When Nintendo and Illumination first announced they were casting Super Mario Bros for the 2023 animated feature, the internet basically had a collective meltdown. It was chaos. You had people genuinely mourning the fact that Charles Martinet—the man who has voiced the plumber since the nineties—wasn't the lead. Then there was the Chris Pratt factor. People were skeptical. They were loud. They were everywhere on social media.
Honestly? It felt like a disaster waiting to happen. But looking back at the $1.36 billion box office haul, it’s clear that the casting directors knew something the fans didn't.
Picking the right voices for icons like Mario, Luigi, and Bowser isn't just about finding someone who sounds like the 8-bit pixels we grew up with. It's about star power. It's about marketability. It's about finding a voice that can sustain a 90-minute narrative without the high-pitched "Wahoo!" becoming a grating headache for parents sitting in the theater.
The Mario Problem: Chris Pratt vs. The Legacy
Let's talk about the red-capped elephant in the room. When Chris Pratt was announced as Mario, the backlash was instantaneous. People wanted an Italian actor. Or they wanted Martinet. What they got was the guy from Guardians of the Galaxy.
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The logic behind casting Pratt was actually pretty simple from a business standpoint. He’s a proven box office draw. Chris Meledandri, the CEO of Illumination, defended the choice early on, noting that Pratt’s performance was "phenomenal." He wasn't trying to do a caricature. He was trying to ground the character.
If you listen to the original games, Mario's voice is intentionally thin. It works for "It’s-a-me!" but would it work for a heartfelt conversation with Luigi about their failing plumbing business in Brooklyn? Probably not. Pratt opted for a mild Brooklyn accent that paid homage to the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! from 1989. It was a bridge between the Lou Albano era and the modern era.
Jack Black Saved Everything
While everyone was arguing about Pratt, Jack Black was busy becoming the MVP of the entire production. Casting Bowser is tricky. You need someone who is intimidating but also weirdly charming and vulnerable.
Jack Black didn't just voice Bowser; he inhabited him.
The inclusion of the song "Peaches" was a turning point for the film's marketing. It went viral. It hit the Billboard Hot 100. This is the "secret sauce" of casting Super Mario Bros—you aren't just hiring a voice; you’re hiring a performer who can expand the brand. Black brought a rock-and-roll energy to a villain that could have been a generic monster. Instead, we got a hopeless romantic with a shell and fire-breathing capabilities.
Why Anya Taylor-Joy Changed Peach
For decades, Princess Peach was the ultimate "damsel in distress." She was a plot device. A prize at the end of World 8-4.
The 2023 film changed that, and the casting of Anya Taylor-Joy was central to the shift. Taylor-Joy has this inherent "cool" factor. She brings a sharpness. Her Peach wasn't waiting to be saved; she was leading the Mushroom Kingdom's army. This wasn't just a creative choice; it was a necessary update for a 2023 audience.
- She trained with a motorcycle.
- She wore a tactical jumpsuit.
- She was the one teaching Mario how to navigate the training course.
If they had cast a voice actor who played it too "sweet" or "helpless," the character's new agency might have felt forced. Taylor-Joy’s natural gravitas made it believable.
The Supporting Cast and the Charlie Day Connection
Charlie Day as Luigi was probably the most "on the nose" casting in the whole movie. And it worked.
Luigi is defined by his anxiety. Charlie Day’s career is essentially built on playing high-strung, frantic characters (looking at you, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). The chemistry between Day and Pratt—despite them recording most of their lines separately—felt like a genuine brotherhood.
Then you have Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. Most people didn't even realize it was him. He pitched his voice so high that he was virtually unrecognizable. This is a testament to the versatility required when casting Super Mario Bros. You need actors who can disappear.
Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong was another controversial one. Rogen didn't really "do a voice." He just sounded like Seth Rogen. But strangely, it fit the arrogant, meathead version of DK that the movie presented. It turned the rivalry between Mario and DK into a clash of egos rather than just two characters hitting each other.
Lessons Learned from the Casting Process
What can we actually learn from how this was handled? First, fan outrage is almost always temporary. The moment the first trailer dropped and people heard the sound design and saw the vibrant world, the "Pratt-gate" drama started to fade.
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Second, nostalgia is a tool, not a rule. The movie included Charles Martinet in cameo roles (as Mario and Luigi’s dad and Giuseppe), which was a brilliant way to honor the past without being beholden to it. It showed respect to the legacy while moving the franchise forward.
Future Casting Speculation: Who's Next?
With a sequel officially in development, the rumors are already swirling about who will play Wario, Waluigi, and Rosalina.
If the first movie taught us anything, it’s that Nintendo will likely go for "Big Name" actors over traditional voice talent. Names like Danny DeVito for Wario have been shouted from the rooftops of the internet for years. Whether Nintendo listens to the fans this time remains to be seen. They tend to value secrecy and unexpected pivots over following the popular vote.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Fans and Creators
If you’re looking at the casting Super Mario Bros saga as a blueprint for how modern blockbusters work, keep these points in mind:
Understand the "Star Power" Requirement Major studios like Universal and Illumination are unlikely to cast unknown voice actors for lead roles in $100 million+ productions. They need the press circuit (talk shows, YouTube junkets) that only A-list celebrities can provide.
Tone Over Accuracy Casting is about the vibe of the film. The movie was a fast-paced action-comedy. The cast reflected that. If it had been a dark, gritty reboot (god forbid), the cast would have looked very different.
The Role of Cameos If you’re rebooting a beloved franchise, always leave room for the original creators or actors. It buys a significant amount of goodwill from the hardcore fanbase.
Watch the Credits Pay attention to the casting directors, specifically Allison Jones and her team. They are the ones who bridge the gap between "the person who looks the part" and "the person who brings the energy."
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The success of the Mario movie proved that while the internet is great at complaining, it's also great at buying tickets. The casting wasn't about finding a perfect vocal match—it was about building a cinematic universe that could last for the next decade.