Original reporting by Melissa Miller
The countdown to the long-awaited animated Super Mario Bros. Movie is underway. The movie comes out April 7, 2023 and so far, we’ve seen two trailers. Now we have a new scene from the movie as well! In this clip from the Super Mario Bros. Movie, we finally get to hear Seth Rogen bring Donkey Kong to life. While we’ve seen Donkey Kong before in the Super Mario movie’s trailers, we didn’t get to hear him in his Rogen-esque form. The clip also teases Mario getting a super-duper power-up from a question box… And being turned into Cat Mario.
Super Mario Bros. Movie Clip Introduces Donkey Kong
The more we see from the Super Mario Bros. Movie, the more it feels just like a video game. Donkey Kong and Mario are facing off, and we may as well have our fingers on the controllers. But the fun is, we don’t have to. Seth Rogen voicing Donkey Kong sounds a lot like Seth Rogen voicing Donkey Kong, it’s a theme in this movie. And he’s really giving Mario a pounding between pauses to roll around laughing. To that, Mario can only say, “Meeeoow.” Well, that tracks! We have a feeling Cat Mario is scrappier than he looks.
Mushroom Kingdom Official Clip
In a different first-look clip, Toad introduces Mario to the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s home to some of those game mechanics we have a love-hate relationship with. Just like the first time we played the game so many years ago, Mario fumbles his way through the floating platforms and bricks. Keegan-Michael Key as Toad rushes Chris Pratt’s Mario through town on their way to Peach’s Castle high above. All to a soundtrack of warp pipe noises and video game theme music.
The rich background of the Mushroom Kingdom is a highlight from this new clip. Even though Mario and Toad race through town, there’s a lot to see. All the cute multi-colored Toads, for one. Some are wearing hard hats at a construction site, others are punching coin blocks. Mario and Toad run by an antiques shop selling 8-bit keys, treasure chests, and other trinkets children of the ’80s and other fans of the early games will recognize.
Always the plumber, Mario can’t help but check out the pipes. But he’s quickly sucked in and unceremoniously bashed around before exiting at Peach’s Castle high atop the kingdom. We don’t get to see Princess Peach in this clip, but we do get a great exterior shot of that flag-waving pink and white palace that we know and love. We did hear Anya Taylor-Joy and see more of Princess Peach’s battle readiness in the second trailer a few weeks ago. Don’t forget to check out Nerdist’s breakdown of that one.
From earlier trailers, we know The Super Mario Bros. Movie will feature Bowser as the main villain, and that Donkey Kong and Rainbow Road are part of the story. And with all the little references we’ve seen to other characters and places we love, there’s a lot to be excited about!
