The Questions surrounding the Super Mario Galaxy Movie

It’s official: the highly anticipated sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be based on Super Mario Galaxy. For many, Galaxy is their favourite Mario game of all time; for me, it’s my favourite game, period. There’s something magical about its quiet, cosmic emptiness, its emotional storybook backstory, and its imaginative level design. Galaxies like Good Egg, Space Junk, Beach Bowl, Ghostly Galaxy, and of course, Gusty Garden, have never left me. The music especially made Galaxy unforgettable, so when the Nintendo Direct revealed the sequel with the game’s main menu theme, I got emotional. In hindsight, the use of Gusty Garden during the credits of the first film might have been our first hint at where the series was headed.

The film doesn’t release until next April, and news is likely months away. If it follows the marketing cycle of the first film, the trailer will drop in October or November. That gives us time to speculate on what the movie could include: characters, storylines, galaxies, and above all, its music. This movie has the potential to be something special, but in order to do that, it has to do the Galaxy games justice. The reason why Sonic 3 especially was so well praised was not just because it was a fantastic movie, it represented the story of Sonic Adventure 2 so well and Shadow as a character. Yes they changed his backstory, made Maria different and tweaked some of the game’s key plot points to fit in the movie universe (using Sonic as a catalyst to change Shadow’s motives instead of Amy), but it all felt natural to fans of Shadow to see this new take that felt faithful to the ultimate lifeform. There were a lot of Sonic Adventure 2 fans who walked away happy that one of their favourite games’ was so well represented in movie form, let’s hope Nintendo and Illumination can continue this trend of great adaptations of certain video games.

The Importance of Rosalina

In the Nintendo Direct, Chris Meledandri was quick to point out that the movie takes inspiration from BOTH Super Mario Galaxy games, as well as more Mario games too. This makes sense, they do not want to do a basic retelling of the galaxy games. Mario now being a transmedia franchise means Illumination need to put their own spin on well-established ideas, hopefully produce some of their own in this movie that will keep avid Galaxy fans like me surprised. What won’t be a surprise however will be Rosalina’s inclusion in the film. When you think of Mario Galaxy, Rosalina is (for me) the one key part of the games. She has the most fleshed out backstory out of the whole Mario cast, which makes her an easy candidate for a character they can include in a movie, and showcase this story to a new audience. However, Rosalina cannot just be another Peach in this movie. Having two female leads, two princesses no less who coincidentally are rulers over a cute species, could create a problem, so they need to balance both parties and their roles to make them unique, especially to those unaware of Rosalina as a character. In the original Galaxy, not only is she powerful, but she is wise, a motherly figure, and with her comes the emotional weight that her storybook entails, whilst Peach still keeps her personality from the first film. If done right, this could give the film two distinct female leads who complement one another rather than overlap.

In terms of Rosalina’s voice, it doesn’t really matter to me so long as the performance is a bit melancholy compared to Peach, not as energetic and a voice fit for a mother. Scarlett Johansson is of course a name thrown about, especially as she has voiced in Illumination work before in Sing, or they choose someone like Natalie Portman who is well versed in playing characters from space. Or they could just go with Sydney Sweeney or Sabrina Carpenter because they have the money for that. Either way, as long as they turn up in Rosalina cosplay, I will be there for it…

Other New Characters

Yoshi is almost certain to appear after the post-credits tease of the first film. While many Yoshi’s popped up before, this one feels like the Yoshi—the one who joins in on every spin-off. A likely choice would be to keep him voiceless beyond classic sound bites from Kazumi Totaka, a “Groot-style” approach that feels right. I also think Bowser Jr. has a great chance to appear in this film. He is an integral part of both Galaxy games, showing up in every other ‘main’ boss fight either as the boss itself or introducing the boss to Mario. He could also give Bowser some character development, as we know from the games, he is a caring father figure.

Keegan-Michael Key has teased the inclusion of “deep cuts.” For Galaxy, that could mean characters like Lubba (from Galaxy 2), Polari, or quirky NPCs like the Star Bunnies or Gizmos, as well as the Honey Queen. If Illumination expands beyond Galaxy, we could see obscure Mario villains like Tatanga (Super Mario Land) or Wart (Super Mario Bros. 2). Cameos from Wario or Waluigi also feel likely, perhaps even as a post-credits gag.

Questions a Sequel Must Answer

One lingering question from the first film is Bowser’s fate. Will Kamek free him? Will Bowser Jr. save his father? Regardless, Bowser will almost certainly return as the main villain. With Galaxy’s finale set at the heart of the universe, Bowser’s Galaxy Reactor is tailor-made for a climactic sequence with Mario and Luigi spinning Bowser out of the atmosphere.

Another question is will Luigi have more of a major role in this film? I hope the answer is yes. Charlie Day was such a perfect casting that it was a shame he was stuck to being the ‘damsel in distress.’ I hope this movie lets Luigi shine. Just like the Galaxy games, I can see Mario and Luigi doing their own things, or they could stick by each other’s side, I will be there. Yoshi needs to find a way to the Mushroom Kingdom too, as I think we will be leaving Brooklyn and Mario’s family behind, as well as Donkey Kong too, with Seth Rogen not coming back to voice the ape.

I think that the biggest question from the last movie is relating to Peach’s’ ‘lot of galaxies’ quote when at the campsite. I think there is more than meets the eye to this Princess, especially with Peach’s lack of backstory in the first film. She isn’t from the ‘real world’ like Mario and Luigi, and in fact could be related somehow to Rosalina. Why else would she mention the ‘galaxies’ line? This could be a thread the sequel explores.

In terms of Bowser and his motives, I think he will want to take over the universe in this film, just this time without Peach. As much as it would make sense having Peach kidnapped as that is one of the game’s pivotal plot points, with Rosalina helping Mario to find his ‘special one,’ I can’t see a way Peach could get kidnapped in this universe. In the last 3 mainline Mario games with Peach in it, she has only been kidnapped once, so I think Nintendo are starting to change the stance of the ‘damsel-in-distress’ role nowadays. I think Rosalina will help Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach and Toad to help stop Bowser from taking over the universe, with Mario and Luigi collecting power stars to fuel the Comet Observatory.

Galaxies

Locations in this film have so much potential. I think we will only spend the first 10-20% of the film on ground, with the rest in the galaxies above, which gives a lot of potential for the locals we visit. In the key title art for the film, we can see a few teasers for galaxies in the word ‘Galaxy’ itself. Such as Bowser’s UFO (which could mean Peach’s castle is taken to the skies), Gusty Garden Galaxy, Gateway Galaxy and what could be Honeyhive Galaxy. Expect Gateway to serve as the meeting point with Rosalina, while Gusty Garden is all but guaranteed for its iconic music. Honeyhive could introduce the Honey Queen, while a fiery showdown on a lava planet could nod to Melty Molten Galaxy. I think Good Egg Galaxy deserves to be there too, or Sky Station/Yoshi Star Galaxy if we are talking about Galaxy 2 locations as well, but the roster so far is good.

Music

If there’s one thing Illumination must get right, it’s the soundtrack. Brian Tyler’s score for the first film was outstanding, and Galaxy’s orchestral music is already cinematic perfection. Please, no licensed pop songs—Galaxy’s score deserves to stand on its own. He has the chance to make one of gaming’s most sacred soundtracks even better.

At minimum, these tracks are essential:

• The Star Festival

• Gateway Galaxy

• Comet Observatory

• Gusty Garden Galaxy

• Space Junk Galaxy

• Buoy Base Galaxy

• Battlerock Galaxy

• Toy Time Galaxy

• Bowser Jr.’s Battle Theme

• Bowser’s Galaxy Reactor

  
  

These tracks will get me emotional, but there are certain tracks in Mario Galaxy that will make me run through a box of tissues very quick: Luma, Family, Birth, and ‘A Wish.’ Nintendo if I am not bawling my eyes out you have not done a good enough job. Especially ‘A Wish,’ assuming that the ending is similar, with the Luma’s sacrificing themselves to save the black hole, man it makes me emotional just thinking about it.

Welcome, Welcome New Galaxies (and beyond?)

Beyond Galaxy, the future of Nintendo films is wide open. A Luigi’s Mansion movie would be a perfect next step, giving Luigi the spotlight he deserves. A Donkey Kong spinoff also seems inevitable, especially with Seth Rogen’s involvement uncertain. But for now, Galaxy is the big test. This movie already means a lot to me. Adapting my favourite piece of media full stop for a new audience is a big task, and I know Nintendo and Illumination know what’s at stake. Nintendo could have played it safe by creating another original Mario story, but choosing Galaxy shows confidence. If they capture its wonder, melancholy, and joy, they won’t just have another billion-dollar hit—they’ll create something truly special.