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MOVIE FEATURE

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SUPER MARIO MILESTONES!

1981 Nintendo release the Donkey Kong arcade machine in Japan. It introduced a protagonist known as “Jumpman”, Upon

Kingdom resident Toad ( Key & Peele ’s Keegan-Michael Key), and some coaching from the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy), Mario is able to tap into his own power. “Princess Peach redefines what it means to be a princess, because she’s the master of her own fate,” explains Taylor-Joy. “She’s not weak or helpless, and she’s not a damsel in distress. She’s not looking for anyone to save her. “She’s an incredibly driven leader, she’s fearless, determined, capable, and has so much heart. She’s very concerned about the welfare of the Mushroom Kingdom - she wants everyone to be taken care of and to live peacefully. After I watched the film, I was inspired by her and thought, ‘I want to be more like her’,” she smiles. And who better to voice Mario’s legendary arch nemesis Bowser than Jack Black? “Bowser is one of the most iconic villains in the entire history of video games!” says Black gleefully, clearly stoked to bring his own chaotic energy to the character of the giant, ferocious turtle and King of the Koopas, who rules the Dark Lands. “He’s terrifying… powerful… and filled with insecurities - a great character to explore,” Black continues. “I go way back to the beginning of Nintendo video games. I loved Donkey Kong growing up in the 1980s. But it wasn’t until I had kids of my own that I saw Bowser!” he admits. US release, this little guy is renamed Mario, after Nintendo’s landlord. Shigeru Miyamoto, his creator, also calls him “Mr Video”. 1985 Nintendo release their redesigned Family Computer console outside of Japan as the Nintendo Entertainment System. It comes with a game called Super Mario Bros . It’s sold over 40 million copies. 1986 Mario goes to the movies for the first time! Anime film The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach is released in Japan. It never received an official release outside of its homeland. 1993 Mario returns to the movies, worldwide this time. The live action Super Mario Bros. stars Bob Hoskins as our moustachioed super tradie. Sadly, it’s a bit of a flop. 2023 It’s-a movie time again, as Nintendo team with animation giants Illumination for The Super Mario Bros. Movie . This one’s a good ‘un and is already amongst the top 20 highest grossing movies worldwide – ever!

When iconic global entertainment brands Illumination and Nintendo joined forces to create The Super Mario Bros. Movie , it proved to be a supercharged force of nature. Words Gill Pringle W ith an all-star voice cast including Chris Pratt ( Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy ), Anya Taylor-Joy ( The avatar. We don’t know much about him other than he’s a little Italian plumber with a moustache who says THE MARIO BROS LEVEL UP

DYK?

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the third

Queen’s Gambit, The Menu ), and Jack Black ( School of Rock ), Illumination’s computer animated adventure film - based on Nintendo’s Super Mario video game franchise - swept away all the competition at the box office to become the highest-grossing film of 2023 so far. Pratt has been a fan of the Super Mario games since he was a kid, and holds a special affection for their red-hatted leading man. “When I was presented with the opportunity to lend my voice to such an iconic character, it was too exciting to pass it up,” he says. “What interested me most was the opportunity to help flesh the character out beyond what we see in the games,” he continues. “In a way, the main character in the Super Mario Bros. games is whoever is behind the controller. Mario is just a brick-smashing

highest grossing animated film of all time.

‘Wahoo!’ and ‘Let’s-a go!’ - so we had to dig in and

discover the character beyond what the games have shown us: his insecurity, his ambition, his persistence.”

Like all epic adventures, The Super Mario Bros. Movie starts small - and goes big! While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers Mario and his brother Luigi (Charlie Day) are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi. With the assistance of Mushroom

• The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out on Jul 5

10 JULY 2023

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