The second trailer for Super Mario Bros.: The Movie has arrived, and unlike the brief teaser we saw back in October, this trailer is packed with enough details, references, and Easter eggs to sink a blimp.
Put on your helmet and look for your nearest Kart or motorcycle, because it’s time to break down all the plot details, and in-depth references that we find in the new trailer for the Super Mario Bros.
Mario enters the Arena
The trailer opens with a shot of Mario walking nervously through a crowded arena as the soundtrack references the iconic World 1-1 theme from the NES game Super Mario Bros..
As the public chants the name of Mario, we are reminded of this famous advertisement for Super Mario Bros 3, in which a crowd of Mario fans appears so large that they can be seen from space.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mario and Donkey Kong are standing on a bright red beam, and other details can be seen in this shot, such as a blue ladder, barrels and tires suspended in the air, and more red platforms just below them. All of this emulates the exact level design of the original Donkey Kong arcade game in which Mario and Donkey Kong made their first appearance.
Cranky Kong’s cameo
Peach and Cranky Kong are also here, making their first appearances in the trailer, and Cranky Kong seems to preside over the contest as some kind of ruler or monarch. Perhaps it is a world a little further from Princess Peach’s castle and instead is under Kong’s rule?
More Easter Eggs in the Arena
There are also other references in this stadium that point to it being owned by the Kongs, such as the carved bananas on the stands and the crowd filled with predominantly more Kongs. Of course, not only the infrastructure of DK is represented in this stadium. Mario’s iconic yellow blocks and brick blocks are also visible in the background. None of these blocks have question marks on them, so Mario probably won’t get any buffs in this particular fight.
Super Smash Bros.
This movie looks like it’s going to be full of elements that include a lot of Mario games, and as Mario and Donkey Kong run towards each other, it reminds us of the beginning of a Super Smash Bros. game. When Mario jumps into the air to hit Donkey Kong, it even looks like his forward air attack from Smash Bros. too.
Speaking of Donkey Kong, Shigeru Miyamoto pointed out Donkey Kong’s new design during the Movie Trailer Direct, stating that this is the first redesign of Donkey Kong since it was turned into a 3D model for Donkey Kong Country on the SNES. It has been changed to “give him a more comical personality and design reminiscent of the original character”, which is another reference to the original Donkey Kong arcade game.
Bowser meets Luigi
In this new scene, we are reintroduced to Jack Black’s Bowser. We also get a much better look at Luigi, who is suspended in the air (presumably by Kamek) as Bowser presses him for more information about his brother.
Bowser’s Koopa Army
This cinematic flying over Bowser’s army shows a lot more than just the Koopas we saw in the last trailer. We can find red and green Koopatroopas and Parakoopatroopas, Goombas, Bob-Ombs, Piranha Plants, Shy Guys, potentially Hammer Bros or their larger Sledge Bro counterparts, and also the bat-like creatures called Swoops. A couple of Red Spiny’s and the blue-shelled Buzzy Beetles can also be seen.
The voice of Luigi from Charlie Day
As Bowser pulls on Luigi’s mustache, torturing him for information on Mario, we get our first hearing of Charlie Day’s portrayal of the much more high-strung brother Mario.
Mario Bros. Plumbing
As Luigi talks, we see brief shots of Mario and Luigi working together as plumbers at their day job, in what appears to be scenes from the beginning of the movie, or potentially flashbacks.
A cameo from Mario 64
Stepping inside Peach’s Castle, you can see that behind Peach is the same stained glass window from Super Mario 64, which can be seen on the front of Peach’s Castle in-game.
the world map
The Toads are gathered around a table that shows the different worlds of the Mario universe. We have the Mushroom Kingdom at the bottom, a world of sand on the left edge, a kingdom with stone ruins in the center (maybe this could be the world of Kongs?), a world of grass at the bottom right with mountains reminiscent of Yoshi’s Island for SNES, and… are they two Bowser lava worlds?
You’ll see that although many images of an ice world have been seen in the trailers, it doesn’t appear to be on the map. Well, actually it is. If you look at this second burning island on the right, it has icy edges. This shot clearly takes place after Bowser conquers the ice world from the penguins, and the map reflects the destruction of the ice world.
More cameos from the Mushroom Kingdom
In this shot of Peach and Toad walking towards the camera, we can see multiple references. For starters, the paintings on the wall appear to be of other Toads and the castle they are in, but they remind us of the magical paintings in Super Mario 64. Princess Peach also wears an outfit similar to the one she wears when she rides a motorbike. in Mario Kart.
Toad then pulls out a frying pan, which he can either use himself or just have it ready for Peach when she needs it, since she often uses a frying pan for one of her smash attacks in Super Smash Bros.
Mario’s training track
On the outside, it appears that Peach has built an obstacle course in order to train Mario for the difficulties that lie ahead. This track is full of references to traditional 2D Mario levels. It’s built mostly with yellow blocks, brick blocks, and pipes, but we also see bullet cannons, mechanical piranha plants, spike traps, falling platforms, and even the iconic flagpole that marks the end of the course.
We also get a close look at these spinning circles, which are a substitute for the normal spinning fire hazards of most 2D Mario games, as well as a very close look at a Bullet Bill when Mario gets stuck to it.
Los Cheep Cheeps
We already saw the Cheep Cheeps in the original trailer, but here we see them much better. One even tries to eat Mario’s face. This scene also seems to be a direct nod to the many times Mario has run over a bridge in the original 2D games while he avoided jumping Cheep Cheeps.
The Tanooki Suit
Here are some brief images of Mario using the Tanooki suit to gain the ability to fly. He looks like he’s racing this fireball heading for Peach’s castle, and as he gets closer to the ground, a Banzai Bill can be seen in the distance chasing him as well.
the flower of fire
Here we have another classic power-up in this field of fire flowers. We see Peach demonstrate how to use his power, as his clothes change color and he gains the ability to wield fireballs, like Mario can in most games.
A stampede of Yoshis
It looks like a totally wild region, which is full of stampeding Yoshis, and there are so many different colors! We may even see a single green Yoshi in the pack. Are all these Yoshi running towards something? Or are they running away from Bowser’s castle?
¿Super Mario Galaxy?
At one point, Peach says, “There’s a huge universe out there, with lots of galaxies.” Although this is just a name, it appears to be a not-so-subtle reference to Super Mario Galaxy, where Rosalina introduced Mario to the different galaxies in the universe. Maybe he’ll also appear in this movie?
Immediately after, we see Mario and Luigi tumbling around this colorful nebula. Since Luigi is carrying the same bag of tools we saw during the plumber scenes, it’s pretty safe to assume that the pair accidentally found a warp pipe while working, and this entire area is what the inside of warp pipes looks like (you can even see them). see these streams of light going in and out of other warp pipes in the distance). This is likely where Mario and Luigi get separated when traveling from their world to the Mushroom Kingdom, as we know that Mario gets there alone, based on the first trailer.
Super Mario Kart
You’ve seen it well, it’s about Mario in his Kart! While there are plenty of spin-off Mario games, like Super Smash Bros and the various Mario sports titles, none of them are as popular as Mario Kart, so it makes sense that we’d see it in this movie.
When Mario lands his kart, he lands on the iconic Rainbow Track, a track that has been featured in every Mario Kart title. This particular road is wide and straight, and while the Rainbow Road courses in the game are known for being particularly challenging to drive and are the pinnacle of Mario Kart difficulty, it’s still nice to see it included.
More Kong cameos
In this last part of the trailer, we can see other characters riding alongside Mario. We see Peach on his bike in the same outfit as before, as well as Toad, Donkey Kong, and even Cranky Kong on this trike. There are also other interesting characters that we haven’t seen yet. Next to Cranky Kong is what appears to be Funky Kong in his reflective sunglasses and his bandana. Also, on the far left of the frame, there is an almost childish Kong in front. Is it perhaps Diddy Kong without his characteristic cap? Or the darker Kiddy Kong, who was introduced in Donkey Kong Country 3?
While it may not be Diddy Kong in the shot, we have reason to believe that characters like Diddy may be in this movie, as several official character posters have been revealed alongside the trailer release. In the Donkey Kong poster you can see the stands of the arena from the beginning of the trailer, and far in the background, in addition to what appears to be Cranky Kong, are the smaller Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong. Hopefully we will see them have a role in this movie as well. It also looks like they are next to Swanky Kong from Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3. How many Kongs are in this movie?
Lastly, we have 3 iconic Mario actions to finish off the trailer. Mario climbs into his kart to start a drift spin, and we hear the classic Mario jumping sound from the NES games. Next, Mario drifts down the road, picking up speed, much like the Mario Kart games, before letting out the signature “Wa-hoo!” from Mario.
We’ve done our best to find as many details as we can, but the trailer is so crowded that we may have missed something. Let us know in the comments if there are any other easter eggs or references that we missed. We’ll keep you updated on all the Mario movie news as we wait for its April 2023 release, so be sure to keep up with all the details about video game’s favorite plumber right here on IGN.
If you want to know more about Super Mario Bros: The Movie, check out Jack Black’s voice of Bowser and find out why John Leguizamo isn’t thrilled with the film’s casting decisions.
