The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)

​“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” stars Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Benny Safdie, Donald Glover, Issa Rae, Luis Guzmán, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Brie Larson.  Released on April 1, 2026, the film follows Mario and his allies as they travel across the galaxy.

The film was directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who are best known for developing “Teen Titans Go!”.  It is a sequel to Horvath and Jelenic’s 2023 film, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”, and it is based on the 2007 video game “Super Mario Galaxy” by Nintendo.  The Mario franchise has been Nintendo's magnum opus since its inception, with its slew of games and television shows highlighting its diverse characters and expansive, colorful world-building.  So, it was no surprise that Nintendo was initially hesitant about bringing the Mario Brothers to the big screen, especially after what happened with the 1993 live-action film.  At least, until Illumination came along and convinced franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto to revive his iconic franchise as an animated feature.  The result is a faithful adaptation that’s filled to the brim with Easter eggs and vibrant eye candy big enough to satisfy an all-ages audience.  Initially concerning due to Illumination’s brand of humor seen in the Minions movies and Chris Pratt’s casting as Mario, it ultimately defied expectations, becoming a box-office juggernaut for both animation and video game adaptations.  Despite the mixed reception from critics, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” gained enough 1-Ups from the game’s fans to prove that the Mario franchise is best suited for the animation format.  Now, we have the highly anticipated follow-up featuring the Mario Brothers on another dynamic, fast-paced adventure.  However, instead of adapting the obvious “Super Mario Bros. 2”, the sequel goes beyond the stars by adapting another popular installment in the video game franchise, “Super Mario Galaxy”.  Does it retain the vibrancy and entertainment value of Mario’s previous cinematic endeavor, or does it make audiences want to stay on Earth instead?  Let’s travel across the galaxy and find out.

The story takes place after the events of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”, where Mario (Pratt) and his brother Luigi (Day) reside in the Mushroom Kingdom ruled by Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy).  After meeting and befriending a dinosaur-like creature named Yoshi (Glover), Mario and Luigi join Peach and the Toads for her birthday ceremony, which was then interrupted by the news surrounding the capture of Princess Rosalina (Larson).  While Peach and Toad (Key) set off on a rescue mission, Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi find themselves face-to-face with Bowser Jr. (Safdie), the prince of the Koopas and the son of Bowser (Black).  As Bowser Jr. seeks to destroy the universe with his father, Mario and the others set out on a galactic adventure to stop the fearsome father/son duo and rescue Rosalina.

As someone who has played several Mario games, I found “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” to be an enjoyable experience, both visually and humorously.  As a Mario movie, it’s a pretty decent love letter to what makes the franchise so beloved, ranging from its world-building to a slew of Nintendo-related Easter eggs.  However, as a standard animated family film, it’s understandably flawed from a storytelling perspective, with its plot and character development feeling either rushed or half-baked amid its references and licensed music.  Fortunately, the movie benefited greatly from its entertainment value, its messages of bravery, and some of the best animation I’ve seen from Illumination, particularly in its world-building, action, and character designs.  No joke, the design for Princess Peach in the movie was beautiful.  It’s no wonder Bowser wants to marry her.  In short, the film showcased that Illumination was a surprisingly strong choice in bringing the world of Mario to life on the big screen, regardless of quality.  So, of course, I was excited to see the cinematic adaptation of “Super Mario Galaxy”, especially given its galactic settings, which allowed Illumination to elevate its world-building and visuals to greater heights.

But, even with that level of excitement, I’m remaining cautious as to how they’ll approach this premise, particularly its narrative structure.  From a marketing perspective, the film retains the vibrancy, detail, and imaginative accuracy of the franchise’s worlds, particularly those from the “Galaxy” games.  However, there’s still the matter of the narrative having enough breathing room amid its numerous references and Easter eggs to expand in the characters’ arcs.  Regarding Illumination’s status as an animation company, it bears repeating that it continues to stand out for its visuals and presentation.  It may not match the stylized creativity of recent animated movies from DreamWorks or Sony Pictures Animation.  But the vibrancy and detailed aesthetics of Illumination’s visual slapstick and CGI animation remain impressive on its own terms, which occasionally compensates for its narrative shortcomings.  So, it’s no surprise to see that “Super Mario Galaxy” serves as another respectable addition to the studio’s filmmaking strategy.  More importantly, it continues to prove Illumination’s status as a fitting studio to bring the vividly dazzling world of “Super Mario Bros” to the big screen.

That said, it further highlights the recent issue Illumination has been having since “The Secret Life of Pets 2”: its storytelling.  Some of the studio’s features, mainly sequels, had plenty of interesting ideas that would attract those outside its target audience through their character arcs and themes.  Instead of utilizing them to their full extent, they put those narrative aspects on the back burner in favor of dangling their vibrant, cartoony keys in front of the children, leaving them rushed, half-baked, and even overstuffed.  It’s not entirely a bad thing, depending on the concept, but it can be a bit irritating when we’re trying to prove to people that animation is not just a kids-only genre.  “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” had a similar issue with its thin plot, but its entertainment value and appropriate messaging made it less problematic than completing Champion’s Road in “Super Mario 3D World” with three other players.

For “Super Mario Galaxy”, the narrative shortcomings still linger in Mario’s galactic adventure.  But in the franchise’s second cinematic outing, I couldn’t help but agree that these issues have become more glaring compared to its predecessor.  Matthew Fogel returns to write the screenplay after writing the first Mario movie, but instead of further developing the arcs introduced in its predecessor, he lets the Nintendo-themed Easter eggs do the talking, for better or worse.  This is another movie that will delight many gamers of all ages with its references, blink-and-you-miss-it goodies, and numerous musical pieces.  By the way, I’m really happy that Brian Tyler returned to score the movie because the way he orchestrated the Mario music was undoubtedly top-notch.  Unsurprisingly, many Nintendo fans are going to absolutely enjoy this film for its faithfulness to the Mario games, a strong aspect that shows promising signs of Illumination’s future with Nintendo.  On the other hand, it left the movie feeling very thin in its character development and world-building.

Fogel’s screenplay deserves recognition for continuing the arcs established in the first film, particularly the mysterious origin of Peach.  It also explores the father-son relationship between Bowser and Bowser Jr., as well as Mario’s growing feelings for the princess.  These elements held great potential to match the expansive scope, vibrancy, and thrilling stakes of the story.  Unfortunately, the execution of these ideas fell short for me, both in terms of pacing and storytelling.  Despite the movie being a few minutes longer than its predecessor, “Super Mario Galaxy” soars pretty quickly, akin to Mario soaring through the galaxy, leaving little to no time to slow down and focus on those connections further.  Understandably, the film needs that level of pacing to keep the kids from looking at their parents’ phones, but it’s also crucial to recognize that some viewers may want something more from it than just “Nintendo References 2: Galaxy Quest”.  If Fogel decides to return for another Mario movie, he’d need to step up his game on crafting a screenplay that warrants the characters’ growth outside of cameos and Easter eggs.  It’s not complete trash, but it does further confirm Illumination’s habit of prioritizing kid-friendly, sugar-rush antics over interesting narratives.

But, aside from the story being a step down from its predecessor, did I at least have fun with the movie?  As someone who has played a few Mario games, I’d say yes.  As a casual moviegoer and film critic, I'd say yes.  While it may not have as many standout moments as its predecessor, I still find it to be a visually striking and consistently enjoyable experience whose sole purpose is to entertain, and that's it.  One aspect that benefited me well was the voice cast, with Chris Pratt leading the charge once more as the titular plumber.  Like my feelings towards him in the first movie, I didn’t mind Pratt voicing Mario regarding his approach to the character’s mannerisms and charm.  He even got a bit better at replicating Mario’s “Wa-hoo” sounds.  However, there were a few occasions when his voice acting sounded a bit iffy in his line delivery.  Other than that, he remains a fine choice to bring Mario to the big screen.  Jack Black also continues to bring enough energy and charisma to Bowser’s fiery yet tenderhearted persona, further showcasing him as a perfect choice to voice a fun and terrifying villain like him.  Although his moments here didn’t match his “Peaches” song from the first movie, Jack Black’s Bowser remains as one of the franchise’s best parts, in my opinion.  

However, what really surprised me regarding the cast was the newcomers, particularly Donald Glover as Yoshi.  I was completely stunned when I found out that Donald Glover, the “Childish Gambino” himself, was the voice behind the adorable, high-pitched green dinosaur.  It boggled my mind hearing the “Yoshi” sound coming from the guy with a mature, deep voice, but I was also really impressed with how spot-on his Yoshi impersonation was.  Unsurprisingly, Yoshi is immensely lovable, and Donald Glover’s performance makes me love him even more.  I would also credit Benny Safdie for his portrayal of the mischievous and dangerous Bowser Jr., bringing the Koopa Prince’s personality to life with a blend of familiarity and freshness.  Brie Larson was also good as Princess Rosalina, despite her character serving as the film’s McGuffin, and Glen Powell is a welcome addition to the cast with his magnetic performance as Fox McCloud from “Star Fox”.  It’s unfortunate that the studio chose to spoil the surprise with its new poster.  Keeping that reveal for the film would have made it a mind-blowing crowd-pleaser. 

Finally, we have the film’s animation, and my god, does it look incredible?  I kept saying that Illumination was a strong choice for making the Mario movies, and the animation remains the main reason.  Regarding the visuals, excessive eye candy, and accurate game designs, the presentation looks absolutely gorgeous and well-detailed, with the galaxy settings taking full advantage of its immersive scope and cinematography.  The character designs still evoke a sense of similarity to the games, especially the enemies, while adding an Illumination-like flavor to the mix.  Additionally, the animators did a solid job elevating the thrills of its action sequences, even if they don’t match the stakes of its underdeveloped plot.  Visually, I would say the animation in “Super Mario Galaxy” is a tad better than the first film, though I wish I could say the same for its narrative.

Overall, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” doesn’t soar beyond the stars due to its underdeveloped, overstuffed narrative, but its entertainment factor and visually appealing presentation make for a watchable piece of intergalactic sugar rush.  It’s a no-brainer that gamers, young and old, will enjoy this sequel for its Easter eggs, Nintendo references, and an abundance of eye candy, and that’s okay.  The problem is that its identity is the only power-up they used to mask up its narrative shortcomings for the second time.  It was tolerable the first time around, but the second attempt left me even more concerned about Illumination’s trend toward quantity over quality, especially for a popular IP like Mario.  It remains a fun, harmless, and silly continuation of Mario’s cinematic journey, highlighted by fantastic animation and some surprisingly strong newcomers in the voice cast.  However, for those who need some extra lives from its plot, this space adventure will give them a game over faster than they can say “Mamma Mia”.  As I said before, I had fun watching the film, but I can agree that its storytelling needs a new game plan to achieve a higher score in Illumination’s collaboration with Nintendo.

C