Is “Super Mario Bros .: The Movie” a musical?

On October 6 we finally saw a first trailer for ‘Super Mario Bros .: The Movie’ with the first images of the animated adventure of the Nintendo plumber from Illumination Entertainment, the studio of the Minions. We weren’t offered many details about the film’s plot in that first preview, beyond the fact that Mario will once again have to stop Bowser, who seems to travel between worlds in search of power stars. What did Aaron Horvath and Michael Michael Jelenic, the directors, and Matthew Fogel, the screenwriter, come up with? What will this ambitious film be like, which aims to be the first of Nintendo’s many leaps (ahem) in the audiovisual sector?

There is a rumor that has started to spread since the premiere of the teaser trailer, and that is it the film may include musical numbers. Fans started thinking about this possibility when Jack Black, who lends his voice to Bowser, commented at New York Comic-Con that he had to return to “his heavy metal roots” because its character “he’s like a rock star” and this will surprise us “his musical side”. She also joked about a possible Broadway jump. Being Black Jack, it might appear that he is exaggerating or joking. But he’s not the only one talking about his character’s musical abilities.

Keegan-Michael Key, who voices Toad, told Variety reached “improvise a song” in the movie and that he had a great time. Key has already shown us his skills as a singer on other occasions, for example as the protagonist of the musical series ‘Schmigadoon!’ from Apple TV +. We will also see him singing in “Wonka”, in which he starred “a huge, long musical number with Timmy (Chalamet)” and another with other cast members. Will we also hear Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and the other “Super Mario Bros .: The Movie” actors chirping among mushrooms, koopas and pipes? Illumination already has its experience in the music field thanks to the two episodes of ‘Sing!’, And it would certainly be a curious approach for Mario and the others.

How they found Toad’s voice

One of the main challenges of “Super Mario Bros .: The Movie” has been finding the voices of the characters who have so far been quite wordless in video games. Speaking of Toad’s voice, Keegan-Michael Key explains how he came across it: “I was working on the voice with my partner, trying to find the voice through the inner journey of the character. And then with the directors we tried some things and we changed it. I became obsessed with the doorbell. I wanted it to be higher and higher. And here we are, and I’m very happy with where we have come.”.

“Super Mario Bros .: The Movie” will make the leap to the big screen on March 31, 2023.