Editing Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!

{{italic title}}
{{Another language|Japanese}}
{{film infobox
|image=[[File:MarioAnimeCover.png|250px]]<br>VHS cover
|alias=
|format=
|creator=
|devel=
|writer=Hideo Takayashiki
|direct=Masami Hata
|creadir=
|star=
|voice=[[Toru Furuya]]<br>{{wp|Yū Mizushima}}<br>{{wp|Masaharu Maeda}}<br>{{wp|Masami Kikuchi}}<br>{{wp|Mami Yamase}}<br>{{wp|Akiko Wada}}
|compose=Toshiyuki Kimori
|origin=[[Japan]]
|language=Japanese
|execprod=
|prod=
|editor=
|prodloc=
|prodcompany=Holly Planning Production/Grouper Production<br>{{wp|Horipro}}<br>{{wp|Nippon TV|Nippon Television Music}}<br>[[Nintendo]]
|cinema=
|camera=
|runtime=
|budget=
|distributor= {{wp|Shochiku|Shochiku-Fuji Company}}
|release={{flag list|Japan|July 20, 1986<ref>{{cite|date=June 15, 1986|title="Super Mario Bros." Coming in the Movies|publisher=Game Machine (No. 286)|language=English (rest of publication in Japanese)|page=11|accessdate=November 25, 2024|archive=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19860615p.pdf#page=12|archiver=onitama.tv}}</ref><ref>{{cite|author=Luke Plunkett|date=April 19, 2012|title=There was a Good Super Mario Bros. Movie. Let's Watch it!|url=https://kotaku.com/there-was-a-good-super-mario-bros-movie-lets-watch-it-5903602|publisher=Kotaku|language=English|accessdate=November 25, 2024|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007131408/https://kotaku.com/there-was-a-good-super-mario-bros-movie-lets-watch-it-5903602}}</ref>}}
|boxoffice=
|status=
}}
'''''Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!''''' (roughly translated to "''Super Mario Bros.: Princess Peach Rescue Operation!''," more commonly known as ''Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission To Rescue Princess Peach!'') is an animated film of the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] that was released only in Japan. It is a rough interpretation of the events of the original ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' with several alterations. Directed by Masami Hata, written by Hideo Takayashiki, and produced by Masakatsu Suzuki and Tsunemasa Hatano, it was produced by Grouper Studios (in co-operation with [[Nintendo]]) and distributed by {{wp|Shochiku|Shochiku-Fuji Company Limited}} theatrically and VAP on rental-only VHS tapes. The film's running time is approximately one hour. With only a small number of copies of the film known to exist, it is considered one of the rarest pieces of ''Super Mario'' merchandise. It is notable for being one of the first two film adaptations of video games, the other being ''{{wp|ja:RUNNING_BOY_スター・ソルジャーの秘密|Running Boy: Star Soldier no Himitsu}}'' (based on ''{{wp|Star Soldier (video game)|Star Soldier}}''), both released on July 20, 1986, as well as for showing [[Bowser]] talking for the first time.

==Plot==
[[File:TheGreatMissionMarioPlayer.png|thumb|left|Mario playing the game at night]]
The movie opens with [[Mario]] playing a video game on a [[Family Computer]]. [[Luigi]] (wearing pajamas and a nightcap and holding a candle) goes to bed because it is late, but Mario continues playing the game. Suddenly, the screen changes, and the player character is replaced by a girl in a dress fighting and fleeing various ''Super Mario'' enemies. In a panic, she transports out of the television, to Mario's surprise. After narrowly dodging a mob of the enemies, she tells Mario that she is [[Princess Peach]] and she wants him to protect her. [[Bowser]] then appears on the TV screen, and Peach explains to Mario that he is quite devilish and is causing havoc on her kingdom. Mario, fast in love with the princess, promises to defend her from danger. Bowser emerges from the television, and he and Mario have a brief confrontation. He knocks Mario through a hole in the floor and transports back into the TV set with Peach.

[[File:Mario holding pendant.png|thumb|Mario holding the princess' emerald]]
Before Mario could chase after him, Bowser and Peach vanish, leaving a "[[Game Over]]" screen. Mario cries out for Peach, which awakens Luigi, who asks what is going on. Mario explains what happened, and Luigi deduces that he is just dreaming and dismisses Mario before going back to bed. Mario thinks that might be the case, but then notices an emerald pendant on the floor &ndash; the same one that the princess was wearing around her neck. He now knows what he saw was definitely real, but has no idea what he can do about it.

[[File:Kibidango2.png|thumb|left|Kibidango]]
The next day, Mario and Luigi go to work at their [[Grocery|grocery store]]. Mario daydreams about Princess Peach, crying over her sudden disappearance. As [[Miss Endless|a customer unsatisfied with Mario's absentmindedness]] leaves, Luigi notices the pendant in Mario's hand, greedily recognizing it as a mystical gem passed down from [[Toad (species)|Toad]] legend that can guide the owner to the [[Mushroom Kingdom]], a land of untold riches. They resolve to seek out the kingdom and Mario calls directory assitance, who immediately knows Mario's name and says he will send for him. Suddenly, a strange blue dog-like creature known as [[Haru-ōji|Kibidango]] enters their store and steals the gem, causing the brothers to chase after it to a field full of [[Warp Pipe|pipe]]s. After Mario chases the dog into one of the pipes, the other pipes vanish. Luigi stands on the remaining pipe for a better view, but it falls down, causing him to fall in along with Mario and warping them elsewhere.

[[File:Mario and Luigi greeted by Kinoko Sennin.png|thumb|Mario and Luigi greeted by Kinoko Sennin]]
They land in a cave, and are greeted by [[Kinoko Sennin]], a wise old man in a white robe. He reveals himself as the one who summoned them, and explains that the evil King Bowser of the [[Koopa (species)|Turtle Tribe]] has conquered the Mushroom Kingdom since Princess Peach rejected his proposal. Bowser used his magic to turn the realm's mushroom-headed citizens into [[Brick Block|brick]]s, [[horsetail]]s, and other things. Princess Peach believed in the legend of kindhearted, fortune-seeking, funny-faced, mustachioed twin brothers in sailor caps and overalls coming to her help from an eastern kingdom, but when she sought Mario she was kidnapped by Bowser, who plans on marrying her on {{wp|Friday the 13th}}. Mario is furious (even putting on a Mexican bandit's outfit to show off his rage in an anime gag) and vows to defeat Bowser and rescue Peach. The wise man tells Mario to travel directly east to reach the enemy stronghold, but he will require the assistance of three magic power-ups: the [[Super Mushroom|mushroom]], [[Fire Flower|flower]] and [[Super Star|star]], which were scattered and sealed by Bowser's minions. Mario goes on ahead, with Luigi inquiring about a reward and being told that he may collect any of the many [[coin|gold coins]] he will come across. Kibidango also accompanies the brothers, encouraged by Kinoko Sennin to help guide them, who then mysteriously vanishes as he wishes them good luck.

[[File:Luigi dancing happily in the field.png|thumb|left|Luigi dancing happily in the field]]
Walking through a strange field, the team progresses, seeing various new and strange sights. Soon, they are spotted by two [[Goomba]]s, who sneakily observe them from a distance. Eventually, they find a rest stop, and Mario goes to sleep. Luigi, however, is too hungry to rest, and complains about how famished he is (even thinking Kibidango would make a fine roast). The two Goombas arrive and lead the starving Luigi to a valley of [[mushroom]]s. Mario awakes when he hears Luigi laughing hysterically due to the strange mushrooms the Goombas led him to. Luigi then accidentally eats more and starts crying. Mario figures that there are "laughing" and "crying" mushrooms, so he feeds Luigi what he thinks is a "laughing" mushroom in order to cancel out the effect - and Luigi loses his temper and punches him several times, losing control of his emotions. Suddenly, a [[Big Koopa Paratroopa|big Paratroopa]] parent picks Mario up and takes him to her nest. He throws his mushrooms at the chicks, distracting them with their weird effects. The Paratroopa parent then picks up Luigi and Kibidango, and Mario convinces them that they also taste bad. From their odd position, the brothers spot a mushroom frozen in a block of ice, which Mario believes is the one he is looking for. Mario climbs up some rocks to reach it, and in addition to getting it, uncovers a hidden rock that starts shooting out coins. The sudden surprise, however, causes Mario to lose his footing, and he falls, taking Luigi and Kibidango with him.

[[File:Mario and Luigi surrounded by the mushroom people.png|thumb|Mario and Luigi surrounded by the mushroom people]]
Upon landing in the field below thanks to the chicks breaking their rapid descent, Luigi picks up one of the coins, which starts shining brightly. After a flash of light, the coins transform into mushroom people, and a tall, soft-spoken person stands before them. The figure is formally identified as Princess Peach's maid known as Toad, explains that Bowser turned them into coins, and thanks the brothers for rescuing them. The brothers are presented with the mushroom (calling it the "Super Mushroom") as thanks, and they now have one of the three power-ups. Behind them, the freed citizens wave their goodbyes - even the Paratroopas, who had grown affectionate towards the rag-tag team.

They continue walking onward, meeting challenges such as [[Bullet Bill]]s and a [[Big Koopa Troopa|giant Koopa Troopa]], which Mario uses his mushroom's powers to fight against. Finally, they reach a fork in the road. The two Goombas appear again from atop a giant boot. Mario asks for the best path to head eastward, and takes the suggestion of the flower garden course in case they find the flower power-up. While it looks peaceful and has an attractive fragrance, it turns out to be a field of [[Piranha Plant]]s. Once the plants start attacking, the three struggle to escape, narrowly dodging the attacking flowers. Behind them, the plants tangle themselves together, and they all tumble down.

[[File:Spinies.png|thumb|left|Big Spinies about to start attacking Mario, Luigi, and Kibidango]]
When they finally do manage to escape, they run into an even greater danger. [[Lakitu]] looms overhead, angered that they bullied his so-called cute little flowers, and throws several [[Spiny Egg|Spiny's egg]]s at them. They remain in spiked ball form on the ground, and the brothers laugh at how he "missed" hitting them. Lakitu then pulls a lever on his cloud, thundering rain and sun on them to cause them to grow into full-grown, [[Big Spiny|big-sized Spinies]], which begin to surround Mario, Luigi, and Kibidango. Luckily, a [[beanstalk]] sprouts under Mario, lifting the three into the air along with it as the Spinies collide. Lakitu thinks he has defeated them for a moment and is pleased to feed them to his plants, but in a delayed reaction flees from Mario, who grabs on to his [[Lakitu's cloud|cloud]] and manages to tear off a piece before Lakitu escapes into the sky. Mario fiddles with the controls to save Luigi and Kibidango, causing various weather effects, and finally gets it to snow, causing the large Spinies to hibernate and the cloud piece to disappear. When the snow clears, the Spinies are nowhere to be seen, and the field is filled with normal flowers. A fluff of cloud turns into another Toad subject, who rewards Mario with the flower power-up.

They continue walking along, meeting more enemies which Mario defeats with his flower (including a [[Big Buzzy Beetle|huge Buzzy Beetle]]). Luigi hits a [[block]] and gets a bunch of coins. Mario hits another block, causing a bunch of "Mario Ramen" boxes to pop out. Excited at seeing food for the first time in awhile, the two take a quick lunch break.

[[File:Peach-hime Kyushutsu Hammer Bro.png|thumb|The Hammer Brother guarding Mario]]
Luigi eventually leads the three on a trail of gold coins leading up to a gold mine which they do not find suspicious in the least, much to Kibidango's chagrin. Once inside, rocks fall and block the exit. The Goombas arrive on the other side of a barred window and taunt them, explaining that they have been imprisoned for trespassing. Mario asks for forgiveness and tells them that he has to save Princess Peach, but the Goombas tell him that the wedding is tonight and that they expect Bowser to reward them for putting a stop to the brothers' quest. They leave them at this point, and a lone [[Hammer Bro]]ther guards the exit to prevent their escape.
[[File:BowserShape.png|thumb|left|Bowser having transformed into a scarecrow to amuse Princess Peach.]]
Meanwhile at the castle, Peach sadly waits on the balcony. Bowser enters the scene, asking what wedding dress she would prefer and trying to convince Peach to love him. Peach sees this as an opportunity and tries to trick him, saying that she would like Bowser to transform for her amusement. Peach commands him to transform into nonsense words, which he confusedly interprets as a bizarre scarecrow and a portly ballerina. Then she tells him to transform into something petite and cute like a teddy bear, so he finally appeases her by becoming one. Peach picks him up and locks him in a box, thinking she has succeeded in stopping Bowser. However, Bowser reverts into his normal form from the box itself, laughing at Peach for thinking it would be that easy to trick him. After gloating at her with the news he heard that Mario had been captured by one of his troops, Bowser exits the room locking the door behind him leaving Peach captive in her tower.

[[File:StarFall.png|thumb|The star falling from Luigi's bag]]
Back in the cave, Mario leans against the bars and has a brief daydream in which he (dressed in a suit) dances with Peach in a garden. Luigi interrupts this by digging through the floor, explaining that he has found a way to escape. Kibidango tries to snap Mario out of it, but Mario turns his head and sleepily kisses the unamused Hammer Brother. They quickly leave, initiating a brief chase with the agitated Hammer Brother. Once they get away, Luigi sees that the gold he got from the cave turned into ordinary rocks and frustratedly throws it into the nearby body of water. Mario notices that among the rocks was the star, which also falls into the water. He and Kibidango quickly jump in after it, with Luigi splashing and exclaiming that he cannot swim.

[[File:Cheep cheep.png|thumb|left|A [[Big Cheep Cheep|giant Cheep-cheep]] ramming into the ship]]
Underwater, they get threatened by an angler fish and attacked by a large flat fish, which puffs into a [[Big Cheep Cheep|giant Cheep-cheep]] before forcefully splitting into multiple smaller ones, and finally find the star in a big [[clam]]. Mario and Kibidango try distracting the clam to open, but it closes down on Mario. Kibidango manages to get Mario and the star out of there, and they escape from another pursuing giant Cheep-cheep by going to an old sunken ship. Like the other fish, it explodes into multiple copies when it rams the ship, but for the moment they are safe. The ship begins to move to the surface, revealing an [[Big Blooper|enormous Bloober]] underneath that tries to pull it back down. Mario and Kibidango frantically blow on the sail to steer the ship upwards and shake off the Bloober. They escape the waters in the floating ship and reunite with Luigi (who was sitting under a palm tree on a tiny island). Now having all three power-ups, they proceed to Bowser's castle. When they spot it against the moonlight, Mario remarks that he thought it was supposed to be a full moon tonight, so it inflates into a round blood-red moon to fix its mistake. In a hurry, Mario attempts to dock their ship, only to cause them to lose control and spin out multiple times.

[[File:Peach and bowser.png|thumb|Bowser and the princess sitting at the ceremony]]
Back at the castle, Bowser has his wedding ceremony planned, much to Peach's distress. [[Shisai]] begins the ceremony and Bowser waits with bated breath over Peach's affirmation, and she finally says she is happy and that she feels like she was waiting a long time for this moment. Bowser thinks that she is giving her oath, but then hearing her say that Mario has come to the rescue snaps him out of it as he and his minions look in the direction Peach is gazing to spot the heroes rowing the floating ship outside. It soon crumbles onto the cannon that was being readied, taking it out. Bowser yells at the Goombas and grabs Peach, telling Shisai that they will continue the wedding uninterrupted in a backroom. The entrance seals behind them, so Mario, Luigi and Kibidango hurry to find a way around. Mario and Kibidango go through a hole in the wall and catch a glimpse of Bowser, so they give chase as they dodge traps such as a vanishing [[Fire Bar|row of flames]] while Luigi digs for more treasure. After moving through some gears, the two arrive in a chamber with a fiery pit and a few doorways on the other side. The two Goombas rest on a control panel, explaining that in order to pass the area, Mario must jump across dangerous elevator-like lifts. They pull a stick (with their arm) on the mechanism they are sitting on, and [[Lava Bubble|rising fireball]] obstacles are added to the mix. Mario is almost burned as things heat up, but Luigi, who was mining for more coins, accidentally causes a water leak in one of the walls, which flushes him out and floods the entire chamber. While this stops the moving platforms, Mario expresses worry for his fallen brother - who is comically shown to be relaxing in the steaming liquid as a hot spring.

[[File:Mario and bowser.png|thumb|left|Mario rising from under Bowser's foot]]
The castle starts to collapse due to the flooding, which is observed in the private room where Bowser is presenting his oversized ring to Peach in front of Shisai. Mario and Kibidango see Peach pushing some rubble over her, but Bowser also rises from the wreckage and grasps Peach, initiating the climactic battle. Princess Peach knows that Mario does not stand a chance against Bowser's strength and firepower and pleads for him to flee, but Kibidango barks at Mario, somehow reminding him to use the power-ups. Mario eats the mushroom and flower, but drops the star when he becomes distracted by spontaneously appearing "Mario {{wp|furikake}}" and a bowl of hot rice, sending it falling into a hole in the ground. Mario falls back and Bowser says that he will take down Mario, but Peach begs Bowser to stop and tells him that she will do anything if he spares Mario's life - even willingly marry him. This makes Bowser slow down and ponder for a moment, but he replies that Mario already ate the mushroom and flower, so he has to put an end to the hero before he takes the star someday and becomes a liability to him. Just then, Luigi digs up through the ground, wondering why Mario's laying down on the job as his brother tells him to hurry up and put the star in his mouth. Bowser seemingly squishes the heroes, but Mario rises from under his foot and begins pummeling Bowser with his newfound invincibility, finally grabbing him by the tail and throwing him into the horizon. Bowser is seen waving a white flag on a parachute from far away.

[[File:Miss endless.png|thumb|Bowser standing and serving in the grocery store]]
With Bowser's evil magic broken, the light of dawn pierces the dark landscape, turning it into a lush green field and restoring the ruins of the castle into [[Peach's Castle|Peach's castle]]. Mario returns Peach's pendant, which Peach says is a sentimental [[Brooch]] she has had her entire life, and she kisses him on the nose. She puts it on while reciting a legend that she will meet a wonderful prince one day who wears the same thing. When Mario declares that he will find the matching half, Kibidango reacts to it and is turned into a human. He is wearing the Brooch's twin, and reveals himself to be [[Haru-ōji|Haru]], a prince of the neighboring [[List of Implied Locations#Flower-koku|Flower-koku]] land. He came to the Mushroom Kingdom to visit the princess, but was cursed by Bowser's spell, and thanks Mario and Luigi. Heartbroken upon hearing this connection to Princess Peach, Mario nearly faints out of exasperation, but tearfully expresses pleasure that Peach has found happiness, to which Peach also tears up, thanking Mario. The two heroes then go home after promising that they would gladly come back to the rescue if their services are ever needed. After they leave, Kinoko Sennin reappears and muses that the true power-up is symbolized by Mario finding his heroic courage from true love. Mario and Luigi travel a long way home as the credits roll, and the movie ends with a scene in the grocery store, where Bowser and at least three other members of the Turtle Tribe now work as employees of Mario and Luigi's store. "Game Over" then appears on the screen, thus concluding the film.

==Voice cast==
*[[Toru Furuya|Tōru Furuya]] &mdash; [[Mario]]
*{{wp|Yū Mizushima}}  &mdash; [[Luigi]]
*{{wp|Junko Hori}} &mdash; [[Lakitu]], [[Miss Endless]]
*{{wp|Shigeru Chiba}} (credited under his birth name, Masaharu Maeda) &mdash; [[Haru-ōji|Kibidango]]
*{{wp|Masami Kikuchi}} &mdash; [[Haru-ōji]]
*{{wp|Kōhei Miyauchi}} &mdash; [[Kinoko Sennin]]
*{{wp|Keaton Yamada}} &mdash; [[Hammer Bro]]ther
*{{wp|Yuriko Yamamoto}} &mdash; [[Toad (species)|Toad 1]]
*{{wp|Hiroko Emori}} &mdash; [[Toad (species)|Toad 2]]
*{{wp|Hiroko Maruyama}} &mdash; [[Goomba|Goomba A]]
*{{wp|Kazue Komiya}} &mdash; [[Goomba|Goomba B]]
*Reiko Nakano &mdash; [[Big Koopa Paratroopa|Paratroopa parent]]
*Berries ({{wp|Hiromi Ōnishi}} {{wp|Blueberry}}/{{wp|Maki Itō}} {{wp|Raspberry}}/{{wp|Chiemi Matsumoto}} {{wp|Strawberry}}) &mdash; [[Koopa Paratroopa|Paratroopa children]]
*{{wp|Tetsuo Mizutori}}/{{wp|Masaharu Satō}} &mdash; [[Koopa Troopa]]s
*{{wp|Jōji Yanami}} &mdash; [[Shisai]]
*{{wp|Mami Yamase}} &mdash; [[Princess Peach]]
*{{wp|Akiko Wada}} &mdash; [[Bowser]]

==Characters==
===Main protagonists===
<gallery>
Mario running.jpg|[[Mario]]
AnimeLuigi.png|[[Luigi]]
PeachGMPPAnime.png|[[Princess Peach]]
Haru.jpg|[[Haru-ōji]]
Kinoko Sennin.png|[[Kinoko Sennin]]
Toads spawning from coins.jpg|[[Toad (species)|Mushroom people]]
</gallery>

===Main antagonists===
<gallery>
Bowser attacking.jpg|[[Bowser]]
AnimeGoomba.jpg|[[Goomba]]
SMBTGMTRPPKoopaTroopas.png|[[Koopa Troopa]]
ParatroopacarryingMario.jpg|[[Big Koopa Paratroopa]]
Big Buzzies SMB Anime.png|[[Buzzy Beetle]]
AnimeHammerBro.png|[[Hammer Bro]]
AnimeLakitu.jpg|[[Lakitu]]
Spinies.png|[[Spiny]]
Big Piranha Plants.jpg|[[Piranha Plant]]
PHKDS Big Cheep Cheep.jpg|[[Cheep Cheep]]
Big Blooper Anime Mario Film.png|[[Blooper]]
Peach-hime Kyushutsu Bullet Bills and Blaster.png|[[Bullet Bill]]
</gallery>

==Soundtrack==
{{media missing|section=yes}}
{{main|Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! Original Soundtrack}}
The movie's soundtrack consists of the following songs:

SIDE A
*Mario the Great (マリオ・ザ・グレート)
*[[Doki-Doki Do it|Doki-Doki Do it ～Dizzy in Love Romance Version～]] (ドキ・ドキDo it ～スキスキクラクラ恋愛編～)
*Dream, Dream, Dream... (夢・夢・夢・・・)
*Doki-Doki Do it, ～Snap Smack Rock'n Roll School Version～ Instrumental (ドキ・ドキDo it ～ビシっとバシっとRock'n Roll学校編～ インスト)
*The Koopas' Scheme (カメ・一族の陰謀)
*Adieu, My Love ～Grand Theme: My Feelings～ (アデュ・マイラブ ～グランドテーマ 僕の気持ち)
SIDE B
*[[Doki-Doki Do it|Doki-Doki Do it ～Snap Smack Rock'n Roll School Version～]] (ドキ・ドキDo it ～ビシっとバシっとRock'n Roll学校編～)
*Mario the Great: Dancing with Mario (マリオ・ザ・グレート ～マリオとダンシング)
*[[Suishōkyū]] / Crystal Ball (水晶球)
*The Mario Walk (マリオ ウォーク)
*The Light Blue Waltz (水色のワルツ)
*[[Adieu, My Love]] (アデュ・マイラブ)
The soundtrack was produced in very limited quantity with only 50 copies. Both a 12" LP vinyl record and a 7" 45 RPM single were produced. The 7" featured two variations of "Doki Doki Do it!", whilst the 12" LP featured the entire film soundtrack. Also packaged in with the LP was a picture book titled ''Mario's Fantastic World Picture Book''. The book consists of lyrics, a plot summary of the film, and promotional art. It was not included with the 7" 45, as it was instead bundled with a much smaller book featuring lyrics. Songs were performed by Chikako Ishikawa, Mami Yamase (voice of Peach, who was also a relatively famous pop singer at the time), and the Japanese band Mirai Dohji. The record was produced by King Records.

==Production==
''Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!'' was a production of Grouper Studios as a tie-in to the Japanese version of ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels|Super Mario Bros. 2]]'' (later known as ''Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels''). The mushrooms that cause ill effects in the film may even be a reference to the [[Poison Mushroom]].

The film was released theatrically on July 20, 1986, and screened exclusively at Sochiku theaters, where it was shown as part of a double feature alongside a video guide for ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels'', 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ2 完全攻略法』 (''Super Mario Bros. 2'' Complete Strategy Guide). A few commercials done by the same animation company and cast were done for tie-in merchandise for ''Super Mario''-brand {{wp|furikake}},  watches, cameras and phone cards, and there were two instances of product placement in the film itself. One scene shows Mario hitting a block and ''Super Mario''-brand ramen noodles by Myojo Foods come out.<ref>''Twitter''. [https://twitter.com/VGArtAndTidbits/status/1585648009500844032 VideoGameArt&Tidbits: Myojo Ramen - Super Mario Bros. 2 ad (1986)]. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref> The brothers even break the [[fourth wall]], as Luigi says it is delicious and Mario winks at the camera. Later, right before Mario can use the star, he gets distracted by ''Super Mario''-brand furikake by [[Nagatanien]].<ref>''YouTube''. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1NvgfIcO1U Nagatanien ''Super Mario'' Furikake commercial]. Retrieved February 11, 2023.</ref> Mario is also shown playing a [[Family Computer]] in the beginning of the film.

The VHS release was distributed by VAP Video sometime after its theatrical release. However, the movie has never been republished since then, not even in newer home video formats such as DVD or Blu-ray, causing the official VHS tapes to become sought-after collector's items, with prices reaching as high as US$600 on auction sites. Moreover, the movie has never released internationally, remaining a rare production that has never been released outside Japan or in any language besides Japanese. This is because {{wp|Shochiku}}, the company that distributed this film, does not operate outside of Japan.

==Merchandise==
In addition to the aforementioned merchandise, there was much more merchandise produced based on the film, all of which are rare. The following are photos of all the ''Super Mario'' anime merchandise.

<gallery>
AnimeBack.jpg|Reverse of the VHS tape with concept art
AnimeSide.jpg|Spine of the VHS tape
Peach-Hime-Artbook Cover.jpg|Movie pamphlet cover
MarioBrosMovieHeightChart.jpg|A height chart featuring the various characters in the film.
PeachHimeSketches.jpg |Concept art of Mario and Luigi's appearances in the film
PeachHimeArtbook.jpg|Various merchandise and furikake are shown in the movie pamphlet.
Nagatanien SMB print ad 02.jpg|''Super Mario'' furikake advertisement
PeachHimeSoundtrackCover.jpg|Soundtrack cover
PeachHimePictureBookCover.jpg|Cover of ''Mario's Fantastic World Picture Book'', the soundtrack booklet
PeachHimePanels.jpg|Picture panels of Mario and various other characters, featuring some coarse language
File:PeachHimeMangaFront.jpg|Manga front cover scan
PeachHimeVinylfront.jpg|Vinyl record<ref>[https://youtube.com/watch?v=aM7I8mZ5qmM] - Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!: Side A | Vinyl Rip (VAP), Retrieved 4 October 2019</ref><ref>[https://youtube.com/watch?v=rcJw_7JnaE0] - Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!: Side B | Vinyl Rip (VAP), Retrieved 4 October 2019</ref>
PeachHimeVinylback.jpg|Back of the soundtrack booklet
PeachHimeRiddleBook.jpg|Riddle book front cover scan
Peach-Hime-Riddlebook Back.jpg|Riddle book back cover
Peach-Hime-Riddlebook Book2.jpg|Second riddle book cover
Peach-Hime-DokiDokiDoIt!Single.jpg|Doki Doki Do It! single album with artwork from ''Super Mario Bros.''
Peach-Hime-DokiDokiDoIt!Single-Stickers.jpg|Doki Doki Do It! single bundled stickers
Peach-Hime-DokiDokiDoIt!Single-Record.jpg|Doki Doki Do it! single record
Peach-Hime-DokiDokiDoIt-Single-Panthlet.jpg|Doki Doki Do it! single booklet, featuring the members of the band Mirai Dohji
</gallery>

==Similarities with later media==
*This is the first time [[Luigi]] appears physically different from his brother. The first game artwork of the slimmer and taller Luigi would be in ''[[Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally]]'', which was released two years later.
*Mario wears a sombrero prior to ''[[nwiki:Qix|Qix]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]''.
*Giant versions of common enemies debut here, later appearing in the games starting with ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''.
**Mario also becomes [[Mega Mario|giant]] when he uses the [[Super Mushroom]], similarly to in ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]'' 18 years later (and 20 years before the debut of the [[Mega Mushroom]]).
*At one point, the two Goomba characters are seen atop a giant shoe, which appears similar to the [[Goomba's Shoe]] from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.
*The floating ship that the Mario Bros. fly to Bowser's castle appears similar to the wooden, pirate-style [[airship]]s from ''Super Mario Bros. 3''.
*[[Haru-ōji|Haru]] being turned into a dog by Bowser is similar to the various [[kings]] throughout ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' who are turned into animals. The [[Grass Land]] King, in particular, is turned into a dog in the original NES version of the game.
*The moon is depicted with eyes, which would later be implemented in ''[[Super Mario World]]'', ''[[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins]]'', and ''Super Mario Odyssey'' with the [[Power Moon]]s.
*During Mario's encounter with Lakitu, he hijacks [[Lakitu's Cloud|its cloud]]. This idea was later implemented as a mechanic in ''[[Super Mario World]]''.
*Lakitu states to have been planting Piranha Plant, something this species would start doing in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''. To hatch the Spiny Eggs, Lakitu uses thunder, sporting {{wp|Raijin}}'s drums in the process, similarly to what [[Thunder Lakitu]]s would do starting in ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]''.
*The anime features the first depiction of female Toads, which began appearing in games starting with ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''.
**Furthermore, [[Toadette]], a female Toad introduced in ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'', visually resembles one of the female Toads in the movie that has a pink head and white dots.
*[[Peach's Castle]] first appeared in this film, later appearing in the games starting with ''[[Super Mario 64]]''. The depiction of the castle after its restoration additionally resembles later depictions throughout the series, featuring white walls and pink spires with flagpoles atop each tower.
**Bowser gaining control of Peach's Castle and remodeling it in his image mirrors its [[Peach's Castle (world)|appearance]] in ''[[New Super Mario Bros. U]]''.
*Mario defeats Bowser by grabbing his tail and hammer-throwing him into the distance, similarly to his boss fights in ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.
*This is the first medium in which both Mario and Bowser are known to have a romantic interest in Peach, which would not be shown in the games until ''[[Super Mario World]]'' and ''[[Paper Mario]]'', respectively.
**By extension, this is the first medium involving a potential marriage between Bowser and Peach. This plot point was later featured in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' episode "[[Do You Princess Toadstool Take this Koopa...?]]", ''[[Super Mario-kun]]'', ''[[Super Mario Adventures]]'', ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', ''[[Super Mario Odyssey]]'', and ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]''.
*[[Haru-ōji|Haru]] mentions that he is a prince from the nearby region of [[List of implied locations#Flower-koku|Flower-koku]]; the similarly named [[Flower Kingdom]] would eventually appear as the setting of ''[[Super Mario Bros. Wonder]]''. Additionally, the Flower Kingdom's ruler, [[Prince Florian]], visually resembles Haru's Kibidango form.
*Haru's Kibidango form strikingly resembles a [[Wiggler]], which would debut in ''[[Super Mario World]]'' four years later.

==Notable errors==
*The cover artwork has some deviant character designs, notably Haru, the Mushroom People, and Luigi's shirt being red instead of yellow, which makes his outfit resemble Mario's outfit from [[Mario Bros. (game)|''Mario Bros.'']]
*Luigi's outfit is considerably different from how he appears in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels]]'', being depicted with a blue hat and overalls and a yellow shirt. His in-game sprites, by comparison, depict him with a white hat and overalls and a green shirt. This is most likely because Luigi did not have an established color palette at the time, which may explain why his shirt is red in promotional artwork for the film.
*When Mario and Luigi are resting at a campfire, Kibidango appears to be sleeping near Mario in the establishing shot. When it cuts closer, Kibidango is missing from the shot, but when Luigi hits Mario's thought bubble with his shovel, Kibidango is shown asleep back in position.
*When Mario is seeing Luigi laughing because of the "laughing" mushrooms, in one frame, Luigi's hair is not painted.
*During the scene where Mario and Luigi look up while in the Koopa Paratroopa nest, their colors have switched.
*Mario demonstrates the fire flower power-up by defeating one of the [[Buzzy Beetle]]s with a fireball, but they are immune to fire in the games.
*When Luigi gets off the palmtree island and hangs on to the floating ship's rope, but before the colossal Bloober scares him and makes him climb up onto the ship faster, there is a second Luigi with Kibidango instead of Mario.
*When the Goombas are first seen on the control panel, their normally yellow parts are miscolored, as their bodies are brown and their arm-like appendages share the machine's purple color. Additionally, the momentarily still lift that Mario tries to land on disappears for several frames before it rises.
*When Mario gives Peach's necklace back, the brooch on her dress is absent.

==Gallery==
{{main-gallery}}
<gallery perrow=5>
SMB PeachHimeKyushutsu Mario calling out.jpg|[[Mario]]
Kooparade.jpg|Mario and [[Luigi]] leading a parade of enemies
Greatmissiontitlecard.jpg|Title card
SMB86-enemyhorde.jpg|A horde of enemies exiting the television screen
PeachHimeSketches.jpg|Concept art of Mario and Luigi
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{Foreign names
|Jpn=スーパー マリオ ブラザーズ ピーチ姫{{ruby|救出大作戦|きゅうしゅつだいさくせん}}!
|JpnR=Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Pīchi-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!
|JpnM=Super Mario Bros.: Princess Peach Rescue Operation!
}}

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469611/ IMDb]
*[https://youtu.be/vzlZy9zpw0Q The film, with English subtitles]

{{TV series and films}}
{{SMB}}
[[Category:Films]]
[[Category:Anime]]
[[Category:VHSes]]
[[Category:Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen!|*]]
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[[it:Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!]]