Nintendo’s legendary game creator Shigeru Miyamoto delivered exciting news on Mario Day, March 10 – the Super Mario movie sequel from Illumination Studios will arrive in theaters on April 3, 2026. The animated Super Mario Bros. Movie was a monster hit in 2023 for Nintendo and Illumination, grossing over $1.3 billion at the global box office to become the highest-grossing video game movie ever. A sequel was inevitable after those incredible commercial results coupled with the enduring popularity of Nintendo’s iconic mascot.
While specific plot details are still under wraps, Miyamoto teased that “we’re thinking about broadening Mario’s world further, and it’ll have a bright and fun story.” The first Super Mario movie took elements and characters from various games in the long-running series to craft an original story seeing Mario and Luigi transported to the Mushroom Kingdom. Nintendo and Miyamoto had a strict hand with how the story and characters were handled, and this sequel will, most likely, be no exception.
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Thankfully, Illumination is already getting prepared for the epic task. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who co-directed the 2023 animated smash hit, are returning to the director’s chairs for the Super Mario movie sequel. In a video message, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri revealed the directors and animators in Paris have begun storyboarding and developing new environments for the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond.
“Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and the very talented artists from Illumination Studios Paris, who brought the Mushroom Kingdom to life in The Super Mario Bros. Movie have been busy at work storyboarding scenes and developing set designs for new environments,” Meledandri stated. “We start animation soon and rest assured we will be obsessing over every detail to get it just right.”
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While the first film combined elements from across Nintendo’s decades of Super Mario games, it primarily stuck to the core Mushroom Kingdom setting and characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and Toad. However, the Super Mario franchise is the cornerstone of Nintendo’s truly vast world, spanning dozens of games across a dizzying array of worlds and characters.
A tease from Princess Peach in the first film about “a huge universe out there” has fans speculating the sequel could draw inspiration from other Nintendo cosmic adventures like the beloved Super Mario Galaxy games. Iconic characters like Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi, and Daisy were nowhere to be seen in the 2023 film, so their potential involvement is another possibility.
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie featured an A-list voice cast headed by Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, among others. While casting confirmations are still forthcoming, it’s expected most, if not all, of these talented actors will reprise their roles.
Pratt’s casting as Mario was controversial, with some fans hoping longtime Mario voice actor Charles Martinet would land the big-screen role. However, Pratt’s performance was widely praised and he likely remains the top choice to continue voicing the iconic plumber. Nintendo and Illumination didn’t let fans down hard, though, as Martinet found a role suited for him as an original Mario Mario cameo in the movie.
Regardless of who comprises the voice cast, the Super Mario movie sequel is set up to be another massive animated blockbuster continuing Nintendo and Illumination’s partnership with a most famous franchise. After over $1.3 billion in global ticket sales for the 2023 original, expectations will be sky-high for this next Mushroom Kingdom adventure to deliver an equally super experience.
Nintendo and Illumination have shown that listening to the wishes of fans is the way to success; let’s hope some other big studios can take a lesson. No matter what corners of the Mushroom Kingdom or other bizarre realms the sequel explores, longtime fans and newcomers alike are in for a wildly imaginative and fun journey.
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