Luigi, Yoshi, and Mario talk to mushroom people in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Every year, it seems like we’re inundated with even more entertainment that is based primarily on nostalgia. Stranger Things wouldn’t have existed without an absurd amount of love and references to the 1980s.
One of the biggest films of last year, A Minecraft Movie, mostly served as a series of reminders of why people love that game. The new Harry Potter series looks like the movies we already had, and my god, we’re going to get new Jurassic Park and Star Wars movies that remind us why we liked the originals until we’re all dead and buried. Nostalgia is often a crutch to get viewers interested in something based on something they already like, an easy way to win over hearts and minds without really telling a story of substance. Every once in a while, however, that love of what came before actually works out. Without a doubt, 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a nostalgic celebration of nearly four decades of Nintendo games, but it did so with such a very clear love and appreciation for this world and these characters that it was easy to embrace this colorful reference-fest. After The Super Mario Bros. Movie made $1.3 billion at the box office, making it the second-biggest film of 2023 after Barbie, it makes complete sense that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is, essentially, more of the same. More characters. More worlds to explore. More references to games that’ll make the audience do the Leo pointing meme in the theater. Yet, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is more than just a play on nostalgia; it's a genuine appreciation for everything Mario. ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Introduces a Whole Universe of Possibilities The Super Mario Galaxy Movie begins with Rosalina , a princess and mother figure to star-like creatures known as Lumas. Every night, she reads them fairytale stories about plumbers, Donkey Kong, and Princess Peach . One night, their bedtime story is interrupted by Bowser Jr. , who kidnaps Rosalina as part of a plot to rescue his father, Bowser . Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi have settled in as heroes in the Mushroom Kingdom, and on one of their adventures, they meet a dinosaur named Yoshi , who immediately joins their team. On the night of Princess Peach’s birthday party, the Mushroom Kingdom is visited by a Luma who reveals that Rosalina has been kidnapped and that only Peach can save her. Peach and Toad travel to the Gateway Galaxy in an effort to rescue Rosalina, but soon after, Bowser Jr. arrives, destroying Peach's iconic castle and dropping Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Bowser onto another planet. These four have to form an uneasy alliance on their own journey to reunite with Peach, save Rosalina, and stop Bowser Jr. Related 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's Confirmed Reveal Needs to Have a Donkey Kong-Sized Impact This Arwing pilot has long deserved to get his flowers. Posts By Jeffrey Harris While The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a nonstop string of reminders of why the audience loved the games, it’s also a testament to just how expansive the Mario universe is. If anything, considering how many worlds exist in the games, it might actually be harder to create a location that hasn’t been previously crafted in video game form. Directors Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath and writer Matthew Fogel — all returning from The Super Mario Bros. Movie — make these cameos and references fit in quite naturally. Sure, some jokes exist solely to draw attention to something fans will love, but they never feel too egregious or ridiculous. Again, this all works because it’s clear there’s a deep appreciation for the stories that have already been told before. Quite frankly, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie never seems like it’s trying to promote the games you can purchase after leaving the theater; it genuinely feels like Jelenic, Horvath, Fogel, and the entire cast want to play in this large, impressive sandbox. A bunch of kids have been given the keys to the kingdom and are now allowed to make their wildest dreams come true. Even more impressive is how Fogel’s screenplay is full of references, yet jokes are handled in a way that you don’t have to know the backstory of why these things are funny. One such cameo centers around R.O.B., who runs a help desk at the Gateway Galaxy; video game fans will know R.O.B. as a misguided toy accessory for the NES released back in 1985, which earned a second life as a character in the Smash Bros. series. Yet his appearance works even without that knowledge; for people unfamiliar with him, the joke is that he’s extremely slow and frustrating. Fogel's script nicely juggles these jokes and references for both fans and non-fans in a way that ensures both will equally appreciate the film. 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' Does Try To Do Too Much With Its Bigger Concept However, while The Super Mario Bros. Movie kept the story simple, focusing on the basic premise of the Mario games with the standard cast of characters, Galaxy tries to go bigger and better in a way that isn’t always for the best. Bowser Jr. gets enough screen time and a genuinely sweet flashback with Bowser that makes him a worthwhile addition to this cast, but other characters aren’t so lucky. Beyond a strong introduction, Rosalina becomes more of a MacGuffin to keep the story moving. Meanwhile, Yoshi doesn’t have much to do beyond tagging along with the rest of the gang after his introduction. The Super Mario Bros. Movie brought in Donkey Kong as a way into another game’s universe by way of a secondary antagonist, but Galaxy's introduction of Fox McCloud serves as little more than a means for these characters to have a ship, with the character not having much of an impact on the plot in any significant way. The new additions to the cast are quite a bit of fun, though, and the original cast continues to nail their characters. Glover as Yoshi is kind of a wild choice, considering the limited dialogue possibilities, but it is still impressive how it’s pretty much impossible to hear Glover at all in this performance. Larson is also perfectly cast as Rosalina, but it’s a shame she doesn’t have more to do. Safdie infuses Bowser Jr. with just the right amount of snotty brat that the role needs, and Powell is such an ingenious choice for Fox McCloud, considering his work in Top Gun: Maverick. Regardless of anything else, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a pretty impeccably cast movie from top to bottom. Subscribe to the newsletter for smart movie nostalgia takes Discover why subscribing to the newsletter is worth it: clear, context-rich film coverage and analysis that unpacks nostalgia-driven hits like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with thoughtful takes on entertainment and pop culture. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie might get a bit too overwhelmed by trying to do too much with this sequel that expands this universe significantly, and yet, it still has a blast playing in this world and celebrating the last 40 years of Nintendo history. The story might be thin, and some new characters might not get the attention they deserve, yet The Super Mario Galaxy Movie remains a charming, often hilarious, and playful testament to the greatest video game franchise of all time. Review 7 10 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Nintendo's universe gets bigger, but not necessarily better. Like Follow Followed PG Action Adventure Animation Comedy Release Date April 1, 2026 Runtime 98 Minutes Director Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc, Fabien Polack Writers Matthew Fogel Producers Chris Meledandri, Shigeru Miyamoto Cast See All First announced during Nintendo's 2024 MAR10 day celebration, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the follow-up to the 2023 animated adventure film starring Nintendo's famous plumber mascot.
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