Charlie Day Praised for ‘Luigi’ Voice, Chris Pratt Slammed as ‘Super Mario’
Luigi #Luigi
The full-length trailer for the upcoming The Super Mario Bros. Movie dropped Tuesday, and fans are praising It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Charlie Day’s performance as Luigi, but are still skeptical of Chris Pratt’s take on Mario.
The trailer, which can be seen above, gives fans a closer look at the new film, as well as letting fans hear more of the voices. The initial teaser trailer focused on Jack Black’s performance as Bowser, only giving brief glimpses at Keegan-Michael Key’s Toad and Pratt’s Mario from the main cast. In the new trailer, Day’s take on Luigi is revealed, as is Anya Taylor-Joy’s version of Princess Peach—and even a brief look at Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong.
While many of the minor roles are taken by veteran voice actors—like Khary Payton taking the role of the Penguin King and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, both seen in the original teaser—the casting of Pratt as Mario has been criticized since it was announced. Fans initially balked at Mario’s voice not being portrayed by Charles Martinet, who has voiced the character in games since 1992. Once the teaser came out, fans again criticized Pratt for not taking on an Italian accent for the character.
Last year, Super Mario Bros. Movie producer Chris Meledandri called Pratt’s performance “phenomenal,” adding that Day’s casting was a “nod” to the Mario Brothers’ heritage.
“Well, as an Italian American myself, I understand. You know, I understand the comments. Charlie Day, who’s playing Luigi, actually comes from Italian heritage,” Meledandri said.
Day’s performance was widely praised by fans, with his name hitting the Top 3 trending topics on Twitter’s “Entertainment” tab.
“Not surprising at all, but Charlie Day playing Luigi is so damn good lol,” animator @CircleToonsHD wrote.
“Hard confirmation that Charlie Day as Luigi is an 11/10 casting decision. GOD he’s so perfect for the role,” voice actor Trent Martin tweeted.
“BROOOOO!! Charlie day’s Luigi sounds phenomenal!!!” Luigi cosplayer @LmanTV wrote, with an image of the film’s version of the character.
Newsweek reached out to Day’s representatives for comment.
Some fans’ impression of Pratt’s take on Mario was less rosy, however.
“Once again, absolutely everything looked/sounded amazing. EXCEPT Mario. That ‘Wahoo’ deflated me at the very end of an otherwise powerhouse showcase of easter eggs and creative re-imaginings. No, I’m not just being a hater. So many chances to surprise us, and none of them did,” Boruto and God of War: Ragnarok voice actor Sean Chiplock tweeted.
“chris pratt’s mario seems even worse next to charlie day’s luigi like charlie don’t sound nothing like the game but he got the vibe down,” @paulswhtn tweeted, along with a GIF from Euphoria.
Though some fans were critical of Pratt’s performance, last year, he said it was a childhood dream of his to voice the character. In an Instagram video, he shared his story.
“So as a kid I lived in Lake Stevens, Washington, and there’s this coin-operated laundromat near my house and it had Super Mario Bros., the original arcade game. Oh, I love that game!” Pratt said. “I never had a quarter… I’d either steal them from the wishing well… That’s wild. It just dawned on me right now—the quarter I stole out of the wishing well to play Super Mario Bros. has come true that I get to be the voice of Mario… I’m really excited to announce that I’m gonna be the voice of that video game that I dreamed about playing as a kid. Dreams come true.”
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is due out on April 7, 2023.
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