Cast of The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Actors and Characters

When Nintendo announced that Chris Pratt would voice Mario in 2021, longtime fans had questions. The same thing happened when Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlie Day joined the project. The final film landed in theaters on April 5, 2023, with 26 voice actors covering 41 characters.

Mario: Chris Pratt · Princess Peach: Anya Taylor-Joy · Luigi: Charlie Day · Bowser: Jack Black · Kamek: Kevin Michael Richardson

Five years of game voice work converge with A-list Hollywood names across the main cast.

Main Cast: The Leading Voices

The core cast centers on four performers who carry the film’s emotional weight. Chris Pratt plays Mario, the Italian-American plumber from Brooklyn, reimagined for the animated screen with a performance that drew mixed early reactions but ultimately found its audience. Anya Taylor-Joy voices Princess Peach, the capable ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom who leads the resistance against Bowser’s invasion.

Charlie Day brings Luigi from the shadows of his brother’s popularity into a fuller presence than many expected, including a genuinely suspenseful sequence in the Dark Lands. Jack Black takes Bowser beyond the standard villain template, infusing the King of the Koopas with genuine menace and unexpected vulnerability that elevated the character beyond expectations.

Behind The Voice Actors credits show 26 voice actors performing 41 characters total, with the main four names accounting for the heaviest lifting. Wikipedia confirms each casting, with Shigeru Miyamoto personally announcing the headline names during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct that revealed the project to the world.

The implication: these choices represented a deliberate bridge between Nintendo’s gaming heritage and Hollywood mainstream appeal, trading on-name recognition for theatrical star power.

Supporting Cast: The Ensemble

The supporting cast brings depth through comedy and franchise familiarity. Seth Rogen voices Donkey Kong, heir to the Jungle Kingdom throne, while Keegan-Michael Key plays Toad, the Mushroom Kingdom resident who becomes Mario’s unlikely guide. Fred Armisen rounds out the Kong family as Cranky Kong, king of the Jungle Kingdom and Donkey Kong’s father.

Eric Bauza handles double duty, voicing Diddy Kong, the Toad General, Koopa Troopa soldiers, Dry Bones, and Hammer Bros. Kevin Michael Richardson provides the voice of Kamek, Bowser’s loyal advisor. Jessica DiCicco covers multiple family roles, voicing Mario and Luigi’s mother, the plumbing commercial woman, Mayor Pauline, yellow Toad, baby Luigi’s bully, and baby Peach.

John DiMaggio voices Uncle Arthur, one of the Brooklyn uncles, while Rino Romano voices Uncle Tony. Khary Payton appears as Penguin King, ruler of the Snow Kingdom.

Juliet Jelenic, daughter of co-director Michael Jelenic, voices Lumalee, a nihilistic blue Luma. Her casting represents a personal touch from the filmmakers.

Special Voices: Cameos and Archival Audio

Charles Martinet, who voiced Mario and Luigi in games from 1994 to 2023, has surprise cameos as Mario and Luigi’s father and Giuseppe, a Brooklyn citizen resembling the original character. His involvement connects the film directly to the franchise’s voice history in a way no other casting could.

The film also uses archived game audio for several characters. Kenny James provides Bowser’s grunts and roars through archived audio. Nate Bihldorff’s archived audio appears for Shy Guy. Kazumi Totaka provides Yoshi’s archived game audio. These choices preserve continuity with the games’ established sounds while keeping production practical.

Carlos Alazraqui provides additional voices, with Scott Menville voicing Koopa General and Red Toad. These performers handle the background characters that fill out the world without requiring separate casting announcements.

The catch: using archival audio for Yoshi and other characters means audiences don’t hear new interpretations of these roles, for better or worse tied to how the games have always sounded.

Cast of The Super Mario Bros Movie 2

No full cast has been officially confirmed for any announced sequel as of this writing. What is known centers on Chris Pratt, who reportedly returns as Mario. The success of the 2023 film makes returning cast members likely candidates, though Universal Pictures and Illumination have not released detailed casting announcements.

MarioWiki and other franchise resources continue monitoring for official announcements. Until formal confirmation, any names attached to sequel speculation remain unverified.

Announced actors

• Chris Pratt as Mario (reportedly returning)

Expected characters

• Full cast unconfirmed as of publication
• Sequel timeline not publicly specified

The pattern: franchise films typically retain their ensemble, but without official announcements, nothing is confirmed.

Cast of The Super Mario Bros Movie Yoshi

Yoshi appears in the 2023 film voiced entirely through archived game audio provided by Kazumi Totaka. Totaka, known for his work on Yoshi’s series, created the character’s sound since Yoshi’s debut. No live actor is credited for Yoshi’s voice in this film.

Dubbing Database Fandom confirms that Yoshi’s presence relies on these archived recordings rather than a new performance. This approach keeps Yoshi’s established sound intact but removes any new vocal characterization.

Yoshi voice actor

• Kazumi Totaka (archived audio)

Role details

• Character appears in film using archived game audio
• No new live voice performance recorded

Cast of the Super Mario Bros movie Spike

Sebastian Maniscalco voices Spike, Mario and Luigi’s former boss at Wrecking Crew. Wikipedia confirms this casting, noting that Maniscalco originally auditioned for the Mario role before being offered the Spike part instead.

The role marks one of the film’s most interesting casting stories. According to the Wikipedia entry, Maniscalco auditioned to voice Mario, impersonating his game voice and hoping that an actor of Italian heritage could portray the character. He was given the smaller Spike role as compensation for his Mario audition effort.

Spike character actor

• Sebastian Maniscalco

Supporting cast

• Spike role is cameo-level but meaningful in context
• Character connects to Mario and Luigi’s Brooklyn backstory

What this means: the smallest roles sometimes carry the best stories, and Maniscalco’s journey from Mario audition to Spike casting humanizes the casting process.

Cast of the Super Mario Bros movie 2026

No official cast has been announced for any 2026 movie, and the timeline itself remains speculative. Nintendo and Universal have not specified release dates extending to 2026 with confirmed projects beyond the 2023 film.

Searches for “2026” and “cast” together reflect audience anticipation rather than confirmed information. Until Nintendo formally announces another film in the series, casting for 2026 projects falls into speculation territory.

Potential cast updates

• No official announcements exist
• Returning cast rumored based on 2023 success

Sequel timeline

• Official timeline not publicly confirmed
• 2026 references speculative

Cast of The Super Mario Bros movie Bowser Jr

Bowser Jr. does not appear in the 2023 film. This means no voice actor is credited for the character in this particular movie, despite his prominent role in the games as Bowser’s son.

The character’s absence opens questions about potential inclusion in sequels. If future films expand the Koopa family narrative, Bowser Jr. would likely become a casting consideration.

Bowser Jr. voice

• Character does not appear in 2023 film
• No casting required for this release

Family characters

• Bowser appears as main antagonist
• Kamek supports as advisor
• Bowser Jr. absent from this film

What the Cast Reveals About the Film

The cast represents a deliberate balance between gaming authenticity and Hollywood appeal. Shigeru Miyamoto’s September 2021 announcement signaled that Nintendo was serious about the film reaching mainstream audiences beyond the core gaming demographic.

Charles Martinet’s cameo role is perhaps the most meaningful detail: including the voice actor who defined Mario for nearly three decades shows respect for the franchise’s legacy while allowing new performers to carry the film’s primary storytelling.

Shigeru Miyamoto announced that Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Kevin Michael Richardson, Fred Armisen, and Sebastian Maniscalco would headline the voice cast and that Martinet would be featured in surprise cameos.

— Wikipedia entry, franchise documentation

Maniscalco originally auditioned to voice Mario, impersonating his game voice, hoping that an actor of Italian heritage could portray the character. He was given this smaller role as compensation.

— Wikipedia entry, cast history

Related reading: Cast of a Muppet Christmas Carol – Full Cast Guide · Cast of Red Riding – Full Trilogy Cast Guide

Chris Pratt voices Mario while Jack Black roars as Bowser in this animation, as captured in the detailed cast breakdown with behind-the-scenes insights.

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