Charles Martinet, the original Mario voice actor, will have voice cameos in the upcoming The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but that undermines Chris Pratt’s casting in more ways than one. The new animated movie adaptation of the celebrated video game movie looks visually stunning, and the colorful world of the Mario games has been beautifully rendered. And to go with the big-budget sheen of the digital effects, big-name actors have been cast as the iconic video game plumbers. Charlie Day will voice Luigi, and Pratt will voice Mario, two characters that Martinet has voiced for decades.
Martinet was obviously given cameo voice roles out of respect and that he can be recognized for his essential contribution to the characters. But while Pratt is a hugely successful actor, starring in several billion-dollar-grossing movies, he simply sounds like himself in the trailers. Martinet has mentioned that he wants to voice Mario as long as possible, and that could have been the better of two options, especially following Pratt’s casting controversy. Nevertheless, Martinet will be playing yet-to-be-announced characters in the movie, and when that happens, it’ll distract from Pratt’s voice and likely encourage some unfavorable comparisons.
The Original Mario Actor’s Cameo Is Worse For Chris Pratt’s Super Mario Casting
Martinet’s cameos will inevitably lead to comparisons between Pratt and Martinet, especially as Pratt has already received criticism for playing the character. Pratt doesn’t use an Italian accent partially because the studio didn’t want to offend Italian fans (via CNET). But if that’s the case, the studio should simply have cast Martinet, who is Italian. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, the directors of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, think Chris Pratt’s casting is perfect, noting, “For the way that Mario is characterized in our film, he’s perfect for it.” However, when Martinet’s voice is heard in the film, audiences will be reminded of just how ordinary the movie Mario sounds.
Mario’s voice is part of what makes him iconic, but Pratt was obviously cast because of his bankability and the guaranteed audience he brings. However, as few people turned up to see Onward, which starred Pratt, movie stars in animated movies arguably aren’t necessary. Chris Evans’ role in Lightyear, which underperformed at the box office, further proves this. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 cast the original Tails voice actor, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, in the movie role, which was a huge step forward for voice actors, but Mario’s casting is a step backward, and that’ll be no more clear that when Martinet is first heard.
Who Charles Martinet Could Be Voicing In The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie cast is huge, with Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Charlie Day, and so many other well-known actors playing the iconic characters, so that doesn’t leave many possibilities about who Martinet could be voicing. However, some characters have yet to be announced. Along with Mario and Luigi, Martinet has voiced Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, Dr. Mario, Metal Mario, and many others. It’s likely that Martinet could be voicing any one of those characters or some other Mario/Luigi variant who briefly appears. Either way, he won’t be playing Mario or Luigi, which are the two roles he arguably should be voicing.
