It’s safe to say that the announcement that Chris Pratt would be voicing the iconic plumber in the animated Super Marios Bros. movie continues to be divisive. We haven’t heard any of Pratt’s performance in the film, but the actor told Variety that his voice for the character will be unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario franchise before.
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.
Changing the voice of such an iconic character seems like a bad idea, but as we don’t know the story’s context, I’ll wait before passing any judgment. Producer Chris Meledandri has previously defended Pratt’s casting, saying that he hopes fans and critics alike will be won over by Chris Pratt’s performance: “All I can tell you is the voice that he’s doing for us, and Mario, is phenomenal,” Meledandri said. “Yeah, I can’t wait for people to hear it.“
Chris Pratt was most recently seen in Jurassic World: Dominion and will next be seen reprising his role of Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8th. Pratt is also starring in The Terminal List, a new thriller series set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on July 1st. The Super Mario Bros. movie also stars Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and more. The movie will hit theaters on April 7, 2023.