Forget the voice, what's going on with Mario's body?
Movie Mario looks less cheeky than normal.
Unless you've been living under a mushroom, you've probably heard the news that there's a new Super Mario film coming out – and the trailer dropped last night. As expected, much of the online discourse surrounds Chris Pratt's decidedly un-Italian voice. But fans have other concerns too.
On the whole, the animation for The Super Mario Bros. Movie looks pretty great – the colours are vibrant, the faces expressive and everything looks like a heightened yet faithful version of the game universe. Except for, apparently, Mario's arse. (Looking for inspiration? Check out our ultimate guide to character design.)
When the first poster for The Super Mario Bros. Movie dropped this week, fans noticed that the famously portly plumber was looking a little, er, less cheeky than normal. As Polygon puts it, "Mario’s got absolutely nothing going on in those overalls of his."
Tragically, Mario still has no butt. #SuperMarioBrosMovie pic.twitter.com/JquOen9ElUOctober 6, 2022
i am okay with pratt but i am upset they took mario's ass away from usOctober 7, 2022
I love how movie Mario's lack of ass is trending. People really want a piece of that plumber booty. pic.twitter.com/QniYCIJcWtOctober 7, 2022
Some fans have even taken things into their own hands, putting their Photoshop prowess to noble use by reimagining a more anatomically acceptable depiction of Mario's derrière. Could a Sonic-style redesign be on the cards here?
While you might think there are bigger issues in the world, Twitter is decidedly unhappy about butt-gate. Mario's lack of buns has been described as a "war crime," "mortally offensive," and "the worst thing that's ever happened, ever". Let's just hope people can put the whole thing behind them soon.
Still, history has taught us that any tweak to a beloved character design is guaranteed to get people riled up. From Minnie Mouse to the Green M&M, plenty of new looks have drawn the internet's ire over the last few months. If you want to experience Mario in his less, er, flat form, take a look at today's best Nintendo Switch deals below.
Read more:
Get top Black Friday deals sent straight to your inbox: Sign up now!
We curate the best offers on creative kit and give our expert recommendations to save you time this Black Friday. Upgrade your setup for less with Creative Bloq.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.