Mario is one of the most beloved video game characters, who is always ready to go on a quest to save Princess Peach Toadstool. The character is extremely relatable due to his appearance, and cheerful personality, and the has become a part of our childhood. As a result, when it was announced that a movie will be made on the character, fans were excited. However, the excitement dwindled when it was announced that Chris Pratt will be voicing the iconic character.
While the actor did a lot of work to bring the iconic character to life, fans were not happy with his performance. And when the first trailer of The Super Mario Bros. Movie dropped, fans were fuming at Chris Pratt because he failed to deliver the iconic voice of the Italian Plumber. However, the Jurassic Park actor stated how his first attempts at voicing Mario sounded like an Italian gangster.
Chris Pratt’s Earlier Attempts for Mario’s Voice Was Criticised by the Filmmakers
During an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the voice cast of the movie was present alongside the actor. Chris Pratt recalled that he had a tough time finding the right voice for the iconic character, and it was no easy task. He explained that when he first attempted to voice the iconic character, the filmmakers were not charmed by the voice, and asked the actor to change the voice as it sounded like “Tony Soprano.”
“For a minute, I walked in and they were like, ‘That’s a little New Jersey. You’re doing a Tony Soprano thing.”
Chris Pratt’s comments were backed by Charlie Day who voiced Luigi in the film. The actor commented that he too was told to adjust his voice during the recording session numerous times because the filmmakers were not interested in having an Italian mobster voice for the Super Mario Bros.
“We tried different things, different voices. Every now and then they would say, ‘Charlie, maybe a little less Goodfellas in this one’ — I’m like, ‘Alright! I think you’re wrong, but fine!’ — until they landed on something they liked.”
Tony Soprano is one of the most renowned fictional characters, and it was probably natural for actors to take inspiration from him, consciously or unconsciously. Despite being unsure of how fans would have reacted to the gangster voice of Mario and Luigi in the movie, currently, it is not looking too well either.
The Plot and Cast of The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The plot of The Super Mario Bros. Movie was stacked with big names from the industry, as the following actors voiced the following characters in the movie: Chris Pratt voiced Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy voiced Princess Peach, Jack Black voiced Bowser, Charlie Day voiced Luigi, Keegan Michael-Key voiced Toad, Seth Rogen voiced Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen voiced Cranky Kong, Sebastian Maniscalco voiced Foreman Spike, Kevin Michael Richardson voiced Kamek, and Khary Payton voiced Penguin King.
The plot of the movie revolves around the Italian-American brothers Mario and Luigi, who have started a plumbing business. When the brothers heard there is a manhole leak, they visit to fix it but they get sucked into the Warp pipe and get separated. Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom ruled by Princess Peach, and Luigi lands in the Dark Lands, ruled by the evil Bowser. King Bowser wants to marry Princess Peach, and he takes Luigi as a hostage, to blackmail Mario and stop him from marrying the princess. And if she refuses to marry him, Bowser would destroy the Mushroom Kingdom with the help of a Super Star.
The film is a great watch as it has a great balance of humor and storyline. Moreover, despite criticizing the actors for their voices, it resonates quite well, as the fans of the nostalgic video game have approved the film with their rating for the movie. Nevertheless, the film is a great tribute to the Nintendo game, which recalls its devotees time and again.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
