This spring is going to be a big one for Super Mario Bros. fans. Three years after The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a massive box office hit, Chris Pratt and Charlie Day are returning to the screen as Mario and Luigi for the sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits theaters on April 1st. But while fans are excited to see the iconic video game characters light up the big screen again, there are some changes to Nintendo’s iconic Mario — and Pratt himself just explained one of the biggest.
Mario fans will find that one of the character’s iconic catchphrases, “mamma mia”,” is a big different in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and speaking with ScreenRant, Pratt explained that the reason it’s different in the movies than what fans might expect, it comes down to adapting it for his character’s origins as an Italian American guy from Brooklyn.
“A lot of getting hit, jumping, bouncing around, and things like that. There’s one sound… I don’t necessarily know if it would be an effort sounds, but it’s a line, which is — I’m not going to say it right now because I haven’t done all my vocal warmups. I don’t want to do it, but it’s ‘Mamma Mia,’” Pratt said when asked the most common “effort sound” that he has to do as Mario. “It’s ‘Mamma Mia.’ And when you hear that original version of the character, it’s in Italian. It’s like [high pitched] ‘Mamma Mia.’ And I’m like, ‘Why does it make sense for a guy who’s from Brooklyn who doesn’t have that accent to use that so much?’”
“So, it was always tough,” he continued. “They’re like, ‘It’s written as ‘Mamma Mia.’” But I’m like, if I’m expressing some reverence or some sense of, ‘Oh wow, Mamma Mia.’ But that’s not something necessarily a person says unless they’re doing the Italian accent. So, it’s always really hard to find how ‘Mamma Mia’ works.”
“I’ve always tried to vary. I think that’s maybe why they slowed it down to take some of the stink off it because I’m not sure I ever fully got it right, but it’s like ‘Maaaammaaa Miaaaa.’”
The “Mamma Mia” Line Change Makes Sense (Even if Fans May Not Like It)
While Pratt’s alteration of Mario’s iconic “Mamma Mia” line might be controversial for Mario fans, it’s one that makes sense. As Pratt noted, Mario is from Brooklyn so his delivery of the catchphrase would probably sound a bit different than the more expected and “traditional” version. Recognizing that adds a bit of depth to the movie version of the character and an additional layer of character creation. That said, Pratt’s voice performance as Mario is something that fans and some critics alike didn’t love with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with some having questions about what accent Pratt was going for since it didn’t necessarily feel very “Brooklyn” either.
With The Super Mario Galaxy Movie being Pratt’s second time voicing Mario, it will be interesting to see how — and if — he has further developed his vocal approach to the iconic character as well as if there will be other phrases that are familiar to fans of the beloved Nintendo game will notice in the upcoming movie. Fans will get to find out when the movie arrives on April 1st.
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