Image: Nintendo

Information astir The Super Mario Movie — you know, the 1 with Chris Pratt — has been slimmer than Bowser's chances with Peach, but that's each astir to change. This week, Nintendo has announced a peculiar movie-related Nintendo Direct, meaning that we'll hopefully get to perceive Pratt's instrumentality connected the plumber, sans Charles Martinet's iconic voice. Also, what the movie is really about. Maybe.

Until Thursday, 6th October astatine 1:05pm Pacific Time (when the Direct is scheduled to instrumentality place), each we person to spell connected is... this poster. Let's instrumentality a look:

Image: Nintendo

It whitethorn not look similar much, but *cracks knuckles* we're utilized to wringing retired each spot of accusation from what looks similar a adust accusation sponge, truthful spot us: We got this. Let's-a-go.

Toads

The archetypal happening you'll announcement — different than the backmost of Mario — is the sheer fig of Toads successful some the foreground and the background. Seriously, truthful galore Toads. The much you look, the much determination are.

Now, this could mean 1 of 2 things:

1. The movie is acceptable successful the Mushroom Kingdom, and is afloat of Toads, each the time
2. The movie has a spot wherever Mario goes to Toad Town successful the Mushroom Kingdom

Image: Nintendo

We're inclined to judge the 2nd one, partially due to the fact that we don't cognize if we could tummy 2 hours of Toad stuff, partially due to the fact that we highly uncertainty that Illumination would privation to marque a movie that's conscionable a antheral talking to weird small mushroom men for 2 hours, but mostly due to the fact that of Captain Toad (read connected for our thoughts connected him).

But our main question is: Do each the Toads person antithetic voices? Did they formed loads of actors for the Toad population, oregon conscionable one, similar however the games bash it? We don't cognize if we're prepared for Toads to each dependable different... oregon worse, similar a clump of actors each doing a Toad impression.

Captain Toad

Okay, truthful the Toad who looks similar he's showing Mario astir looks a lot similar Captain Toad. He mightiness beryllium — he's got the container and the consciousness of escapade — but helium hasn't got the hat. He could conscionable beryllium a mean fun-guy.

But the information that he's seemingly giving Mario a circuit is important. That means that it's Mario's archetypal clip present successful Toad Town, right? Which means that determination is astatine slightest immoderate portion of the movie wherever Mario is not successful Toad Town. Phew.

Also, we tin astir apt safely presume that this Toad is the 1 voiced by Keegan-Michael Key. We're trying to ideate it. Hm. And... helium has teeth. Have Toads ever had teeth?

But let's crook our attraction to what (Captain) Toad has connected his backpack: Camping gear. A blanket, a mug, rope, a frying pan, and a lantern are each disposable connected his tiny backpack, which is the size of his full assemblage (seriously, Mario, you could connection to help). Looking astatine the background, and pursuing Mario's regard up to the apical of that intimidating mountain, makes america deliberation that Mario and (Captain) Toad are astir to effort to standard said mountain. And what's astatine the top?

Princess Peach is back

Image: Nintendo

Image: Nintendo

It's lone Peach's Castle! The iconic pink-and-white chateau is placed close astatine the apical of a colossal elevation arsenic a wide focal constituent for the poster, and we cognize what that means: It's the goal. Maybe for the full movie, possibly conscionable for this section of the movie, but either way, Mario's gonna get up there. With the assistance of (Captain) Toad.

We tin besides spot the stained solid Peach model close successful the centre, which hopefully implies that ol' Peachy is going to look recognisably Peachsome successful this movie, and won't person a Princess Fiona-from-Shrek-style makeover to marque her look much human. It's ever been a spot creepy that she has somewhat quality proportions successful examination to Mario's diminutive and cartoonish appearance. But that's astir apt the point.

A premix of creation styles

Image: Nintendo

Although astir of the creation successful this poster looks (unsurprisingly) a batch similar animation workplace Illumination's different enactment — the soft, vibrant cartoonish roundness of Despicable Me, successful peculiar — the movie looks similar it'll premix it up a bit. In the little left, we tin spot an antiques stall, with voxel versions of old-school Mario items, similar a P-Switch and the infamous axe that dropped Bowser into the lava.

Up top, the cartoonish worldly gives mode to immoderate much photorealistic shrubbery and grass, looking a batch similar 1 of those "Mario made successful Unreal Engine" videos we spot each the time.

References galore

A speedy rundown of references we saw — spot if you tin find them too:

• Jumpman's hammer from Donkey Kong
• A tube from Donkey Kong
• The axe from Super Mario Bros.
• Biddybuds from Super Mario 3D Land
• A Cheep Cheep successful a bag
• A Yoshi egg
• Toad's badges from Super Mario Odyssey
• A boomerang from Super Mario Bros. 3
• A thorax from Super Mario Bros. 3
• P-Switches from Super Mario Bros. 3
• Music Boxes from Super Mario Bros. 3
• Cannons from Super Mario 64
  
• Peach's Castle from Super Mario 64
• A question block
  
• Patterned and highly vertical hills
• A purple mushroom platform, akin to the ones archetypal seen successful New Super Mario Bros.

Toads successful peril

Perhaps the astir easy-to-spot of the easter eggs (not counting the antiques shop) is the multitude of Toads successful immoderate benignant of peril. It looks similar they're each trying to ascend the hellish platforming level that volition get Mario and his Toad person up to Peach's castle, and unsurprisingly, they're not doing great. We tin spot a Toad falling disconnected the donut blocks, a Toad who's stranded aft going done a pipe, and plentifulness of Toads that conscionable look similar they're stuck determination they shouldn't be.

If this were a video game, we'd presume that Mario's occupation was to rescue each those Toads. But since this is simply a movie, we presume that they're conscionable going to beryllium comic relief. Hope you similar slapstick!

Yoshi?

Image: Nintendo

If you spotted that Yoshi ovum hidden astatine the backmost of the antiques shop, you're nary uncertainty asking the aforesaid question we are: Is Yoshi coming to this movie?

And, if so... who's voicing him? Yoshi is usually beauteous taciturn different than saying "Yoshi!" and "mlem!" but we wouldn't beryllium amazed if they pulled a Chris Pratt connected Yoshi, too. Who bash we deliberation they'd hire? Our wealth is connected JK Simmons.

In-world currency

Everything successful this municipality costs coins. That means that coins — which we spot a Toad carrying, and they're massive — are the authoritative currency of Mushroom Kingdom, conscionable similar successful the games. Do they vanish erstwhile Mario touches them? Is helium capable to acceptable them successful his pouch truthful helium tin bargain stuff? And wherefore is everything so expensive? 4 coins for a cupcake is insane.

Super Nintendo World tie-in?

That jumble of pipes looks a lot similar Super Nintendo World, the Mario-flavoured taxable parkland nestled wrong Universal Studios. Nintendo has been pushing Super Nintendo World really hard recently, contempt the information that 1 of them is successful Japan and nary 1 is allowed to alert to Japan yet for COVID reasons, and the different 1 successful the USA isn't built yet.

It seems unusual that a movie based connected a bid similar Super Mario would diagnostic a notation to a taxable parkland that's also based connected Super Mario, but possibly this movie is besides an advert for the taxable park. Somehow.

Shoe upgrade

Image: Nintendo

Mario's outfit is very precocious resolution, isn't it? Check retired that denim. Look astatine those seams and creases. Oof. That's nice.

But determination is 1 large upgrade we're not definite about. Mario's shoes person ever been precise cartoony — conscionable large brownish shapes connected his feet. We've ever assumed that they're slip-ons. He's a engaged lad. But present we tin spot that helium has laces. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?! Probably nothing. It's conscionable different.

Mario's bum

Mario's bum looks bad. It looks bedewed and lumpy, similar a atrocious omelette. He's had a amended bum successful the past! Maybe they had to code it down truthful it didn't predominate speech similar Mario's nipples ever do?

A conjecture astatine the plot

Image: Nintendo

If we had to guess, we'd accidental that Mario has to ascent up to the castle for immoderate reason. It doesn't look similar the castle is up determination by accident — similar a horrible earthquake oregon immoderate benignant of Bowser-related incidental — but it's intelligibly a perilous trip, with plentifulness of Toads falling disconnected each the mode up. Why they haven't built a sensible staircase is beyond us.

But we'd conjecture that Mario's escapade up to the castle is but a tiny conception of the plot. We can't ideate 2 hours of Toad-themed Mario platforming would beryllium peculiarly interesting. It mostly conscionable makes for a chill poster!

We besides deliberation that this country astir apt takes spot aboriginal on, since Mario isn't yet accompanied by Luigi oregon Donkey Kong.

"Only successful theatres"

Seems similar it's not coming to streaming services immediately, similar galore movies during the pandemic. Also successful the good print, we tin spot that the movie is not rated, and that it's astir apt besides coming successful 3D, since the "Real D" logo is connected the bottommost — they're a institution known for their 3D projection technology.

What's missing

Well, we cognize Mario (Chris Pratt) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) are successful the movie, and we present cognize much oregon little what they look similar (although it's not a immense surprise). But we haven't seen Luigi (Charlie Day), Bowser (Jack Black), Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), oregon Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) yet — and if Luigi isn't accompanying his member here, erstwhile precisely does helium crook up?

So galore questions. And not galore answers, unless the question is "will determination beryllium Toads?"

Well, that's astir each the nuggets we could excavation retired of this peculiar vein of Super Mario Movie info, but we're funny if you deliberation there's thing we've missed. Tell america successful the comments if you've managed to compression retired thing new!