In the ad, Mario and Luigi put on a cartoonish accent reminiscent of the video game character, presumably to entice customers because apparently that’s what Brooklynites with plumbing issues want. We first hear Martinet’s iconic (and highly exaggerated) Italian accent early in the film, while Mario and Luigi are watching their plumbing service commercial at the Punch-Out Pizzeria. One could see this as an honor, but his brief scenes mostly seem to exist for their inherent easter egg appeal rather than to actually celebrate the actor’s considerable legacy. The studios did come up with a way to include Martinet in the film in not one but two cameo appearances. Regardless of what you think of Pratt’s performance in the new movie, Martinet deserved better. And Nintendo and Universal Pictures have done him a disservice. No matter your age, you know Martinet’s voice. Martinet has been a constant presence for every generation of Mario fan, from 1994’s Mario Teaches Typing all the way to every single Mario game released on the Nintendo Switch since 2017. In 2023, you don’t really need Pratt’s name to sell “Nintendo References The Movie” to audiences. The young target audience of this family movie is entering the Mario film franchise without the trauma of their parents. They don’t know Mario bombed on the big screen once before nor do they care. No, most Gen Zers and the generation of younger kids that follow them don’t know what you’re talking about when you mention that 1993 live-action movie. You hardly have to sell a Mario animated movie to kids or nostalgic 30- and 40-somethings who want easter eggs and callbacks to their childhood. But let’s not kid ourselves here: we’re talking about one of the most popular and financially successful franchises in the biggest entertainment medium on the planet. The more cynical side of the fandom would point out that attaching the name of a big movie star to your film is a sure way to guarantee butts in seats on opening night. Why did Nintendo even need to recast the role for an animated movie when the role demanded a talented voice actor to begin with? To fans who grew up with the character on Nintendo consoles, Martinet’s oft-quoted and imitated voice acting had become as pivotal to Super Mario as his blue overalls. That will not be the case in the movie, which might be part of the reason Nintendo and Illumination opted to go in a different direction.It hardly seemed fair when Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto introduced the movie’s cast in the infamous Nintendo Direct of Sept. While Martinet has been voicing Mario for nearly 30 years, the character traditionally speaks in small phrases in the games, as opposed to full sentences. This has led to some debate from fans about whether Martinet should have been offered the full role. The character is being voiced by Chris Pratt in the film, while Martinet will still appear in some form. Given Martinet's long-time association with Mario, many fans were shocked last month when Nintendo announced that he would not be voicing Mario in Illumination's upcoming animated movie. During the Fan Expo Q&A, Martinet also claimed he'd like to voice Waluigi more, stating that "I think he should get his own game where you have to cheat to win." Hopefully, Martinet will get to see that wish come to fruition, one day! In addition to Mario, Martinet voices a number of other Nintendo characters, including Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi. Martinet's next take on the character will be heard later this week when Mario Party Superstars releases on Nintendo Switch.
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