Shigeru Miyamoto revealed the upcoming Mario movie’s voice actors, a group that sounds straight out of a clickbait YouTube video or a poorly written listicle. Instead of using the cast of actors that play the characters in the games, the film from Illumination has a hodgepodge of famous Hollywood stars voicing them. While we’re glad that we’ve somehow been spared from having James Corden play Yoshi or some other nonsense, he would have fit right in with the cast that’s been assembled.
What’s the list of voice actors in the Mario movie?
The Super Mario Bros. Animated Film movie is heading to theaters in North America on 12/21/22!
Check out the voice cast for the upcoming movie below 👇 pic.twitter.com/Xj31P6hk6y
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 23, 2021
Prepare yourself for the absurd list of actors that are slated to be in the Mario movie:
- Anya Taylor-Joy – Peach
- Charles Martinet – cameos
- Charlie Day – Luigi
- Chris Pratt – Mario
- Fred Armisen – Cranky Kong
- Jack Black – Bowser
- Keegan Michael-Key – Toad
- Kevin Michael Richardson – Kamek
- Sebastian Maniscalco – Spike
- Seth Rogen – Donkey Kong
If you think that list looks like some poorly thought out clickbait or a joke at best, you’re not alone. We were more and more dumbfounded by each name revealed. I mean, they’re having Chris Pratt play Mario, while his voice actor from the games, Charles Martinet, does a cameo or two? Why not just have Martinet be Mario?!
While the characters in Mario games aren’t frequently voiced past grunts and some small phrases, these provide a ton of character. Changing from that format is jarring enough, but having Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong is going to just make me wonder when the giant ape is going to pull out a spliff.
It’s not that any of these actors aren’t good at their trade. It just seems like they’re a bit miscast. Mario doesn’t really need A-listers to attract an audience, and combining iconic characters with prominent actors is just going to create a bunch of cognitive dissonances. Regardless, as big Mario fans, we’ll try to remain enthusiastic. We’re bound to hear more about the movie in the lead-up to its December 21, 2022 release date.
