Nintendo announced a lot during their forty minute Nintendo Direct this afternoon. About halfway through the presentation, Shigeru Miyamoto walked onto the screen, wearing a Mario shirt under his typical black blazer. Long-time Nintendo fans know that, when Miyamoto shows up, something big is about to be announced. During his brief appearance in the direct, he announced that the animated Super Mario Bros. movie, which is being created in partnership between Illumination (Dispicable Me, Sing) and Nintendo, will be released in North America on December 21, 2022. Additional release dates for other countries will be announced soon. He also announced the voice cast:

• Chris Pratt – Mario
• Anya Taylor-Joy – Princess Peach
• Charlie Day – Luigi
• Jack Black – Bowser
• Keegan-Michael Key – Toad
• Seth Rogen – Donkey Kong
• Kevin Michael Richardson – Kamek
• Fred Armisen – Cranky Kong
• Sebastian Maniscalco – Foreman Spike

To be honest, it was a surprise to see someone other than long-time Mario voice actor Charles Martinet not providing Mario’s voice for the feature film, however it was also announced that he would have several parts to play throughout the movie.

Nintendo’s partnership with Illumination is an interesting one, as they are typically very hesitant to allow other entities to play in their sandboxes. Illumination has a decent track record, and it seems that Nintendo has a big part to play in this film, so here’s hoping that the movie delivers when it releases during the holiday season next year.

Source: Nintendo

Featured Image Source: SlashFilm