Shigaru Miyamoto created the legendary Mario and Link characters.
When Shigeru Miyamoto created a little mustachioed plumber in the early 80s, Nintendo's future mascot was just a bunch of pixels: the character didn't x27;didn't have his heady Italian accent yet, and didn't even have a name.
More than 40 years later, Mario has established himself as the most famous hero in the history of video games and appears in cinemas from Wednesday, with Super Mario Bros. the Movie.
“I don't think anyone thought Mario would be so important , including myself.
— Shigeru Miyamoto
The legendary video game designer, who co-produced this animated feature film, can't believe how far his character has come.
It's like seeing a 2D illustration come to life as a 3D puppet, and then that puppet come to life and become a human being, he recounts, hoping the movie will make fans feel like Mario really exists.
Surpassing the plumber's first appearance on the big screen won't be difficult.
The Super Mario Bros game spin-off movie, released in 1993, is the dubious film archetype inspired by a video game.
Released in 1993, the initial film adaptation devoted to its universe was a failed dystopia, where Mario found himself immersed in an apocalyptic dimension populated by dinosaurs. Nintendo had simply sold the name of its hero to Hollywood, without participating in the production.
The Japanese video game giant has learned its lesson, mandating Mario's father, Shigeru Miyamoto, to co-produce the new film with Chris Meledandri, the founder of Illumination, the Parisian animation studio author of the hits Despicable Me and The Minions(The Minions).
We wanted to develop the film ourselves, rather than license it, Miyamoto insists. I was sure that we had to get involved, otherwise it couldn't be done.
This collaboration results in a colorful action film, whose frenetic pace is designed for children, but which reserves many nods to generations of nostalgic players.
The poster of the movie “Super Mario Bros. » which will be released in theaters on April 5, 2023.
The feature film outlines the origins of Mario and Luigi. In New York, the two brothers in overalls are struggling to get their fledgling plumbing business off the ground when they are suddenly sucked into a green pipe.
Mario then finds himself in the Mushroom Kingdom, where he must save Luigi, who has fallen into the clutches of the dreadful Bowser, the half-dragon half-turtle villain of the saga.
The idea for a film stemmed from a strategic change made by the Japanese company. About a decade ago, Nintendo wanted to make its games more character-driven, according to Miyamoto.
“ We wanted even people who don't play to recognize our characters. »
— Shigeru Miyamoto
This not only led to the production of the film, but also to the creation of Mario-themed amusement parks in Osaka and Los Angeles.< /p>
Previously, in addition to the eternal Wahoo! and Little Plumber's Let's-a-go, the developers did not add anything extra or unnecessary to the character, to be able to adapt it to all types of games.< /p>
At 70, Mr. Miyamoto, also creator of the legendary Zelda series, is often considered the Steven Spielberg of video games. Still, working for the big screen required the master to adapt.
I love movies. I'm not a film expert, he acknowledges, rejoicing at having been able to witness the entire process of creating a film, thanks to his close collaboration with Chris Meledandri for six years.
The film gets a deluxe cast on the dubbing side, including Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) to bring Mario to life in the original English version.
But his very American interpretation of the hopping plumber, far from the Italian accent of video games, caused controversy among fans during the unveiling of the film's trailers.
The actor claimed the choice to move away from the character's traditional high-pitched intonation, which might have proven annoying in a 90s movie minutes. The plot also provides a humorous explanation to justify this different elocution.
It remains to be seen whether Mr. Miyamoto and Nintendo have taken a liking to being at the helm of x27;a movie. After Super Mario Bros., is the giant considering a sequel or an adaptation of the Zelda universe on the big screen?
It there are always possibilities, answers the master of the video game.
