloud, Popo, Nana, Yoshi, Kirby, King Dedede, Pikachu, with many others, are training for the big tournament, and one will be crowned the greatest fighter of the year. Mario, an all-time winning champion, had his doubts on winning, after hearing that an upcoming challenger had been training ever since the previous tournament the year prior. His name was Dark Master.

Development on a film based on Super Smash Bros. was first conceived in 2000 after the critical success of Super Smash Bros. 64 for the Nintendo 64. Director Shigeru Miyamoto had a plan of making a cinematic SSB film, though never came to full agreement until 2003. 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures had approached Nintendo about a film adaptation to the popularity of the series, after the success of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Miyamoto, with producers Ayika Sakamoto and Kensuke Tanabe and writer Masahiro Sakurai, agreed on a film based on the series. Production began in July 2003 and wrapped up in April 2007.

Produced by 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Regency Enterprises, Nintendo Films, Nintendo Animation and Dune Entertainment, with Sony Pictures Imageworks and Rhythm & Hues Studios providing animation services and Weta Digital providing performance capture, Super Smash Bros.: The Movie had its world premiere on June 17, 2007 at the Regency Village Theater in Westwood Village, Los Angeles and was theatrically released five days later on June 22, 2007 in the United States by 20th Century Fox, and on June 25, 2007 in other territories by Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. It was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, praising its animation, visual effects, plot, musical score by Brian Tyler, voice cast (particularly Martinet, Taylor, Denise, Potts, Walker, Sabiston, Birnbaum and Bristol), humor, themes, and emotional weight, with many praising its use of source material, though some criticized the 115 minute runtime. It was a box office hit, grossing $875.6 million worldwide on its budget of $190-$250 million. A sequel was conceived and had a planned release date of The film was re-released in June 2018 in preparation for its reboot film, titled simply Super Smash Bros., which was released on September 14, 2018.

Plot
The film opens with an exciting montage of the various Super Smash Bros. characters training for the upcoming tournament. We see Mario and Luigi sparring, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong practicing their moves, Samus and Zero-Suit Samus perfecting their aim, Link and Zelda practicing their sword fighting, Fox McCloud testing his Arwing, the Ice Climbers scaling a mountain, Yoshi munching on fruit, Kirby practicing his inhale move, and King Dedede lifting weights.

After the montage, we see Mario and Peach having a conversation about the upcoming tournament. Peach expresses her excitement and confidence that Mario will win, but Mario is hesitant. He reveals that he's heard about a new challenger who has been training since the previous tournament, and he's worried that this challenger will be a serious threat to his championship title.

The new challenger is revealed to be a mysterious figure named Dark Master, who wears a cloak and conceals his face. He has a reputation for being a ruthless fighter who will stop at nothing to win. Throughout the second act, we see Dark Master in training, honing his skills and devising strategies to defeat the other Smash Bros. characters.

Meanwhile, the other Smash characters continue to train, but tensions start to rise as they become increasingly competitive with each other. Mario and Donkey Kong have a heated argument over who is the better fighter, and Link and Zelda have a disagreement about tactics.

The tournament begins, and the Smash characters compete in a series of matches. The action is intense and fast-paced, with each character using their unique abilities to try to gain the upper hand. We see Mario and Master Hand go head-to-head, with Mario narrowly escaping defeat.

As the tournament continues, Dark Master's true identity is revealed: he is actually a villain from a different dimension who wants to conquer the Smash-verse and enslave its inhabitants. He has been using the tournament as a cover to gather intelligence and test the Smash Bros. characters' fighting abilities.

With the stakes raised, the Smash characters must band together to defeat Dark Master and his army of minions. They put aside their differences and work together to come up with a plan to stop Dark Master. The Ice Climbers lead the charge, scaling a tall mountain to reach Dark Master's stronghold, while the other characters distract the villains with a series of intense battles.

In the climactic battle, the Smash characters face off against Dark Master and his army. The action is fast and furious, with each character using their unique abilities to try to gain the upper hand. At one point, it seems like all hope is lost, but Mario rallies the troops with an inspiring speech, and they fight back with renewed vigor.

In the final act, the Smash characters emerge victorious. Dark Master is defeated, and the villains are driven back to their own dimension. The Smash characters celebrate their victory, with Mario hoisting the championship trophy high in the air.

As the credits roll, we see a montage of the various characters returning to their own worlds, with each one reflecting on the lessons they learned during the tournament. Mario and Peach share a tender moment, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong make up after their argument, and Link and Zelda reconcile their differences. The film ends with a shot of the Smash-verse, with the characters looking on as the sun sets on a hard-fought victory.

Cast

 * Charles Martinet as Mario, Luigi, and Wario
 * Jen Taylor as Princess Peach
 * Kenneth Wendell James as Bowser
 * Grant Kirkhope as Donkey Kong
 * Andrew Sabiston as Diddy Kong
 * Sabiston also provides the voice of Yoshi
 * Rebecca Denise as Samus
 * Alésia Toyoko Glidewell as Zero Suit Samus
 * Jonathan Potts as Link
 * Bonnie Jean Wilbur as Zelda
 * Wilbur also provides the voice of Sheik
 * Tara Strong as Toon Link
 * Jim Walker as Fox McCloud
 * Jay Ward as Wolf
 * Dex Manley as Falco Lombardi
 * Manley also provides the voice of R.O.B.
 * Catherine Disher as Popo
 * Scarlett Johansson as Nana
 * Amy Birnbaum as Kirby
 * Ted Lewis as King Dedede
 * Eric Newsome as Meta Knight
 * Sarah Natochenny as Ash Ketchum
 * Kate Bristol as Pikachu
 * Sean Schemmel as Lucario
 * Rachael Lillis as Jigglypuff
 * Eric Kelso as Captain Falcon
 * Dakota Fanning as Ness
 * Lani Minella as Lucas
 * Dan Woren as Mr. Game & Watch
 * Greg Chun as Ike
 * Spike Spencer as Marth
 * David Hayter as Solid Snake
 * Jason Griffith as Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Freddie Highmore as Pit
 * Jeff Manning as the Announcer
 * Manning also provides the voice of Master Hand
 * Hugh Jackman as Dark Master

Development
The hard-planned development first came up in the year 2000, after the critical success of Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 console. Shigeru Miyamoto had once conceived the idea of a cinematic Smash Bros. film that year, though the company had declined the idea initially at the time, due to the critical and commercial failure of Super Mario Bros. (1993). Miyamoto had tried explaining ways that the cinematic Smash Bros. film couldn't fail, though most employees were still skeptical on the film.

In 2003, the idea was brought up again, and the employees were now thinking of the idea being a reality. Ayika Sakamoto and Kensuke Tanabe, two producers responsible for the Smash Bros. games, was hired to produce the theatrical film, which would be a fully computer-animated film. Around the same time, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures had approached the company prior to the events mentioned before, and Shigeru Miyamoto gladly accepted the idea, and had shared it with employees at Nintendo. Chris Wedge of Blue Sky Studios served as director of the film with Miyamoto, while Lori Forte served as producer with Ayika Sakamoto and Kensuke Tanabe.

The storyboarding process began in July 2003. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, a film production and scriptwriting duo, was hired to write the screenplay of the film, with Masahiro Sakurai providing a scripted story. Since it was in Japanese, Gerry Swallow helped translate the script into English. The storyboarding process concluded on November 5, 2005.

Casting
In April 2004, it was revealed that Charles Martinet would voice Mario, Luigi, and Wario in the film, along with Jen Taylor, Kenneth Wendell James, Grant Kirkhope and Andrew Sabiston voicing Princess Peach (Taylor), Bowser (James), Donkey Kong (Kirkhope), Diddy Kong and Yoshi (Sabiston), respectively.

Visual effects and animation
The visual effects and animation was provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks, with additional work done in its Canadian studio, and additional visual effects work was provided by Los Angeles-based Rhythm & Hues Studios. The style of each character was altered slightly, though kept the same feel as the original games. For characters such as King Dedede, facial motion capture was provided by New Zealand-based visual effects studio Weta Digital. At the time of the film's production, Weta Digital had been working with 20th Century Fox on the 2009 film Avatar, directed by James Cameron. Because of this, Weta had to simultaneously do the motion capture work for Super Smash Bros., while they also had to do motion capture work for Avatar, making a combined total of 10,300 hours.

Soundtrack
"Main article: Super Smash Bros.: The Movie (soundtrack)"The music for Super Smash Bros.: The Movie was composed by Brian Tyler. Original music samples from Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee were re-orchestrated by Tyler. The score's album was released on Warner Bros. Records on June 22, 2007, coinciding with the film's release. The film's soundtrack album was released on June 25, 2007 by Interscope Records. The album charted at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received certified triple platinum from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Release
Super Smash Bros.: The Movie premiered at the Regency Village Theater on June 17, 2007 in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, and was later theatrically released on June 22, 2007 in the United States by 20th Century Fox, and on June 25, 2007 in other territories by Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for violence, rude humor and mild language.

Marketing
Super Smash Bros.: The Movie was marketed alongside the upcoming fighting game Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which was still in its finalization process. The first teaser poster for the film was revealed on February 28, 2007, which depicted the Smash Ball, with a golden glow shining around it, with shadows of Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, Link, Star-Fox, Kirby, Samus, Captain Falcon, and Pikachu present in front of the Smash Ball, with the text: "PREPARE FOR THE BIG DAY" above it.

Home media
Super Smash Bros.: The Movie was released on DVD, Blu-ray and Universal Media Disc (UMD) on September 5, 2007 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Box office
Super Smash Bros.: The Movie opened theatrically in North America and Japan on June 22, 2007 and peaked at #1 with its opening of $102.1 million on its first day. The film grossed $358.5 million in the United States and Canada and $517.1 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $875.6 million on its budget of $190-$250 million.

Critical response
Super Smash Bros.: The Movie received near critical acclaim upon release, with many considering it one of the greatest films of all time, and one of the greatest video game films of all time. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 97% based on 288 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.55/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Gorgeously animated, heart-pounding, and possibly the greatest action movie from Nintendo yet, Super Smash Bros. can easily hype up any fan of the original video games with its more mature themes compared to other films, and possibly some of the greatest visuals for the beloved characters." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore assigned the film a rare grade "A+" on its scale of A+ to F.

Trivia
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