Following the reveal of the poster and first trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, some fans were quick to point out that the new Mario appeared to have a much more taught derriere than his previous iterations. While a lot of focus was on the voice of the character, which is being provided by Chris Pratt, the butt of the joke was provided by the official Twitter account of Sonic the Hedgehog who trolled character by referencing the well-documented issues with the blue speedster’s own design issues.
You needed to live under a rock to not know the problems faced by the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie when the first trailer revealed something that became known as “Ugly Sonic”, a heinous concoction of human eyes and teeth, mixed in character design hell with a ragged looking Sonic body. The absolute tsunami of criticism around the look of the character led to the entire design being reworked, costing the studio a small fortune and delaying the movie by a number of months. However, things all worked out in the end, and “Ugly Sonic” even found himself a new lease of life in the Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers movie.
When it comes to Mario, the issues about the plumber’s lower half was immediately picked up on by the Sonic Twitter account, who commented, “Controversial lower body design? Can’t relate.” The humorous dig, that was as self-depreciating as it was taking a shot at the new Illumination movie, went viral very quickly, and has pulled in over 100,000 likes.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Looks Stunning, But That Hasn’t Stopped The Complaints.
As well as the immediate controversy around Mario’s backside, the first trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie also came under fire for the single line of dialogue spoken by Chris Pratt as the titular character. While many fans loved Jack Black’s Bowser, they were less taken by Pratt’s “Mario voice”, which he had previously promised would be unlike anything ever heard in the Mario world. Pratt previously said:
“I worked really closely with the directors and trying out a few things and landed on something that I’m really proud of and can’t wait for people to see and hear. It’s an animated voiceover narrative. It’s not a live-action movie. I’m not gonna be wearing a plumber suit running all over. I’m providing a voice for an animated character, and it is updated and unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.”
It seems that many agree that they have never heard anything like it in the Mario world, but not exactly in a positive way. However, the film certainly looks every bit as luxurious as you would expect from Illumination, and with those early gripes about Pratt’s vocal performance, which actually seems to lie in a space occupied by Bob Hoskins’ movie version, which did not feature an Italian accent, and the energy of Charles Martinet, who has voiced the character since the mid-90s. With the movie due out in April 2023, there will be a better chance to see Pratt’s vocal chords in action when the second trailer arrives early next year.