The Super Mario Bros. Movie | Themes and Meaning

In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, we talk about themes that help us understand the film. 

Cast

• Mario – Chris Pratt
• Luigi – Charlie Day
• Princess Peach – Anya Taylor-Joy
• Toad – Keegan-Michael Key
• Donkey Kong – Seth Rogen
• Cranky Kong – Fred Armisen
• Bowser – Jack Black
• Written by – Matthew Fogel
• Directed by – Aaron Horvath | Michael Jelenic

The themes and meaning of The Super Mario Bros. Movie

A can-do attitude

One of the defining features of this interpretation of Mario is how positive and determined he is. Instead of working for Spike, he convinces Luigi to start their own company. Not only does he have the strategy to grow the business, he has the ability. This means he’s confident going into all plumbing-related situations. When Brooklyn’s flooding and none of the borough’s engineers can solve the issue, Mario knows exactly what to do and is about to solve it until the fault equipment foils his work. 

Even when Mario arrives in a strange world, he doesn’t worry. Instead, he gets to solving the problem. It’s this positivity and determination that wins not only Princess Peach’s friendship and affection but Donkey Kong’s too. 

The group is stronger than the individual 

Mario and Luigi say to each other that together they can do anything. This concept extends beyond just the two siblings and into Mario’s entire character arc. After arriving in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario succeeds because he befriends Toad and Peach and Donkey Kong. Without everyone else helping out, there’s no way he could have figured out what to do, much less fight through Bowser’s army and defeat Bowser. 

Having a craft is a superpower

Of course The Super Mario Bros. Movie exaggerates Mario’s plumbing abilities. It’s a hyperbolic animated film. But there is something to the idea of finding a niche and thriving in it. Mario is an excellent plumber. Why? Because it’s his identity. He fixes. Literally and metaphorically. Being who he is and what he is allows Mario the opportunity of a lifetime: to travel to a whole new universe and meet amazing people and explore unbelievable worlds. 

The real world equivalent of that is someone who is passionate about food becoming a chef and getting to travel the world, cooking everywhere they go. Or someone who loves makeup and ends up working in Hollywood and working on productions at the highest level. Or someone who adores roller coasters and starts a YouTube channel where they ride roller coasters, talk about roller coasters, debate roller coasters, and it leads to an entire career. 

Fear-driven negativity and selfishness don’t go far

Bowser is a giant juxtaposition to Mario. Instead of having friends, he has followers. Instead of winning people to his cause, he imprisons those who dissent. Mario inspires. Bowser terrifies. We see how much Bowser adores Peach. But instead of engaging with her as a person and connecting, he only thinks about her as a construct in relation to his own wants. Either she plays the role he’s assigned, he she’s an enemy. It’s a binary, rigid worldview that’s the root of the isolation and emptiness that Bowser feels despite having a massive army. There’s no love. No affection. No meaning. Maybe if Bowser just focused on music then he’d contribute more to the world instead of taking so much away from it. 

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