In case you’ve been trapped in a cave, or happen to not be American, the Super Bowl was yesterday, and in addition to a spirited game of sports ball, there were of course a new crop of high-profile ads vying for viewers’ attention. For the most part, I’m well beyond caring about any sort of TV ad, but the new spot for The Super Mario Bros. Movie was pretty darn charming. It takes the form of a cheesy local TV ad for the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing service, complete with a new version of the rap from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show from the late 80s. Check it out, below.
For the record, here’s the original (and arguably still superior) rap featuring the vocal stylings of Captain Lou Albano as Mario and Danny Wells as Luigi.
Universal Pictures really went all out for this promotion, as the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website mentioned in the ad is actually real and pretty convincing. The 929-55-MARIO phone number mentioned in the spot also works, bringing up an answering machine message from Charlie Day’s Luigi. Sadly, I don’t think he’ll actually come to fix your pipes. Overall, fun stuff, and a good indication that the makers of the SMB Movie really get the series and fanbase.
MY GIRLFRIEND @starchanto CALLED THE PHONE NUMBER, IT ACTUALLY WORKS HAHAHAHA https://t.co/IAc1uRd5yy pic.twitter.com/uLzlBLxgKN
— Boost ☆ (@Boos2fer) February 12, 2023
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is being produced by Illumination (Despicable Me, Sing) and will feature the slightly ridiculous cast of Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is slated to hit theaters on April 7, 2023 in North America. You can check out the latest trailer for the movie here.
