List of Mario references in film
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Template:MoreImages Due to the popularity of the Mario games, they have been commonly referenced in pop culture. Below is an incomplete list of times Mario or anything relating to the series has been mentioned or seen in a movie.
3 Ninjas
The kids are seen sitting in front of a television set playing Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES.
500 Days of Summer
In one early scene, Donkey Kong can be heard in the background.
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
In the Dream Graveyard, a picture of Bowser losing while playing Game Boy can be seen alongside an NES controller.
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker
When Alex goes to the toy store for gadgets, some DS games can be seen. The games are WarioWare: Touched!, Yoshi Touch & Go, Super Mario 64 DS, and Mario Kart DS.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
In one scene, Alvin says to Ian, "It is on like Donkey Kong!"
American Wedding
At one point, Stifler says "It's on like Donkey Kong".
Beethoven
Ted plays Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES.
Billy Madison
During a scene in the lunchroom, Billy (played by Adam Sandler) and one of his first grade peers get into a debate over Mortal Kombat and Donkey Kong.
- Kid: Mortal Kombat, on the Sega Genesis, is the best video game ever.
- Billy: I disagree. It's a very good game, but I think Donkey Kong is the best game ever.
- Kid: Donkey Kong sucks!
- Billy: You know something? You suck!
- Kid: Mortal Kom-
- Billy: SHUT UP!
The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue
The Viruses which infect Wittgenstein resemble the Viruses seen in the Dr. Mario series.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
One scene has Rodney James playing Mario Kart DS on his Nintendo DS.
Also, when Greg and Rowley wear the patrol gear, Bowser's voice from Mario Kart 64 can be heard.
Dooly the Little Dinosaur
The name Mario is mentioned in the middle of Michol's song, with Dooly costumed as Mario.
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
At one point in the movie, the Once-ler makes a reference to Donkey Kong while speaking with Ted.
Elmo's Alphabet Challenge
A parody of Super Mario Bros. was shown in this movie. The parody is called Super Mustachio. The game design looks a lot like New Super Mario Bros Wii. Also, the song that plays sounds like a vague parody of the theme from Super Mario Bros. There is also a parody of Mario Kart.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
On the elevator to the race, Twinkie asks Sean what DK (Drift King) stands for, to which Sean replies "Donkey Kong?"
Fanboys
The film starts out at a Halloween party where one of the guests is dressed up as Luigi. The main characters are later seen playing Mario Kart 64.
The Fault in Our Stars
In a flashback, the cancer support group leader Patrick is shown playing Super Mario Kart on the Wii at his mother's house after being treated for testicular cancer.
Firehouse Dog
Shane has a Mario poster in his bedroom.
The Fluffy Movie
While talking about how much he spoils his stepson, Frankie, Gabriel states that he's at the point of spoiled where he walked up to Gabriel saying, "Hey dad, I'm bored with my Nintendo Wii, can I give it to my friend, Angel?" After Frankie told him that his Wii wasn't broken, he had it for four years, and he has over 300 games on it's hard drive, Gabriel tries his best to tell him that he's so lucky with the new modern technology, but to no avail. He even explains to his audience that he had experiences with the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the difficulties of having to play a game on it. He makes an analogy saying that getting an NES to work, is like performing an operation at a hospital. Then, he states, "And, if you were lucky, IF you were lucky, you'd hear the magical sound," and he hums the first few seconds of the Super Mario Bros. overworld theme.
Foodfight!
In the theatrical trailer for the film, an advertisement for the unreleased game Donkey Kong Coconut Crackerss can be seen above some of the aisles (unfortunately, this does not appear in the actual film, as the hard drives containing the final version were reportedly stolen).
Four Christmases
One of the characters played the game Donkey Kong.
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Soon after being sucked into a NES game by Freddy, Spencer enters a red colored Warp Pipe. Later on, in order to combat Freddy in the game, Spence eats a fruit (resembling the ones from Super Mario World) to power-up and become "Super Spencer".
Future Cops
At some point, Ti Man and Chun May enter in an Arcade version of Super Mario Bros.:[1]
- Ti Man wears a red cap with an "M" upside-down, similar to Mario's; Chun May wears the same in green, similar to Luigi's.
- Ti Man wears a green shirt under blue overalls, similar to Luigi's; Chun May wears a red shirt similar to Mario's, with a blue skirt.
- A man wearing a green cap, a right shirt, and blue overalls can be seen in the background.
- There are Brick Blocks, Warp Pipes and ? Block with stars on them in the background.
- A turtle tries to run into them but they jumped over it; Ti Man later says that if it bumps into a big character, he will become small again.
- That's what happens near the end.
- The overworld theme from the game can be heard.
- Ti Man hits a kind of ? Block à la Mario; however, he does so with his head, rather than with his fist.
- When they smell flowers, they become big, the flower having the same effect as a Super Mushroom.
- They get out of the arcade machine when the Time Limit reaches zero.
Ghostbusters II
At one point, when Janine and Louis are babysitting Oscar, Louis suggests that they could play Super Mario Bros..
Gremlins
The second scene showing the new batch of Gremlins has the Coleco Donkey Kong machine being played by Stripe. On it is Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline.
Grown Ups 2
Near the end of the film, two men dressed up as Mario and Luigi appear during the party.
Hitch
In one scene, an ice-cream truck has a Mario ice-cream pop.
History of Future Folk
During a montage of songs being played on a banjo, a character plays the classic Mario theme, Super Mario Bros. overworld.
Hot Tub Time Machine
When Adam, Nick, Jacob and Lou pan over the stuff from the 80s, a poster for Super Mario Bros. is seen.
Indie Game: The Movie
The film sometimes shows footage of the original Super Mario Bros.. Also, the Mario series itself is often referenced.
"Inside Out"
The tube Joy and Sadness left the headquarters accidentally are similar to the "Transparent Pipes".
Inspector Gadget
When Gadget discover he has tools on his figures, his face resembles Donkey Kong.
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
This film is a 2007 documentary based around the classic 1981 arcade Donkey Kong. The film revolves around an unassuming high school teacher named Steve Wiebe and his struggle to attain the world's highest score in Donkey Kong. After being obsessed with the game for many years, Steve is suddenly thrust into the competition for the world's high score. He runs afoul of the current record-holder, Billy Mitchell, a successful entrepreneur.
Steve Wiebe actually plays the game Donkey Kong, but he plays it in a Donkey Kong Jr. cabinet.
The Lego Movie
During the scene where Emmet explains the plan to get in Lord Business' office tower, there is a piece of paper with a Mario-like minifigure on it.
Leprechaun: In the Hood
A Nintendo 64 box with a picture of Mario on it can be seen in the background of Jackie Dee's store.
Marley & Me
John Grogan mentions that before he went into college, he had no expectations for himself, having spent his time doing bong hits (inhaling marijuana through a bong) and playing Donkey Kong.
The Master of Disguise
After the credits it is revealed that a midget dressed up as Mario, minus the cap, and sporting a mustache (refered to as the Slapping Dummy Man) has been controlling the "Slapping Dummy".
Megamind
In the scene where Megamind (disguised as "Space Dad") is training the newly created "Tighten", Minion is seen stomping in place at the top of a construction site throwing flaming barrels down at Tighten, who jumps over them, trying to get to the top of a 25m-like stage.
Monster High: Haunted
At one part, one of the students of Haunted High can be heard saying "they want to suck us in vacuums", referencing the Luigi's Mansion series.
Need for Speed
During the opening scene, a Mario figurine can be seen on the desk.
Neighbors
In the scene where Teddy and Pete come up with rhymes for the phrase "bros before hoes," Teddy says "Mario and Luigi before Thelma and Louise-y" at one point.
Paul
In a brief shot with Ruth in the RV, an SNES with Super Mario World in the cartridge slot can be seen.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Acording to IMDb, Super Mario Galaxy can be seen in one of the stores.
Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief
When the heroes go to Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, a Mario Bros. arcade cabinet and a Donkey Kong one can be seen among other arcades.
Pixels
Donkey Kong makes an appearance in the film in his original form from Donkey Kong. Early in the film, Mario as he appears in Super Mario Bros. can be seen on Ludlow's shirt, and later on in the film during the final batte scene, Mario can clearly be seen running across the screen (in his original Donkey Kong form).
Mario was originally going to appear in the post-credits scene as the last surviving Pixel standing on top of a damaged Washington Monument, however, this was later cut out, and is not present in the released version of the film.
Ride Along
The Super Mario Bros. main theme plays at one point.
Rock of Ages
Dennis has a Donkey Kong arcade cabinet in his office. At one point early in the film, Lonny plays it briefly. When he loses, he shouts "Nobody puts Donkey in the corner!".
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Young Neil is playing Super Mario Bros. 3 on his Nintendo DS at one point (but it can only be heard). As in the graphic novel the film is based on, the band Scott plays in is named "Sex Bob-omb", and Super Mario 64 was the inspiration for the star-emblazoned doors that Ramona uses to enter subspace (similar to Super Mario Bros. 2).
Son of the Mask
In the car, Tim Avery was playing Mario Kart: Super Circuit as Luigi.
Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo
Super Mario Bros. can be seen in the background of the arcade.
The Tooth Fairy
Near the start, Derek describes his muscles as,"Hammer Bros.", like the enemies.
The Toxic Avenger Part II
One of the villains the Toxic Avenger fights in Japan is a man dressed like Mario.
Tron: Legacy
A Mario Bros. cabinet can be seen at the arcade. Also, music from Donkey Kong can be heard as Sam approaches the Tron cabinet.
Wild Child
At the beginning of the Le Cross match, Poppy states "This is on like Donkey Kong."
The Wizard
- Main article: The Wizard
The climax of The Wizard is known for featuring Super Mario Bros. 3 as the final game in the Video Armageddon tournament.
Wreck-It Ralph
The video game-inspired Wreck-It Ralph appropriately includes cameos by many video game characters, including Bowser, who appears alongside several other antagonists as part of a "Bad Guys Anonymous" group, wherein villains lend each other moral support and promote the acceptance of their somewhat difficult roles in the games. While Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad do not appear in the movie, Mario is mentioned by name when Felix hears the doorbell at his party and remarks "I'll bet that's Mario! Fashionably late, per the norm." Later, while Ralph is looking through the Lost & Found, he comes across a Super Mushroom; however, he swiftly discards it.
The Mario series is also indirectly referenced a number of times. When Felix is hit by a piece of falling ceiling, he jumps up, spins once than falls with his legs up, similar to Mario's death animation in Donkey Kong. Felix's jump noise sounds similar to Mario's. The game that Ralph and Felix hail from, Fix-It Felix, Jr., seems to be based on the original Donkey Kong in overall design, with Donkey Kong 3-like gameplay aspects as well (like Fix-It Felix bearing a passing resemblance to Stanley), and with Donkey Kong Jr. inspiring the name. Furthermore, the gameplay of Sugar Rush bears some resemblance to the Mario Kart series, such as players potentially stalling out if they botch a boost at the beginning of the race, and how they drive through sugar cubes to acquire cartoon weapons to use against other racers. The title card for Sugar Rush even has what appears to be Nintendo's logo. In addition, the font used for the "Select your kart" text is nearly identical to that used in some Mario game logos. In the movie's credits, at one point the characters (now shown in 8-bit form) move around collecting floating medals, recalling coin-filled rooms in classic Mario platformers, and in another scene, they exit an area via a large grey Warp Pipe-like structure.
In a scene set in the Game Central Station in the movie, two characters that slightly resemble Rosalina and Daisy can be seen in the background.
In an interview, director Rich Moore stated that if a sequel to Wreck-It Ralph gets produced, he intends to give Mario an actual role.[2] Contrary to popular belief, Mario's non-appearance in the film was not due to a high licensing fee laid down by Nintendo, but because the producers could not find a way to work Mario into the story, deeming him too important to have only a cameo.
The Wrong Ferarri, A Screwball Tragedy
In a scene early on Adam, after a successful audition for "Nintendo Records", is informed personally by Mario and Luigi that he will be taking Mario's place in the Mario series as "Awesome Adam". Throughout the remainder of the movie, Mario motifs such as Mushrooms and ? Blocks are used to represent the subplot exploring Adam's life as a videogame character.
Yogi Bear
During the credits, there is an animated segment which depicts silhouettes of Yogi, Boo Boo and Ranger Smith running around in a Super Mario Bros.-inspired setting.
References
- ^ TheWhoNew's Channel. (April 6, 2011). Chun Li and Vega go on a date in Super Mario World and discuss AIDS. YouTube. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ Clevver Movies. (December 7, 2012). Mario To Appear In 'Wreck-It Ralph' Sequel. YouTube. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
