As the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto has been a key driver in bringing the character back to the big screen. So, winning his favor was very important to Mario voice star Chris Pratt, who tells GamesRadar+ exclusively about being chosen for the part and his relationship with Miyamoto.
"I got to spend time with Miyamoto," Pratt explains. "I’d met him before backstage of a talk show that we were both doing years ago, and I don't know if that was part of the reason why he wanted me to be cast as Mario. Then I met him again at the opening of Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios in Hollywood. He's such a big kid at heart, he's so energetic and enthusiastic and has this big smile on his face. He was wearing a graphic Mario t-shirt and he was there introducing his world that he created to the West into the world. It's just wild."
Pratt’s co-star Charlie Day, who voices Luigi in the new movie, says he hasn’t had the chance to meet him yet but is in awe of his work. "What a thing to be him and have created all these characters, these worlds, and these games," he adds. "And radically changed so many people's lives."
The pair will be hoping to do the world of Mario justice as the movie opens in theaters worldwide. The movie sees Mario and his brother Luigi, a pair of Brooklyn plumbers, travel through the magical pipe to the Mushroom Kingdom. When Luigi is taken hostage by ruthless Koopa Bowser, Mario sets off on a journey to save his brother, with the help of some familiar faces.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is in cinemas on April 5. Check out all of the other upcoming video game movies on the way too.
