If fans have critiqued Mario's behind in the Super Mario Bros movie poster, it's perhaps inevitable that they would have issues with his face too. The hotly anticipated animated movie is to be released in April, but we haven't yet seen Mario from the front – officially. Nintendo is holding a special presentation tomorrow (Thursday 6 October) to unveil a trailer, but it seems someone may have just leaked an image of our favourite mushroom gathering plumber.
The only official glimpse of the still unnamed Super Mario Bros movie that we've had so far is a colourful and extremely busy teaser poster that shows the Mushroom Kingdom and a lot of toads but only shows Mario from the back. That poster was critiqued by some fans who thought Mario's behind a little on the scrawny side, but it created an air of mystery around what Mario's face would look like. Unsurprisingly that's now causing controversy too.
All should be revealed tomorrow, but it seems we might have just found out early... and he looks a little odd (terrified of the film and prefer to stick to the games? Take a look at the best Nintendo Switch deals available now).
That Mario Bros movie poster (Image credit: Nintendo)
The streamer @connoreatspants has posted on Twitter what appears to be a screenshot showing Mario from the upcoming film as depicted in merchandise for McDonald's. Connor says the image was shared to his Discord by someone who claims to work for McDonald's. And from the detail on the moustache to the more realistically proportioned arms with smaller wrists and the addition of what appears to be a collar on Mario's shirt, fans have found plenty to pick apart.
did a McDonalds employee in the ConnorEatsPants discord just leak the first photo of Mario in the Mario Movie pic.twitter.com/DK7hITeJAPOctober 5, 2022
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Some fans say it's the smaller eyes and wider mouth that make the design look different from the Mario we know. Others aren't sure what it is about the design that looks wrong, but they agree that "something is off."
One person tweeted: "It's so good and accurate to the games but it looks... so off... IDK why or how... Even with old renders side by side... I can't tell what's off with this new design... Nose is smaller? Facial hair is brown instead of black?? Smaller eyes??? Looks less CHUBBY???? BUTTON SHIRT!?" Someone else concisely summed up: "I’m sorry but there’s something wrong with him that doesn’t feel right."
It’s the arms. They look more realistically proportioned. Smaller wrists. Also Mario’s facial hair has been dark brown since Odyssey.October 5, 2022
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Someone pointed out the cuffs on Mario's gloves are different, and they match this image, seems like a tiny detail that'd normally be overlooked. This is probably real. https://t.co/obtGQN2vboOctober 5, 2022
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We should stress that we can't confirm the authenticity of the image, so let's not panic yet – although one keen-eyed observer has noted that Mario's cuffs appear to match those shown in the official teaser poster. Suffice it to say, we'll now be watching tomorrow's event with even greater trepidation. The Nintendo Direct event takes place at 1.05pm PT / 09.05pm BST. In the meantime, see the best current prices on the Nintendo Switch range of consoles below.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
