Are throwbacks enough to help this sequel? I would say this movie has enough nods to Mario and games, that it does make this movie feel OK, but that's where it stops. The ideas behind the film, the character development is just as flat as the first film. They seem to start things, throw in some cool callbacks to the game, then it just bubbles into nothing, and you feel the let-down.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is an animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros., and follows The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released in 2023 and earned more than $1.3 billion worldwide. Both the 2023 film and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie are produced by Chris Meledandri of Illumination and Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo. The film will be co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo and will be released worldwide by Universal Pictures. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is directed by returning filmmakers Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, from a screenplay by returning screenwriter Matthew Fogel, with Brian Tyler returning to compose the score.
Are you ready for the sequel that may just lead into a Mario World Universe? That's really what this movie has going for it. It seems to be setting things up for future Mario World films. They have Fox McCloud as more than just a cameo. He has whole scenes and plot points. This is to show you, they are setting up future movies in the Mario Universe.
The addition of the new characters was a good thing to see. Bowser Jr brings his bad little self on screen and the characters act as you would think from the game. They seem to have given Bowser Jr a smaller role, which might be on purpose. It was good to have the negative side come out to battle Mario and Luigi on the good side. That being said, it seemed at times they just made things easy to move along the movie. This helps the runtime, so it doesn't feel like a long film, but then you are wondering more things than not about how things got done.
If you played Mario as a kid, see this movie. Get all your popcorn, dress up as your favorite character, and watch this movie in a packed house. That's what makes this movie feel better. All the nods to the games we played will keep you in awe long enough not to notice points being missed. Popcorn will help you fill time even though the runtime is not long. And a packed audience will keep you hyped longer than you would alone.
Make sure you stay after the movie. There is a mid-credit scene, and one scene at the very end.
THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE is in theaters April 1st, 2026.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Billy Joynt (Editor) - Billy has seen many movies over the years. He enjoys comedies and anything action, including the summer blockbuster movies. You can follow Billy on Twitter here.Click Here to check out Billy's Articles.