Super Mario Movie Is Happening, Here’s When You Can See It
The Super Mario movie is finally happening and we know when it's coming out!
This article is more than 2 years old
A Super Mario movie has been in the works for quite some time now, and we have finally gotten a release window for the highly anticipated animated feature film.
The Super Mario movie will be released in 2022 and series creator Shigeru Miyamoto will be on board as a producer. The CG animated film is being planned for a theatrical release and production is reportedly moving along nicely.
Production of the Super Mario movie is being handled by Illumination Entertainment, the same studio that brought us Minions. This makes a lot of sense as Illumination is very good at crafting family-friendly animated features that have a little more freedom when it comes to the kind of content they want to feature. Disney has strict rules about certain forms of animated violence, humor, and thematic content. Illumination Entertainment is a little laxer with these standards.
That is not to say that the Super Mario movie will be a violent and crass affair. Just that Illumination Entertainment is a good home for the franchise since the filmmakers and animators will be able to tell the story they want to tell without certain content mandates that could hinder them. The Mario universe is a cherry one, but it is also a fantasy adventure that could contain some moments of cartoon action that might be a little more intense than your usual kiddie fare.
Having Shigeru Miyamoto as a producer on the Super Mario movie is a big show of confidence and support from Nintendo. The video game company has been intensely protective of their properties being adapted into feature films or television shows. A lot of that has to do with the disastrous response to the original Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993. Ever since then, Nintendo has not been too enthusiastic about letting their video games get turned into movies.
However, Nintendo is clearly taking a much more active role in the production of this new Super Mario movie. The idea that it will be a Cg animated feature makes a lot of sense as Mario is most recognized in animated form. It is also such an outlandishly cartoonish property that trying to translate that to live-action seems much more difficult than just doing an animated feature.
If the Super Mario movie can reach the heights of success that a video game adaptation like Sonic the Hedgehog did, it could spell the start of a brand new era for Nintendo. There are already rumors that a Legend of Zelda project starring Tom Holland is underway. And Nintendo is going full steam ahead with its plans to open theme park attractions across the globe. If the Super Mario movie can be a hit with critics and audiences, we could be seeing a lot more Nintendo properties headed to the big and small screen.
As of this writing, there have been no announcements regarding the casting of the Super Mario movie. We also do not have a confirmed director. If the project is coming out in 2022, it is likely we will be getting a lot more information after the new year. We will keep our eyes and ears peeled.
