In the time sinceThe Super Mario Bros. Moviedropped its first trailer, some may have gotten over Chris Pratt’s Mario voice, especially since, according to co-star Khary Payton, people online are wildly overreacting to it.
Although theSuper Mario Bros Moviepreview got plenty of praise for the quality of its visuals and how gorgeous everything in it looks, so did Jack Black’s Bowser and Keegan-Michael Key’s Toad, and the same goes for that slight tease at Charlie Day’s Luigi. Nevertheless, one less famous name that also came out on top in the trailer was Payton (The Walking Dead), who plays the daunting Penguin King and, as a prolific voice actor, he can’t really see what all the fuzz regarding Pratt is about.
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In an interview withInsider, Payton quelled the fears of many Nintendo fans. “I actually think that he’s doing kind of like this New York, Italian guy — like a cousin of ‘The Sopranos’ or something, which, I think, is kind of a fun take on it rather than being, ‘It’s a me, a Mario,'” Payton said in defence of Pratt’s Super Mario voice. Mostly calling it an updated angle on Martinet’s famous voice, Payton said “people always overreact online,” and he overall hardly seems worried about Pratt’s performance having too much of a negative impact.
Never mind Mario, Payton is actually really excited about his Penguin King, who was a welcome addition for fans who loved that particular segment in the trailer. Payton recorded the dialogue quite rapidly at Illumination Studios Paris without even knowing if he’d make the final cut. At the time, Payton had just finished working on DC’s animatedTeen Titans, where he’s been playing Cyborg for 16 years, besides also lending his voice topopular video games likeCall of DutyorKingdom Hearts.
Admittedly, Payton has a point. Pratt’s voice sounds quite “Sopranoey” the more one listens to it, and in his defence, fans have only heard a few lines that aren’t exactly meant to showcase Mario’s full range of emotions. It’s still valid to point out that Nintendo fans in other parts ofthe world got a different Mario voicethat, in some cases, such as the Brazilian Portuguese and French dubs, were much more faithful to Martinet’s legacy while still coming off as more modern.
So far,The Super Mario Bros. Movietrailerlooked so good that not even Pratt’s voice might be the make-or-break point it’s played out to be. Regardless of that, it’ll be easier to start forming a proper opinion on the matter when the film comes out.
The Super Mario Bros. Movieis scheduled to be released on June 18, 2025.
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