Uh Oh, The Mario Movie Has Changed Chris Pratt's Accent
Cue that Mario wail, you know, the one that goes "waaaaaaaaah" as he falls into the abyss. After some positive first reviews, it seems The Super Mario Bros. Movie is once again caught up in a row over Chris Pratt's voice.
The casting of the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World star was already a sticking point for some, but namely, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has found itself marred in controversy surrounding the portly plumber's Italian accent.
What's Going On With Chris Pratt's Mario Accent?
Basically giving us Emmet from The Lego Movie, our first listen to Pratt's Mario just sounded like the American actor. However, The Game Awards gave us another look at the 2023 movie and left fans confused.
Although it seems the team picked the scene with the least possible voice lines from Mario, eagle-eared fans have noticed a slight Italian list to Pratt's vocals.
Taking the things to the comments on the video and Twitter, one critic wrote, "I don't know how to say this nicely but what in the actual f**k is going on with Chris Pratt's Mario accent."
Another added, "He’s doing The Lego Movie again but doused in some basil and olive oil I guess. Should’ve been John Leguizamo," while a third groaned, "He's doing his Linda Belcher."
Not everyone hated it, though, as one person said, "Honestly Chris Pratt sounded better in this trailer than any of the others. I almost feel hopeful."
Someone else concluded, "Hearing his voice in more detail now, I can tell that Chris Pratt is using a hint of a Brooklyn accent for Mario's voice. Which makes sense, since Mario and Luigi are Italian plumbers stationed in Brooklyn."
Why Is Chris Pratt's Mario Accent A Big Deal?
The main issue is that we had a perfect Mario in the form of Charles Martinet - who's voiced the character since 1992. There have been plenty of calls for him to reprise the role, with Arkham's Tara Strong championing the idea.
As for Martinet, he will be honoured by a series of voice cameos. Fans think they found the first one in The Games Awards' trailer, with a Red Toad who owns the antique shop sounding suspiciously like him.
Supporters of Pratt will point out that Martinet is actually French, and that Bob Hoskins just used his standard voice when portraying Mario in 1993's Super Mario Bros. On the whole, The Super Mario Bros. movie is winning critics over... just not with Pratt's vocals.
Former Luigi actor John Leguizamo has called out The Super Mario Bros. Movie for a lack of diversity, while its producer has had to respond to claims Pratt's accent is "offensive" to some. Like or lump Pratt's accent, it sounds like we'll have to get used to it.
