The Super Mario Bros. Movie has made a small but necessary update to the larger Super Mario lore, introducing Mario and Luigi’s extended family for the first time. This move was approved by Nintendo, who provided the look of Mario’s dad and previously unused character designs from the game maker. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic said that a dinner scene featuring the extended Mario family was essential for the movie’s storytelling.
Nintendo were open to the idea of a cinematic representation of Mario, and provided character sketches of the extended family. The designs of Mario’s mom and dad were very close to the original designs, while the other family members had some changes made. Mario’s grandpa, for example, looks more like Mario and appears to have been a boxer.
This update to the Mario family tree helps to ground the characters and make them more believable. It’s a small but necessary move which will help to draw more people into the Super Mario universe.