Mario creator and Super Mario Galaxy Movie executive producer Shigeru Miyamoto has responded to the initial negative critical response to the starry animated sequel.
Broaching the topic of lower overseas critical sentiment for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in an interview with Nintendo Dream, Miyamoto said (via machine translation), "Actually, I thought the critics' reviews of the first film were understandable. But I thought this time it would be different... and it was even harsher than last time, which I found strange."
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which will be released in Japan on April 24, was tepidly received on western shores. It's currently sitting at a 43% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, though fans are seemingly enjoying it far more – even if it's heading towards $1 billion at the box office at a slower rate than the 2023 original.
Perhaps taking a shot at those who slammed Galaxy, Miyamoto added, "People from other genres are coming in and working hard to liven up the film industry, so it's really strange that the people who are trying to liven up the film industry are so passive."
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie sees Mario (Chris Pratt), Charlie Day (Luigi), and Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) embark on a trip across the cosmos after Rosalina (Brie Larson) is kidnapped by the revenge-seeking Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie). Fox McCloud (Glen Powell) also barrel rolls in, an addition Miyamoto – incorrectly – felt would be met with "significant" internal resistance back at Nintendo.
For more, read our breakdowns of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ending and our collection of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Easter eggs.
