The Super Mario Movie

The Super Mario Movie is a 2004 American CGI-animated action-adventure film produced by Nickelodeon Movies, Games Animation Inc., DNA Productions Inc., O Entertainment, Nintendo of America, Nintendo Entertainment, and Nintendo Animation. Based on "Super Mario" by Shigeru Miyamoto, Koji Kondo, Satoru Iwata, Tekashi Tezuka, Gunpei Yokoi, Satoshi Tajiri, Alexey Pajitnov, and Nintendo, it is the 2nd Mario adaption film after "Super Mario Bros." (1993), and the first CGI Mario adaption film. The film stars Charles Martinet, Samantha Kelly, and Kenneth Wendell James in their respective roles, and guest stars Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Johansson, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Debi Derryberry, and Jim Carrey.

The Super Mario Movie was released on June 12th, 2004 in Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround 5.1, DTS Digital Surround, and SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound) system, with Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, and SDDS being in selected theaters, along with prints by Deluxe Laboratories, Inc. and color by Technicolor. It was produced by Nickelodeon Movies, Games Animation Inc., DNA Productions Inc., O Entertainment, Nintendo of America, Nintendo Entertainment, and Nintendo Animation, and was distributed in the United States by Paramount Pictures, and in Europe by DreamWorks Pictures.

It was well-received by critics and and gained massive positivity within reviews. With a worldwide gross of over $1.695 billion against a production budget of $25 million, the film out-grossed the original 1993 film, and became the first highest grossing film in 2004, and the highest-grossing animated film of all time, overtaking "The Lion King" (2019).

Synopsis
After the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom got captured by Bowser, Mario and Luigi must go on a dangerous mission to save the princess, before it's too late.

Plot
It's another day in the Mushroom Kingdom, and Mario (Charles Martinet) had been protecting Princess Peach (Samantha Kelly) for years. But one night, the villainous Bowser (Kenneth W. James) kidnaps Peach, and takes her to his castle, Bowser's Castle. When Mario goes to check on Peach, she wasn't there. His first instinct was that she was out in the backyard planting flowers. But when he checked in the backyard, she wasn't there either. There was only one other possibility on what had happened to her; she got kidnapped by Bowser.

Then, a toad (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) informs Mario that the Princess was captured by Bowser. Then, Mario enlists the help of his brother, Luigi (Charles Martinet), to save the Princess from Bowser's wrath. But on the way, they ran into multiple helpers of Bowser's, most notably the Koopalings (Alec Baldwin, Kenneth W. James, Mike Myers, Scarlett Johansson), the Goombas (Alec Baldwin, Debi Derryberry), Koopa Troopas/Paratroopas (Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin), Lakitu (Jim Carrey), and Bowser's son, Bowser Jr. (Colleen O'Shaughnessey).

When they reach Bowser's Castle, the two are faced with the villainous Bowser, and the battle began. Mario was thrown to the edge of the bridge, just inches from falling off into the lava. But, a quick-thinking Luigi helped him up, and the two went back to the ongoing battle. Peach was undoubtedly worried for Mario, as he was the love of her life. The duo got across the bridge, and made it to the axe of the bridge. One swoop of the axe, and the chains would break, causing the bridge to collapse. Mario grabbed the axe, and swung with full force at the chain. The bridge collapsed, and Bowser fell into the lava, never to be seen again.

The duo unlocked the cage with a key, and they freed Peach from it. Peach was relieved that she was saved from the wrath of Bowser, and she was knowingly terrified. Mario told her all the hell was over, and that she was okay. The movie ends on a message; you can never have too many people, especially a beautiful princess for Mario.

In the post credits scene, Dry Bones Bowser, a skeleton version of Bowser, emerged from the lava below. A growl is heard, and it fades to black.

Cast

 * Charles Martinet as:
 * Mario and Luigi, two Italian brothers from the Mushroom Kingdom


 * Samantha Kelly as Princess Peach, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, and Mario's fiance
 * Kenneth Wendell James as:
 * King Bowser Koopa, an evil Koopa turtle with a spiky shell, and red flame hair, and is best known for willingly capturing Princess Peach
 * Ludwig von Koopa, one of Bowser's sons
 * Mike Myers as:
 * Larry, Roy and Morton Koopa, three of Bowser's sons
 * Paratroopas
 * Koopa Troopas
 * Scarlett Johansson as Wendy O. Koopa, Bowser's daughter
 * Alec Baldwin as:
 * Iggy and Lemmy Koopa, two of Bowser's sons
 * Koopa Troopas
 * Paratroopers
 * Goombas
 * Debi Derryberry as Goombas
 * Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Bowser Jr., Bowser's biological son
 * Jim Carrey as Lakitu, a Koopa riding a cloud, dropping Spinies

Development
During a 2000 interview with Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo, creator of Super Mario, he was asked a question on if there would be any other Super Mario-adapted movie. His response was he didn't want another Mario movie to be produced. After the box office disappointment of "Super Mario Bros." (1993), he never wanted to see a Super Mario adaption film again. But that changed in January 2002.

The film was conceived in January 2002 when Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies approached Canadian animation studio Games Animation Inc., and American animation companies O Entertainment and DNA Productions, after the success of "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius". John A. Davis of DNA Productions later approached Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, with plans to make a CGI film. Miyamoto's initial reaction was that he didn't want an adaption of Super Mario, as he was feared it would flop like "Super Mario Bros." (1993). But when John A. showed Miyamoto animation concepts of what the film would be, he agreed on production for the film.

The official production began in June 2002, and the storyboard for the movie was created by Shigeru Miyamoto. The animation processes began on June 12th, 2002, with test animations being created and produced at DNA Productions, Inc. in Dallas, Texas. With Nintendo's animation division, Nintendo Animation, and Nickelodeon's Canadian subsidiary, Games Animation Inc., the production was going swimmingly. With Miyamoto as head of production for Nintendo Animation, and Ryan Reynolds as head of production for Games Animation Inc., it was going well.

In on May 29th, 2004, 2 weeks before the premiere of the film, animators at DNA Productions, Nintendo Animation, and Games Animation were checking the animations for any animation errors and mistakes. Thankfully, there was no animation errors. The film was sent off to the Motion Picture Association of America/Motion Picture Association (MPAA/MPA), and the film received a "PG" rating, indicating Parental Guidance, meaning it had mild language, peril, mild crude humor, and violence.

The film is directed by Conrad Vernon, John A. Davis, and Shigeru Miyamoto, along with it being written and storyboarded by Shigeru Miyamoto, and is produced by John A. Davis, Steve Oedekerk, and Albie Hecht.

Casting
Lines provided by Charles Martinet, Samantha Kelly, Kenneth W. James, Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Johansson, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Debi Derryberry, and Jim Carrey were recorded at Paramount Recording Studios in Santa Monica, California. Casting was by Paula Kaplan and Ginny McSwain, and made sure the lines were read correctly, and had the perfect amount enthusiasm and excitement for each line.

Overall, the budget was approximately $25 million.

Music
The Super Mario Movie 's score was composed by English film composer John Powell. What John A. Davis and Shigeru Miyamoto wanted in the score was dramatic and soft/lighthearted tones of music, and John Powell soon delivered. In the beginning of the movie, John Powell's recreation of the Mario theme is heard playing, which caught Miyamoto's attention drastically.

Movie Soundtrack

 * Super Mario! Theme - Koji Kondo, Mahito Yokota (writers), John Powell (composer/orchestrator)
 * The Mushroom Kingdom - Koji Kondo (writer), John Powell (composer/orchestrator)
 * Bowser Captures Peach - Koji Kondo, Mahito Yokota (writers), John Powell (composer/orchestrator)
 * We Must Save The Princess! - Mahito Yokota (writer), John Powell (composer/orchestrator)
 * Battle With The Koopalings - Ryo Nagamatsu, Kenta Nagata (writers), John Powell (composer/orchestrator)
 * Bowser's Lair/The Showdown - Ryo Nagamatsu (writer), John Powell (composer/orchestrator)
 * You're Saved - John Powell (writer/composer/orchestrator)

Credits Songs

 * Hang On - Smash Mouth (performer), Steve Harwell (lead vocals), Paul De Lisle (bass/backing vocals), Greg Camp (guitars/backing vocals), Michael Urbano (drums/percussion)
 * Super Mario! Theme - Koji Kondo, Mahito Yokota (writers), John Powell (composer/orchestrator)
 * Bowser's Lair/The Showdown - Ryo Nagamastu (writer), John Powell (composer/orchestrator)

Release
The film was theatrically released in the United States, North America, and Canada on June 12th, 2004 in Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround 5.1, DTS Digital Surround, and Sony Dynamic Digital Sound.

Home media
The Super Mario Movie was released on digital on August 20th, 2004 by Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment. On the DVD release, it contained a behind the scenes featurette, a "Hang On" music video featuring the song of the same name by Smash Mouth, an interview with Charles Martinet (voice of Mario and Luigi), an animation production featurette, a song orchestration featurette, the "Goomba Stomper" trailer from 2003, "The Super Mario Movie: The Game" demo video, Dolby Digital audio (English 5.1 and 2.0, Spanish 5.1, French 5.1), and English subtitles.

The Blu-Ray release was on January 14th, 2008, which followed with a Blu-Ray 3D, an Ultra HD Blu-Ray, and a Blu-Ray 4K release, all of which were released on November 23rd, 2017.

Box office
The Super Mario Movie has grossed $732 million in the United States and Canada, and $963 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.695 billion, against a production budget of $25 million. It is the highest-grossing film of 2004, the highest-grossing animated film of 2004, the highest-grossing animated film (over-taking "The Lion King (2019)"), and the 2nd highest-grossing film to be released by Paramount Pictures.

In North America, the film was originally going to project $50-60 million in its opening weekend. The film played in 2,394 theaters on June 12th, 2004. It grossed $5.6 million in Saturday night previews, with an additional $9.4 million on the following Sunday. It's opening week made the movie gross $23 million in the United States and Canada, which was followed with $59 million in other territories. Throughout it's theatrical run, it started to become a success overtime, and the film's box office performances ended on December 12th, 2005. Its total grossing was $732 million in the United States and Canada, and $963 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.695 billion.

Critical response
The film was opened to critical acclaim. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Super Mario Movie has a "Certified Fresh" approval rating of 99% based on 84 critics, with a rare rating of 10/10. Its critical consensus reads: "Packed with action themes and a dramatic number of sequences, "The Super Mario Movie" is a perfect film adaption to a beloved gaming franchise." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 98 out of 100 based on reviews by 58 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.

On the IMDb (Internet Movie Database), the film has a rare score of 10/10, with its consensus reading "As the first actual adaption to a beloved Nintendo franchise, The Super Mario Movie works to its full 90 minute runtime. Unlike the 1993 live action film, where the acting was dull and boring, the 2004 CGI reboot is the best way to kick off the modern era of Mario." On Common Sense Media, its star rating is a rare 5/5, with critics acclaiming the movie, saying it is "action-packed" and "thrilling with excitement".

Shigeru Miyamoto, who produced, directed, and wrote the movie, said that the movie "was an amazing movie. (It) really is a brilliant kick-off to the modern series of Mario games, (and I,) and Nintendo can't wait to see what is coming next", which in Japanese translates to "素晴らしい映画でした. （それは）マリオゲームの現代シリーズ（そして私）への素晴らしいキックオフであり 任天堂は次に何が来るのか楽しみです. "

The movie was featured on news stations and newspapers, with news stations including CBS News and FOX 13 News covering the movie. TheGuardian reviewed the movie, and gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, saying it was "too good to be true in the Mario universe", and said it was "outstanding", "magnificent", and "unreal in design". CBS News and FOX 13 News described the movie as a "video game adaption masterpiece", and said the movie was "phenomenal and delicate in detail".

Games Animation employees not paid for work
In April 2010, it was announced on TheGuardian that employees at the Canadian animation studio "Games Animation Inc." were not paid in the project. After the movie came out in June 2004, there were no payments sent to the Canadian animation studio, but they kept it quiet until April 2010, on the release of "The Super Mario Movie 3: Bowser's Revenge".

TheGuardian says Games Animation CEO Ryan Reynolds (actor, film producer, and animator) was not paid for his involvement in the project. The studio, along with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies settled in the Los Angeles court. Games Animation won the lawsuit, and they were soon received their payments. Ryan Reynolds, the CEO of Games Animation, says he was "disgusted at how Paramount and Nickelodeon did not pay me and the other employees for their hard efforts in the project".

Streaming
The Super Mario Movie was streamed on Paramount+ on May 29th, 2021. It was also released on Amazon Prime Video on June 2nd, 2021.

Video game
Nintendo and Paramount Interactive released the video game "Super Mario Movie: The Game". The game was developed by Nick Games, THQ, and Activision, and published by Nintendo and Nick Games. It was released on April 15th, 2005 in the United States and Canada, April 29th in the United Kingdom, May 3rd in New Zealand and Australia, and May 10th in other European territories. The game is available for PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.

The game opened to positive reception, with Metacritic giving it a 95 out of 100 based on 39 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". GameSpot ranked the game a 9/10, giving it praise for its gameplay and visual effects.

Super Mario Movie: The Game REMASTERED
On April 15th, 2015, in commemoration of the video game's 10th anniversary, Nintendo released "Super Mario Movie: The Game REMASTERED", an enhanced remaster of the original game from 2005. The game had remastered graphics, more detail, and the terrains were upgraded to be more realistic. The game was developed by Nick Games, Nintendo, Paramount Interactive, THQNordic, and Activision, and published by Nintendo, Paramount Pictures, and Nick Games. It was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

The game opened to positive reception, with Metacritic giving it a 82 out of 100 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". GameSpot ranked the game a 8/10, giving it praise for its refurbished gameplay and graphics.

Sequel and Paramount Pictures lease expiration
After the box office success of the film, Shigeru Miyamoto allowed plans for a sequel to the movie. In 2006, DNA Productions, the company that animated the first film, went defunct due to bankruptcy issues, and the company was absorbed into Omation Animation Studios.

The lease with Paramount Pictures expired in July 2005, and the deal was acquired by the late 20th Century Fox Film Corporation for $350 million in 2005. After Fox bought the lease of the CGI Mario film series for $350 million, Blue Sky Studios, having just been done with Robots (2005), began making drafts for the sequel.

List of Super Mario movies
Nickelodeon Movies and Nintendo present The Super Mario Movie (2004, USA) (2005, Europe) (Distributed by Paramount Pictures in USA, DreamWorks Pictures in Europe)

Nintendo presents The Super Mario Movie 2: Level Up! (2007, USA) (2008, Europe) (Distributed by 20th Century Fox)

Nintendo presents The Super Mario Movie 3: Bowser's Revenge (2010, USA) (2011, Europe) (Distributed by 20th Century Fox)

Universal Pictures presents The Super Mario Movie 4 (2017, USA and Europe) (Distributed by Universal Pictures)

Universal Pictures and Nintendo presents The Super Mario Movie 5: The Finale (2021, USA and Europe) (Distributed by Universal Pictures)