Quick Take - The Year of Mario
There's Never Been A Better Year for the Plumber
2023 is easily one of the best years in all of gaming history. But you know who else has had an amazing year? The most famous video game character – Mario. Sure, Mario is already one of the most famous fictional characters in all video games, but this year has made sure he could join the likes of Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny as some of the most famous fictional characters of any medium. Let’s take a quick look at what this year has meant for the plumber in red overalls.
Beyond the Controller
The year kicked off with The Super Mario Bros. Movie hitting theaters. Heading into the film, there were fears that this was going to be a bad movie filled with pop culture references and songs, plus fart jokes. The kids would like it, it would do okay in the box office and then we would move on. This was due to the studio Illumination making it. Add in what many felt was a questionable voice cast and everyone had their mind made up. But once the trailer was shown the feelings began to change. And then the movie came out.
Now the Mario movie is not perfect, it moves at such a fast paced that it doesn’t pause in important character moments. It does have a lot of pop culture references and a mix of 80s pop music for whatever reason. But it still was much better than I and many others expected. It was a movie with heart, solid respect for the source material, an incredible performance by Jack Black as Bowser, and was filled to the brim with easter eggs for fans. It’s a solid kids popcorn flick that also caters to the fans while delivering a flat, but for the most part a good story. And don’t worry about movie critics who didn’t get it because audiences ate it up. Oh yeah, it also did over a billion dollars in the box office at a time when questions around people going to theaters is happening. It was a great start for the plumber and what could be going beyond gaming for the character.
Super Nintendo World is rapidly expanding across multiple Universal theme parks. If you have family members that aren’t into video games, but they know Mario – they’ll see this in vacations and it’s a way they can experience the world of the character. So with a combination of movies and theme parks, Mario is moving beyond just a video game character.
Turning on the Wonder
Of course, in the end, Mario is a video game franchise and character. This year left no shortage of games, in what could go down as the greatest year in software for video games. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe finished its booster pack, creating the ultimate Mario Kart game if you own all the tracks. Super Mario Bros. Wonder came out and gave Mario the needed refresh the franchise has been looking for in the 2D space. Characters had more animation put into them, even during the smallest parts of the game. New power ups, including a new elephant power up that created a mountain of memes. The game is even nominated for Game of the Year at the Game Awards, showing the presence and power Mario still has 40 plus years since he first appeared in arcade cabinets. Lastly, the year ended with the release of Super Mario RPG, a remake of the Super Nintendo classic that was thought impossible due to licensing issue with Square Enix. Even as video games deal with an incredible year, Mario is still in the conversation.
A New Voice
Since the 90s, Charles Martinet has provided the voice for Mario. But this would be the year that would all change. First, we got Chris Pratt who did the voice for Mario in the movie. Despite all the jokes and dooming, I think he did a good enough job. Charles provided some voices in the film as well. But that was a movie, not a game. Nintendo would announce that Charles was retiring from voicing Mario. Despite conspiracy theories, it makes sense to me. Charles is 68, so it makes sense he would want to hang it up. Charles did a great job doing the voice of Mario, and even became a celebrity to gamers in his own right. I have nothing but respect for Charles and what he has done. His voice has technically been a part of my childhoods, including mine. And I wish nothing but the best for him in his new life and role as “Mario Ambassador”.
So, who would provide a new voice for Mario? That would be Kevin Afghani, a much younger talent who made his debut in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Now we only have one game so far, but I think Kevin hit it out of the park. Considering his age, Kevin could be the voice of Mario for a long time to come and its his intepretation of the character that could go on to be a part of countless childhoods. Congratulations to Kevin, and I’m sure he’ll keep up the great work.
Final Thoughts
I think this will be the year when Mario really became more than just a video game character. Between a highly successful movie, solid video game releases, and his expansion into Universal Theme Parks, he’s becoming a full-blown part of international pop culture. This is the best era for the character since the early 90s, when a poll showed more children recognized him over Mickey Mouse! And with Nintendo stating their goal to expand their IP beyond gaming, we could see this happen to more of their characters. The Legend of Zelda was just approved for a movie and there have been solid sources hinting at a theme park expansion based around Zelda in the future.
But for Mario, there is no waiting, the time is now. This has been his year as much as it has been for the whole industry. And when you consider that he is the mascot of all of gaming, it makes sense that he would have this kind of year in 2023. And the best part? I have a feeling 2024 could be even bigger!