Nintendo’s Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool are heading out for another—hopefully much better—feature film. Instead of a live-action adaptation, though, this Super Mario Bros. movie will be an animated movie. Now we know who will voice those iconic characters. And mama mia! The internet is not okay with it. Especially since Chris Pratt, who is definitely not Italian, will play Mario. What he is, though, is perfect fodder for online silliness. And that’s exactly what we got from social media following the announcement. As it always does with Mario news, Twitter got to work immediately making fun of the whole thing. Here are some of the best Super Mario movie casting reactions we saw.
Disney/Nintendo/Nerdist
Forget the role Pratt will play. Why did Nintendo’s cast announcements look like they should be found on the obituary page?
The black and white image makes it look like this is a memorial for Chris Pratt, with his last words being "Mario". pic.twitter.com/FaT4KTX1p8
— Lance H. (@Imp_Animator) September 24, 2021
Meanwhile, others found themselves reminded of past absurd casting ideas.
What was the process involved in finding the cast exactly? Fans have theories.
they casted the mario movie like “who are 10 actors that are alive. lets put em in”
— fūnk-é☆ (@funkefly) September 23, 2021
i’m glad they are using mainstream celebrities to help give more exposure to lesser known niche titles such as super mario
— Khoi Dao (@khoidaooo) September 23, 2021
Also, not to upset the Cats hive, but this is not a good comparison for the Super Mario Bros. movie casting.
CATS 2019 ENERGY. I'M NOT WATCHING THIS SOBER. (okay, okay, I'm done) https://t.co/JQ23VhBL9M
— Pam (@pamrenteria) September 23, 2021
However, this comparison is. (Note: we would like to watch both of these movies a second time after they completely flip casts.)
So excited for House of Gucci! https://t.co/QDsmXDmpUn
— Rose Dommu (@rosedommu) September 23, 2021
One casting choice that everyone seems to like is Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. But that didn’t stop everyone from having lots of fun with the news.
leaked footage of Keegan-Michael Key as Toad pic.twitter.com/CLXHS1fMVb
— Alex Lu 🐧 (@Waxenwings) September 23, 2021
This video almost killed us. And after we watch it 5,000 more times, it just might.
We can already start getting ready for Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong.
Yo the Super Mario Movie looks amazing pic.twitter.com/RbnhbFM7HJ
— The Don (@MopoShnack) September 23, 2021
Most of the jokes about the Super Mario movie casting came at the expense of the film’s top star. And they are reason enough to think Nintendo made a great choice. Even if the movie is terrible, it gave us these reactions.
Leaked footage from the new Mario movie with Chris Pratt pic.twitter.com/HlYmFre2dT
— Diruku (@Dirukku) September 24, 2021
Super Mario Bros: The Movie (2022) - pic.twitter.com/skIrtqA02M
— Chris: Never Stopping | VA (@DigitalMayhem40) September 23, 2021
Turns out we also have a fortune teller to let us know casting news a year in advance.
But you know who had the most fun with this news? Chris Pratt himself. He seems to understand why this casting is funny.
We don’t know how exactly the movie will turn out, but the Super Mario movie casting reactions sure have been an adventure.