This is just a theory, but hear us out real quick. The movie seems to be following the Super Mario Bros. Super Show idea that Mario is a plumber from Brooklyn who gets isekai’d into the world of the Mushroom Kingdom, as evidenced by Mario having a slight New York accent and being a fish out of water in his new predicament. Instead of just being an origin story for the same character from the games, this could be an entirely different Mario in a different Mushroom Kingdom. Multiverses are a hot topic in movies these days, so it’s possible that the movie could lean into this idea and establish that the redesigned environment and new characters (like the penguins) aren’t just a stylistic choice, but a separate reality from the one we know.

It’s actually been confirmed since September of last year that Charles Martinet – the iconic voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and many others in the games – will have a series of undisclosed cameo roles in the movie. He may just appear as a bunch of unnamed characters at various points, but if we’re going with our theory from the previous segment, he could also cameo as the “original Mario” in a brief glimpse at another world (perhaps through another warp pipe). This would also be nice for the fans, since it would establish that the Charles Martinet version of Mario still exists alongside the movie canon. If Captain Lou Albano were still alive, we could’ve even had a live action Mario cameo as well!

One of the most universally praised aspects of the trailer has been the set design and animation. The Mushroom Kingdom is a gorgeous place, seeming familiar to the games and yet also entirely new, striking a balance between fantasy and realism with its lush foliage and complex architecture. Even if the rest of the movie is a wash (besides Jack Black, of course), it should at least be nice eye candy. And we wouldn’t be surprised if some aspects of this design make it into Super Nintendo World, the theme park at Universal Japan that’s expanding to the US in 2025. Star Wars already did this by using Batuu (the setting of Galaxy’s Edge at the Disney parks) in several movies and games, so it’s not out of the question that we might see a Mario movie version of Peach’s Castle at Universal Studios one day.

If Illumination is known for anything, it’s the Minions – those highly marketable yellow critters from Despicable Me. Now that they’re working on the Mario movie, it’s basically inevitable that they’ll put the two properties together in an effort to print money from the sheer star power alone. This probably won’t happen in the film itself, but stay on the lookout for Happy Meal toys, mobile games, and plushies of Minions wearing Mario hats in the near future. You heard it here first!

In the Nintendo Direct’s pre-trailer presentation, Jack Black seemed absolutely thrilled to be playing Bowser. He even grew out his “majestic mane” and “learned how to breathe fire from Gene Simmons of KISS” to prepare for the role – just what we’d expect from him! Like Jim Carrey’s Dr. Eggman in the Sonic movie, Jack Black is putting his all into this and will no doubt be the best part of the whole film. He’s even mentioned that the king of the Koopas will get to show off his musical chops... are we going to get a Bowser villain song? And one that sounds like a lost Tenacious D track, no less? That’s worth the price of admission all by itself!