With each new day means gamers are getting closer and closer to The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The animated video game adaptation based on the iconic Nintendo franchise from Universal and Illumination is racing into theaters in early April. Because of that, the marketing for the film has been shifting into high gear with various promos highlighting each character in the Mushroom Kingdom. Now in the latest teaser, Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong takes center stage.
It’s On Like Donkey Kong!
In the short clip Donkey Kong’s living his best life in a Mario Kart inspired vehicle driving at high speeds. Donkey Kong’s not the most focused driver in the world as he’s seen shaking his booty on the hood of his kart while flexing for good measure. The kart he’s in is not based on any one vehicle from Mario Kart, but rather an amalgamation of Kong’s rich 40 plus year history. The main yellow color scheme and banana decal on the gas tank are of course in honor of the famous apes' love for the fruit.
However, the biggest reference comes from the two barrel rockets on the top of his kart. Barrels have become synonymous with the character as they date back to his first ever appearance in Nintendo’s arcade classic Donkey Kong in 1981. Kong was the villain of that game with the character throwing barrels down at Jump Man who would soon be renamed Mario before his own game in 1985. The specific barrels on Kong’s kart in this promo first appeared in the SNES platformer Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble and would appear again in both Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Just the sight of this jet fueled barrel is sure to bring back some humorous pent-up trauma for a lot of gamers.
What’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie About?
Super Mario Bros. will follow the two famous Italian plumber siblings, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), as they get sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom for the very first time. The two get separated and Luigi gets captured by the evil Bowser (Jack Black). This makes Mario seek out the help of Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) to save his brother and in turn the entire Mushroom Kingdom. This is where Donkey Kong and the rest of the Kong family comes in as they join the fight to help rescue Luigi. The film, from all the marketing thus far, appears to be a glowing love letter to the entire Mario universe. Given that Donkey Kong is one of the oldest characters in Nintendo’s history, it’s going to be exciting to see what Rogen brings to this villain turned hero.
When Does The Super Mario Bros. Movie Release?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie releases exclusively in theaters on April 5, 2023. While Mario fans anxiously countdown the days, you can view the new Donkey Kong teaser down below.