The very first Japanimation of the Super Mario Bros. hits the big screen!!! This short, 60-minute movie was released to theaters on July 20, 1986 in Japan. The title, translated as "Super Mario Bros: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach" pretty much outlines the plot. This film was never released outside of Japan, and therefore has no English translation or subtitles. It is by now out-of-print and extremely difficult to find. In the opening segment, Mario and Luigi (Luigi's color scheme is different, the first and only time this is shown) are employees at a grocery. Mario is seen holding an emerald necklace, which we are lead to believe belongs to Princess Peach. (The Princess' name in Japan was always Peach, later changed to Toadstool while the games were being marketed in the U.S.) While he and Luigi discuss the value of this gem, some weird little creature walks in and steals the necklace. Mario and Luigi are seen giving chase until getting sucked into a Warp Zone. Once they arrive in the Time Warp they encounter the Mushroom Hermit, who tells them that Princess Peach has been captured by King Bowser Koopa. The rest of the movie shows the Bros. on their journey to save the Princess. One of the highlights is when Mario is asleep and Luigi looks for food before being tricked by two goombas into eating wild mushrooms. These of course turn out to be poisonous mushrooms, causing Luigi to become hysterical. Another incident is where Mario is asleep again and dreams about Princess Peach and him dancing together.The music that plays in the background is simply called "I Love You", the remaining lyrics sung in Japanese by Princess Peach, voiced by Mami Yamase. All in all, the movie is quite tastefully done. It is full of laughs as well as romance. The scenes of Mario and the Princess together are very touching. I have only seen a few clips of this movie on a website. I highly recommend it to be viewed by all Mario fans. This is a truly revolutionary piece of Mario history!!!!
16 Reviews
Earliest adaption of an animated Super Mario Bros.
emasterslake15 April 2008
This is the oldest animated Super Mario Bros. Cartoon. And it contains all the elements from the game. The plot is similar to with the whole Mario Bros. travel in Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach from Bowser. Only the story is different.
There are minor and secondary characters entirely original for this movie only. Plus it has a few changes like Luigi wearing yellow instead of green, & the Mario Bros. are grocery store owners and not plumbers.
Despite all that the movie has a good flow to it as well as some pretty catchy Japanese voice talent. But for only 60 minutes long, there's so much more they could include in this movie.
Sadly this is the only existing Mario Bros. anime. And I think it wouldn't hurt to make another one that's done with newer animation. I mean if Pokemon can have a successful anime. Why not the Mario Bros, there's so much value that can make a highly interesting based off of a video game anime.
I didn't see this movie till most recently. And it's never been released outside of Japan at all. An English dub is out of the question as very few anime distribution companies would never dub anything this old and out of date animation.
The only way it would ever be released is to get it on a sub-only DVD and get permission by Nintendo in doing so.
There are minor and secondary characters entirely original for this movie only. Plus it has a few changes like Luigi wearing yellow instead of green, & the Mario Bros. are grocery store owners and not plumbers.
Despite all that the movie has a good flow to it as well as some pretty catchy Japanese voice talent. But for only 60 minutes long, there's so much more they could include in this movie.
Sadly this is the only existing Mario Bros. anime. And I think it wouldn't hurt to make another one that's done with newer animation. I mean if Pokemon can have a successful anime. Why not the Mario Bros, there's so much value that can make a highly interesting based off of a video game anime.
I didn't see this movie till most recently. And it's never been released outside of Japan at all. An English dub is out of the question as very few anime distribution companies would never dub anything this old and out of date animation.
The only way it would ever be released is to get it on a sub-only DVD and get permission by Nintendo in doing so.
Weird Movie From Mario's Early Days
jeremycrimsonfox27 July 2020
I never heard of this anime movie until the internet, as this was ultra rare, and was never released in America (in fact, this was never re-released in Japan in any form). Made a year after the original Super Mario Bros. game was released, the anime movie sees Mario and Luigi as grocery store owners. One night, Mario meets Peach while playing video games late at night, where Koopa beats him and captures her, leaving her necklace. After a dog grabs it, the two chase it into a pipe, leading them into the Mushroom Kingdom, where they are tasked to stop Koopa, who is king of the Metal Kingdom, and save Peach from marriage, while also collecting the three powers needed to stop Bowser.
As this was made a year after the original Super Mario Bros. game was released, continuity was not established, so there are a lot of things that are different from the Mario lore we know today (Luigi is wearing blue overalls over a yellow shirt, and is greedy, a trait people know Wario better for having, and the film has some characters exclusive to it, like Kibidango the dog, and a Toadette that predates the official one), this is a okay, if not weird Mario anime movie. The main thing I like about it is the soundtrack, as it not only has music from the video game, but also the neat song "Doki-Doki Do It".
As this was made a year after the original Super Mario Bros. game was released, continuity was not established, so there are a lot of things that are different from the Mario lore we know today (Luigi is wearing blue overalls over a yellow shirt, and is greedy, a trait people know Wario better for having, and the film has some characters exclusive to it, like Kibidango the dog, and a Toadette that predates the official one), this is a okay, if not weird Mario anime movie. The main thing I like about it is the soundtrack, as it not only has music from the video game, but also the neat song "Doki-Doki Do It".
The Original Mario Bros Movie
elicopperman28 February 2022
While the 1993 Mario Bros movie has garnered a cult fanbase and the upcoming Illumination movie has drawn polarizing feedback, another Mario movie remains in obscurity. Released in 1986, one year after the original Super Mario Bros NES game, Nintendo and Shochiku presented a feature length Japanese animated movie entitled Super Mario Bros: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach. Despite never having an official international release outside of the internet, the film has often been regarded as a personal favorite in the Mario community. So being the first ever movie based on a video game, how does it hold up today?
The main story centers on Mario and Luigi, who embark on an alternate dimensional quest to save Princess Peach from the villainous King Koopa. As cliche as that premise sounds, it's all that is needed for an adventure like this, since the original video game was a straightforward rescue journey to save a hostage princess. Similarly to the original game as well, the obstacles that Mario and Luigi face along their journey range from frightening monsters to surrealistic landscapes, commonplace in all sorts of hero journeys. The film opts for a more lighthearted comedic tone to fit with the video game's upbeat gameplay, even in lieu of the occasional dramatic obstacle or scary opponent. It does work in its favor for the most part, although some scenes do drag to the point of losing focus from the main plot. The film is usually at its most emotionally resonative whenever it revolves around Mario mourning over Peach, and even those moments are often leftover for the brother's crazy foes and chapters along their way. It's a good thing the story feels like a video game, if not for detracting reasons.
In terms of other notable qualities, the animation direction of Masami Hata goes in a more cartoony format reminiscent of 40s Western cartoons, which also works for the comedic hijinks that ensue on Mario and Luigi's quest. This direction also suits Luigi's hammy persona that contrasts with his greed, not unlike many of the original Looney Tunes shorts. Perhaps the most creative of all visual spectacle in the film would have to be the many worlds throughout our hero's journey, varying in dynamic colors, set pieces and imaginative landscapes. The animators, layout artists and background painters managed to bring creatures from the original game into animation by distinguishing their appearances just enough to work on their own. As for the voice cast, they manage to bring their own spin to the characters through emotive performances, especially Akiko Wada as the diluted King Koopa. It's still bizarre that this never had a proper English release, because one would imagine the game's huge popularity would have made that inevitable. That being said, subtitles never hurt.
As a film adaptation of the original Mario Bros game, this feature works just enough on its own for what it's going for. It might not work as an introduction to newcomers due to its heavily specific plotline, but for Mario fans, it's a solid tribute to the games with just enough wacky obstacles and fun animation to go around. I would recommend this with a grain of salt due to its limited availability and general appeal remaining amongst a niche audience. Thanks to a lot of hard work from fans and historians, the film could get even more attention than ever before.
The main story centers on Mario and Luigi, who embark on an alternate dimensional quest to save Princess Peach from the villainous King Koopa. As cliche as that premise sounds, it's all that is needed for an adventure like this, since the original video game was a straightforward rescue journey to save a hostage princess. Similarly to the original game as well, the obstacles that Mario and Luigi face along their journey range from frightening monsters to surrealistic landscapes, commonplace in all sorts of hero journeys. The film opts for a more lighthearted comedic tone to fit with the video game's upbeat gameplay, even in lieu of the occasional dramatic obstacle or scary opponent. It does work in its favor for the most part, although some scenes do drag to the point of losing focus from the main plot. The film is usually at its most emotionally resonative whenever it revolves around Mario mourning over Peach, and even those moments are often leftover for the brother's crazy foes and chapters along their way. It's a good thing the story feels like a video game, if not for detracting reasons.
In terms of other notable qualities, the animation direction of Masami Hata goes in a more cartoony format reminiscent of 40s Western cartoons, which also works for the comedic hijinks that ensue on Mario and Luigi's quest. This direction also suits Luigi's hammy persona that contrasts with his greed, not unlike many of the original Looney Tunes shorts. Perhaps the most creative of all visual spectacle in the film would have to be the many worlds throughout our hero's journey, varying in dynamic colors, set pieces and imaginative landscapes. The animators, layout artists and background painters managed to bring creatures from the original game into animation by distinguishing their appearances just enough to work on their own. As for the voice cast, they manage to bring their own spin to the characters through emotive performances, especially Akiko Wada as the diluted King Koopa. It's still bizarre that this never had a proper English release, because one would imagine the game's huge popularity would have made that inevitable. That being said, subtitles never hurt.
As a film adaptation of the original Mario Bros game, this feature works just enough on its own for what it's going for. It might not work as an introduction to newcomers due to its heavily specific plotline, but for Mario fans, it's a solid tribute to the games with just enough wacky obstacles and fun animation to go around. I would recommend this with a grain of salt due to its limited availability and general appeal remaining amongst a niche audience. Thanks to a lot of hard work from fans and historians, the film could get even more attention than ever before.
Annoying
Roddenhyzer8 June 2011
Here's a strange one. An early and oddly obscure, animated adaptation of the adventures of the Super Mario Brothers, Mario and Luigi.
While this movie's rendition of the Mushroom Kingdom is actually pretty faithful to the original games, featuring almost all the classic enemies, sound effects, tunes and even level elements, it disappoints in all other respects. The quality of the animation is even below that of the already dreadful "Super Mario Bros. Super Show", the characters, rather than acting in accordance with some sort of personality, or at least a few consistent quirks, just keep throwing random emotional fits, the humor annoys with a blend of nonsensical (not to be mistaken with creative) silliness and utterly generic slapstick, and the songs that play throughout the entire thing have brain-meltingly dumb lyrics.
All in all, I cannot understand why people are commenting positively on this one. As much as I consider the western Mario cartoons to be nothing but quick and lazy attempts to capitalize on the popularity of the character, I fail to see how this is any better, if not worse.
While this movie's rendition of the Mushroom Kingdom is actually pretty faithful to the original games, featuring almost all the classic enemies, sound effects, tunes and even level elements, it disappoints in all other respects. The quality of the animation is even below that of the already dreadful "Super Mario Bros. Super Show", the characters, rather than acting in accordance with some sort of personality, or at least a few consistent quirks, just keep throwing random emotional fits, the humor annoys with a blend of nonsensical (not to be mistaken with creative) silliness and utterly generic slapstick, and the songs that play throughout the entire thing have brain-meltingly dumb lyrics.
All in all, I cannot understand why people are commenting positively on this one. As much as I consider the western Mario cartoons to be nothing but quick and lazy attempts to capitalize on the popularity of the character, I fail to see how this is any better, if not worse.
A very weird, but nice Mario movie.
charlieteal-8671919 November 2023
Well, I honestly didn't know this existed to begin with. Obviously because of it only airing in Japan, but also because I didn't think they'd actually make an anime movie based on Super Mario Bros. But when I did find out and saw it, I was pleasantly surprised. While it's weird and strange, it's honestly pretty enjoyable with nice animation which looks a lot like the games, humorous (but weird) moments, and a decent plot (despite the rushed and out-of-nowhere ending). Overall, I think this movie is still pretty enjoyable. Definitely more enjoyable than the later 1993 movie. If you like anime and Mario, then this film is for you.
Mamma mia... that was boring
mafiagirl-2143129 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
While searching for videos about the Mario movie (2023) on youtube, i've come across a video called "Three Idiots Watch The Forgotten Mario Movie" and it is what the title says it is, now since it was on youtube and i like Mario i decided to give it a shot too especially since the 2023 Mario movie just came out, it wasn't good tho.... this one i mean
It wasn't terrible by any means, it was just really boring and pretty forgettable but yet it still was a weird movie, there are some good things about it for sure, one of said good things being Princess Peach, sure she was a damsel in distress but she had attitude and could held her own... mostly, it's also definitely a better movie than the 1993 Mario movie but that's not saying much.
Now i know people ( lot of which are men, sorry gents but it's true ) always seem to get mad when Princess Peach rejects Mario because he always saves her but in the defense of the Princess Peach in this movie i'd also choose a cute anime boy over a short fat italian man with an ugly mustache (sorry mario)
Although i must say that seeing mario get cucked by an anime boy who was a literal dog not even a minute ago was kinda wild, look i did say this movie was really weird did i not... also Luigi is just Wario in this, selfish and greedy but yet succeeded to save the day, no seriously if Luigi wasn't selfish and greedy in this movie, Mario would've died and that's actually pretty funny to think about.
But in all seriousness, i think the ending was like that to show that while both Mario and Bowser are in love with Peach, but what makes Mario different from Bowser is that he would never force his love on her and that what makes him a good guy, good message for kids and especially little boys but it's too bad the rest of the movie was just really boring.
It wasn't terrible by any means, it was just really boring and pretty forgettable but yet it still was a weird movie, there are some good things about it for sure, one of said good things being Princess Peach, sure she was a damsel in distress but she had attitude and could held her own... mostly, it's also definitely a better movie than the 1993 Mario movie but that's not saying much.
Now i know people ( lot of which are men, sorry gents but it's true ) always seem to get mad when Princess Peach rejects Mario because he always saves her but in the defense of the Princess Peach in this movie i'd also choose a cute anime boy over a short fat italian man with an ugly mustache (sorry mario)
Although i must say that seeing mario get cucked by an anime boy who was a literal dog not even a minute ago was kinda wild, look i did say this movie was really weird did i not... also Luigi is just Wario in this, selfish and greedy but yet succeeded to save the day, no seriously if Luigi wasn't selfish and greedy in this movie, Mario would've died and that's actually pretty funny to think about.
But in all seriousness, i think the ending was like that to show that while both Mario and Bowser are in love with Peach, but what makes Mario different from Bowser is that he would never force his love on her and that what makes him a good guy, good message for kids and especially little boys but it's too bad the rest of the movie was just really boring.
An Odd Footnote in Animation and Mario's history
nahomgirma-838847 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I found out about this film around 2018 with it's fan-made english dub. And it wasn't until in 2022 with it's 4K restoration on Youtube that I watched this film again. From what I have researched, this is the first video game movie ever created, released on July 20, 1986. However, it was only released in Japan and had never gotten an international thetrical run or released on home video. Because of that, the film became lost media for over two decades. It wouldn't be until 2007 when the movie was finally discovered on Youtube. And I have to say: this has to be the strangest piece of Mario-related media I have ever found, bar none.
The story begins with Mario playing on the Famicom late at night. Then suddenly, the screen shows Princess Peach(known back then as Princess Toadstool)running away from a bunch of Bowser's minions; only for her to jump out of the TV and into Mario's home. She asks Mario to stay in the house for a bit, but it doesn't go for too long as Bowser also jumps out of the TV and successfully kidnaps and gets back into the virtual world. Mario then discovers that Peach left behind a necklace before she disappeared.
The next morning, Mario and his younger brother Luigi(who works in a groccery store instead of plumbing)finds a dog named Kibidango who then decides to steal Peach's necklace and runs off. The brothers give chase but they both getting into a warp pipe. Mario, Luigi and Kibidango then end up in the Mushroom Kingdom where and old man known as Kinoko who says that Bowser cast a dark spell on the Mushroom Kingdom citizens into bricks, coins and plants after Peach rejected his proposal. In order to break it, the brothers must find three magical power-ups: the Mushroom, the Fire Flower and the Star. Now the two must find all three items, defeat Bowser and break the spell.
So first off, I will give praise that this film, unlike the 1993 live action movie, is a lot closer to the actual video game. Every major enemy and character is from the source material and even predates some aspects of the later games: Bowser forcefully wants to marry Peach, enemies can be both small and giant, Mario and Luigi can hijack the clouds that Lakitu rides on and in the climax of the movie, Mario swings Bowser by his tail, just like his iconic boss fight in Super Mario 64.
The animation is a bit of a mixed bag. While for the most part it looks appealing, there are things like some noticeable frame drops and animation errors. Mario and Peach can change sometimes in their colour and sizes, making it look very confusing.
But that isn't my only gripe with this movie. It almost feels like this film goes on Alice in Wonderland logic. That is to say, no logic. It is never told if the Mushroom Kingdom is a virtual world or a different dimension. We first see it as a video game world in the movie and then later as a parallel universe. But that is just one of several plot holes and inconsistencies that this film has in store.
However, despite that, I weirdly like how much the film doesn't make any sense. As it gives it it's own sense of charm. And while it is true that the characters are somewhat one-note, besides Mario and Bowser, because of some decent voice acting(even if it's a language I can't understand)and funny dialoge, I find all of them endiring.
It also helps that the soundtrack in this film is really good! It was composed by Toshiyuki Kimori and legendary video game composer Koji Kondo. Many of the tracks from the original NES game are in the film along with a bunch of pop-songs. While I don't want describe every single one, trust me, they are some true foot tapping songs.
But despite all the praise I have given this film, it's worst aspect has to be the ending. It ends with Mario defeating Bowser and the Mushroom Kingdom is back to normal. But once Mario gives back Peach the necklace, Kibidango, the dog character, tranforms into his human form. It turns out that he was actually a prince known as Prince Haru from the Flower Kingdom. He was actually Peach's fiancee who was about to marry her, but Bowser turned him into a dog before it started.
So it basically means that Mario can't marry Peach, even if there was a clear romance between the two. Far more than Peach and Haru. And yet despite that, and the fact that Mario and Luigi wasn't even rewared for their journey, the former is OK with it. This ending feels like it came out of nowhere and it's very mean spirited towards Mario.
But even with that ending, Super Mario Bros: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach is a decent film. And arguably, one of the better video game movie adaptations. While I would mostly recommend it to the most die-hard fans of the franchise, it is not a bad idea to watch to kids or friends of yours if you are in the mood to see something strange.
The story begins with Mario playing on the Famicom late at night. Then suddenly, the screen shows Princess Peach(known back then as Princess Toadstool)running away from a bunch of Bowser's minions; only for her to jump out of the TV and into Mario's home. She asks Mario to stay in the house for a bit, but it doesn't go for too long as Bowser also jumps out of the TV and successfully kidnaps and gets back into the virtual world. Mario then discovers that Peach left behind a necklace before she disappeared.
The next morning, Mario and his younger brother Luigi(who works in a groccery store instead of plumbing)finds a dog named Kibidango who then decides to steal Peach's necklace and runs off. The brothers give chase but they both getting into a warp pipe. Mario, Luigi and Kibidango then end up in the Mushroom Kingdom where and old man known as Kinoko who says that Bowser cast a dark spell on the Mushroom Kingdom citizens into bricks, coins and plants after Peach rejected his proposal. In order to break it, the brothers must find three magical power-ups: the Mushroom, the Fire Flower and the Star. Now the two must find all three items, defeat Bowser and break the spell.
So first off, I will give praise that this film, unlike the 1993 live action movie, is a lot closer to the actual video game. Every major enemy and character is from the source material and even predates some aspects of the later games: Bowser forcefully wants to marry Peach, enemies can be both small and giant, Mario and Luigi can hijack the clouds that Lakitu rides on and in the climax of the movie, Mario swings Bowser by his tail, just like his iconic boss fight in Super Mario 64.
The animation is a bit of a mixed bag. While for the most part it looks appealing, there are things like some noticeable frame drops and animation errors. Mario and Peach can change sometimes in their colour and sizes, making it look very confusing.
But that isn't my only gripe with this movie. It almost feels like this film goes on Alice in Wonderland logic. That is to say, no logic. It is never told if the Mushroom Kingdom is a virtual world or a different dimension. We first see it as a video game world in the movie and then later as a parallel universe. But that is just one of several plot holes and inconsistencies that this film has in store.
However, despite that, I weirdly like how much the film doesn't make any sense. As it gives it it's own sense of charm. And while it is true that the characters are somewhat one-note, besides Mario and Bowser, because of some decent voice acting(even if it's a language I can't understand)and funny dialoge, I find all of them endiring.
It also helps that the soundtrack in this film is really good! It was composed by Toshiyuki Kimori and legendary video game composer Koji Kondo. Many of the tracks from the original NES game are in the film along with a bunch of pop-songs. While I don't want describe every single one, trust me, they are some true foot tapping songs.
But despite all the praise I have given this film, it's worst aspect has to be the ending. It ends with Mario defeating Bowser and the Mushroom Kingdom is back to normal. But once Mario gives back Peach the necklace, Kibidango, the dog character, tranforms into his human form. It turns out that he was actually a prince known as Prince Haru from the Flower Kingdom. He was actually Peach's fiancee who was about to marry her, but Bowser turned him into a dog before it started.
So it basically means that Mario can't marry Peach, even if there was a clear romance between the two. Far more than Peach and Haru. And yet despite that, and the fact that Mario and Luigi wasn't even rewared for their journey, the former is OK with it. This ending feels like it came out of nowhere and it's very mean spirited towards Mario.
But even with that ending, Super Mario Bros: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach is a decent film. And arguably, one of the better video game movie adaptations. While I would mostly recommend it to the most die-hard fans of the franchise, it is not a bad idea to watch to kids or friends of yours if you are in the mood to see something strange.
HE GOT CUCKED BY THE DOG
Uridon5 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
What overall was a cute if not childishly simple adaptation of Super Mario Bros gets points off for it's laughably stupid ending. Mario does all this for Peach who is quite taken with him as well, but the obnoxious 3rd wheel Anpanman blue dog turns into a prince and I guess they have to marry because of a matching necklace prophecy? What a load of absolute nonsense. White women and dogs strike again, a tale truly as old as time it seems no matter what country, era, or universe they find themselves in.
Besides that, the movie with a runtime of an hour still could have had about 10 minutes cut that drag, mostly on montages where they milk the absolute hell out of the non-game OST songs that make up the soundtrack. They are inoffensive enough but they get old the first time around, much less the 5th.
The Super Mario Brothers Movie from 1993 somehow STILL manages to be the best Mario movie made so far, beating this movie by a hair. The 2023 Illumination garbage is one of the worst video game movies ever made and I spit on it.
Besides that, the movie with a runtime of an hour still could have had about 10 minutes cut that drag, mostly on montages where they milk the absolute hell out of the non-game OST songs that make up the soundtrack. They are inoffensive enough but they get old the first time around, much less the 5th.
The Super Mario Brothers Movie from 1993 somehow STILL manages to be the best Mario movie made so far, beating this movie by a hair. The 2023 Illumination garbage is one of the worst video game movies ever made and I spit on it.
A wild, weird, worthwhile curiosity
DrezenMedia6 November 2008
This is very hard to find, but I found it! Most of the characters have matured in design since Super Mario Bros. the game, released just one year earlier. It seems safe for me to say that with some exceptions, Bowser and Luigi (only because of his color scheme), the characters' designs and personalities are very well developed. Princess Peach is dead on.
The story flows nicely throughout, I happen to be someone who thinks that Mario is very hard to write stories for because the games' storyline as a whole is weak and has no cinematic potential. In this case I was treated to a pretty solid story and some weird and sometimes unfitting J-pop.
If you're not a die-hard Mario fan, this probably isn't for you. Once you finish watching it, you're gonna want to break out your old NES.
The story flows nicely throughout, I happen to be someone who thinks that Mario is very hard to write stories for because the games' storyline as a whole is weak and has no cinematic potential. In this case I was treated to a pretty solid story and some weird and sometimes unfitting J-pop.
If you're not a die-hard Mario fan, this probably isn't for you. Once you finish watching it, you're gonna want to break out your old NES.
Ultra rare Mario Anime
chribren1 September 2013
"Super Mario Bros: The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach" is a children-oriented anime film made in 1986. It was directed by Masami Hata who also made stuff like "Ringing Bell" and "The Legend of Sirius".
However, this film is pretty hard to find. It was only released in Japan at the time it was made. It has not been released in the US at once, making this anime ultra-rare.
Short about the beginning: The film begins with Mario playing some video game, until the beautiful Princess Peach suddenly pops out of the TV, only to be kidnapped by Bowser in front of Mario's eyes. So it's later up to the Mario brothers to save her.
The film stays very true to the Mushroom Kingdom (Princess Peach's famous home-place), as well as the iconic save-the-princess-plot. The popular enemies like Goombas (Kuribo) and Lakitu (Jugem) are also portrayed well. The only things which bugged me a little bit is the fact Luigi is wearing yellow, not green as he usually does. The characters generally are much better drawn than they were in the US cartoon version made by DIC. And Princess Peach is just so CUTE in this film, compared to how she was in the later cartoon series as Princess Toadstool. These are the reasons for me saying this anime being a lot better than the US cartoon series "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" made by DIC three years later.
It was also interesting to know that Mami Yamase, who voiced as Princess Peach, also sung the touching closing song "I Love You".
As I said first in this review, this film is pretty hard to find as it was only released in Japan in 1986. Even in its homeland Japan this anime is a hard find. If you ever get to find this film, then you are lucky. ;-)
However, this film is pretty hard to find. It was only released in Japan at the time it was made. It has not been released in the US at once, making this anime ultra-rare.
Short about the beginning: The film begins with Mario playing some video game, until the beautiful Princess Peach suddenly pops out of the TV, only to be kidnapped by Bowser in front of Mario's eyes. So it's later up to the Mario brothers to save her.
The film stays very true to the Mushroom Kingdom (Princess Peach's famous home-place), as well as the iconic save-the-princess-plot. The popular enemies like Goombas (Kuribo) and Lakitu (Jugem) are also portrayed well. The only things which bugged me a little bit is the fact Luigi is wearing yellow, not green as he usually does. The characters generally are much better drawn than they were in the US cartoon version made by DIC. And Princess Peach is just so CUTE in this film, compared to how she was in the later cartoon series as Princess Toadstool. These are the reasons for me saying this anime being a lot better than the US cartoon series "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" made by DIC three years later.
It was also interesting to know that Mami Yamase, who voiced as Princess Peach, also sung the touching closing song "I Love You".
As I said first in this review, this film is pretty hard to find as it was only released in Japan in 1986. Even in its homeland Japan this anime is a hard find. If you ever get to find this film, then you are lucky. ;-)
Such a cute and adoring movie!
The_Lion_Guard_8810 October 2021
English: Such a cute movie! I remember the first time I heard about this is was in a Princess Peach evolution video then I saw it again on a clip and I'm surprised my dad hasn't heard of this because he basically was born during Mario's timeline but every time I see this I'm like "This is so cute!" And I can't watch it in the English dub because it's just not my childhood, my childhood is the Japanese one with the English Subtitles, It's such a cute movie!
The original adaptation of Super Mario Bros.
Elvis-Del-Valle19 November 2023
After the original video game achieved great popularity in a short time, the decision was made to make this adaptation just a year after the video game was born. It can be seen that this film was made to learn more about the lore of the Mario universe when it was still in its early stages. This film takes all the characteristic elements of the original game and you can even notice that it has some ideas that would be reused in the video games that would come later. The film gives the opportunity to know the personality of the characters and what they are like. What it offers is a fun cartoon that knew how to materialize the video game universe, making it clear what was behind the pixels. The soundtrack is the same as the video game, but adding original songs that are quite good. There is no doubt that this film is a gem that has remained anonymous for a long time until it was discovered by the magic of the internet. This Super Mario Bros. Movie was the franchise's worthy big break on the big screen before the 1993 version put the franchise to sleep for 30 years and was then resurrected by the Illumination version. My final rating for this movie is a 9/10.
BEST MARIO ANIME MOVIE EVER
wbt-1573623 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
There's an English dub of Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach that was produced and aired on home video and was dubbed by Saban Entertainment. Tell Someone to Upload The Full English Dub Version Please.
Not perfect, but entertaining and very charming
robinhio84_7 October 2022
First of all if you want to see this, check YouTube. It's on there.
The story is a regular one, Peach is kidnapped and a true dated damsel in distress. But not to worry the film has a lot of charm and new characters. But it also comes with plot holes which hinders it from truly shining.
Analysis: The film is a charming one with a lot of characters. Whilst the animation sometimes is a bit simply it always feels Mario, although his some extra childish wining. It feels a little bit like Super Mario in Wonderland. It is like watching Mario on roids, a trip.
Dialogue: jokes are make and it is simply to cater to a young audience, It hasn't dates a bad, surprisingly.
Music: 9/10 is great, although sometimes the under water song or cave song plays at a wrong moment, so just not perfect. There are even quite a few originals song, which are amazing.
Voice Cast: It's fine all in Japanese. But some of the translations have even CC where needed.
Visuals & Design. Even though sometimes a bit simple, the art style fits where the franchise was at that point. And the original characters, like a blue 'space' dog, Koopas and other characters looks amazing.
Humor: lot of repetition: Luigi defying gravity and characters talking to each other for 5-10 seconds, before realising who there are talking too. It's gets a bit old, but it doesn't annoy.
Overall assessment: very recommendable to any fan, even if it would be just out of curiosity.
End Word: whilst everything here points in a solid 7 judgement, because of it flaws. There is something so cute and charming about the series, that I am very inclined to still give it an 8. Just because something if far from perfect, doesn't mean it is not entertaining. Because that is 100% is. It's a mystery why they never localised this.
Also the cute blue space dog needs to come back, his design is amazing.
The story is a regular one, Peach is kidnapped and a true dated damsel in distress. But not to worry the film has a lot of charm and new characters. But it also comes with plot holes which hinders it from truly shining.
Analysis: The film is a charming one with a lot of characters. Whilst the animation sometimes is a bit simply it always feels Mario, although his some extra childish wining. It feels a little bit like Super Mario in Wonderland. It is like watching Mario on roids, a trip.
Dialogue: jokes are make and it is simply to cater to a young audience, It hasn't dates a bad, surprisingly.
Music: 9/10 is great, although sometimes the under water song or cave song plays at a wrong moment, so just not perfect. There are even quite a few originals song, which are amazing.
Voice Cast: It's fine all in Japanese. But some of the translations have even CC where needed.
Visuals & Design. Even though sometimes a bit simple, the art style fits where the franchise was at that point. And the original characters, like a blue 'space' dog, Koopas and other characters looks amazing.
Humor: lot of repetition: Luigi defying gravity and characters talking to each other for 5-10 seconds, before realising who there are talking too. It's gets a bit old, but it doesn't annoy.
Overall assessment: very recommendable to any fan, even if it would be just out of curiosity.
End Word: whilst everything here points in a solid 7 judgement, because of it flaws. There is something so cute and charming about the series, that I am very inclined to still give it an 8. Just because something if far from perfect, doesn't mean it is not entertaining. Because that is 100% is. It's a mystery why they never localised this.
Also the cute blue space dog needs to come back, his design is amazing.
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