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Wish Photo: Disney It was probably inevitable that Marvel’s world-building virus would infect its Disney host. But it’s still startling to see how urgently the new Disney animated fairy tale Wish attempts to retcon 86 years of disparate animated features into something like a shared universe—one where Peter Pan,...

WishPhoto: Disney

It was probably inevitable that Marvel’s world-building virus would infect its Disney host. But it’s still startling to see how urgently the new Disney animated fairy tale Wish attempts to retcon 86 years of disparate animated features into something like a shared universe—one where Peter Pan,...

This article contains minor spoilers for "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."For decades, I've played Nintendo games. They weren't the only ones I enjoyed, of course. I've spent more hours than I like to calculate on darker games like "Ghosts of Tsushima," "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey" and "Valhalla." They're a blast, and they let me indulge in my history geek side. However, these aren't games I play to forget the world for a bit. They're very much rooted in the world, full of complex emotions and situations, moral questions about the decisions you make, and full of a lot of dismembering and brutal death. 

When I play a Nintendo game, specifically one set around Mario, Donkey Kong, or any of the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom, I'm not playing it to go deep into a world gone by or murder a whole lot of enemy fighters. I'm playing it to relax.

This post contains mild spoilers for "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."

"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" presented a rare opportunity for Nintendo, who usually keeps storytelling a low priority, to reacquaint us with the "Super Mario" characters we've grown up with and know very little about. That's why it's unfortunate that the animated film mostly maintains a break-neck speed throughout its 90-min runtime, explaining the bare minimum about the lore and the mechanics of this universe, much like the games themselves. However, if you pay attention and look in the right places, you'll find quite a significant amount of retcons and modifications to these characters' origin stories.

Surprisingly, the animated film opens not in the colorful and playful Mushroom Kingdom, but in an alternate reality version of Brooklyn, New York, where the titular brothers (played by Chris Pratt and Charlie Day) are pursuing a career as aspiring plumbers. Failing to meet his parent's expectations,...

"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" has finally hit theaters, and fans are getting a chance to hang with all their favorite Nintendo characters like Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen), Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), and Bowser (Jack Black). Mario, Peach, and Toad are off on an adventure to save Luigi from Bowser's clutches with the help of Donkey Kong and an army from his land. Bowser, on the other hand, is trying with all his might to get Peach to marry him. 

We journey through the Mushroom Kingdom, race a la "Mario Kart," and go through obstacle courses that make you feel like you're playing the game without having to constantly redo levels. (What? I love games. That doesn't mean I'm good at them.) However, one character stands out for me and perhaps for you as well. Even if you haven't seen the film yet,...

Illumination’s Super Mario Bros. Movie is making headlines for reasons other than Chris Pratt’s distracting portrayal of arguably the most iconic character in video games. According to a new promotion from McDonald’s, an upcoming Happy Meal toy line includes a surprise character not featured in trailers for the film. At least not yet. The character’s name is Lumalee, a cyan-colored Luma who appears in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Lumalees act as shops in the Mario Bros. universe, selling Life Mushrooms and 1-Up Mushrooms. Players can interact with various Lumas throughout Mario’s universe-spanning adventure.

In the upcoming McDonald’s Happy Meal promo for Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Movie, hungry customers can collect different toys related to characters from the film, including Mario with a Warp Pipe, a fire-breathing Bowser, a Luigi’s Mansion-style Luigi, floating Princess Peach, a barrel-throwing Donkey Kong, Mario Kart-style Mario,...

Back in the Switch’s inaugural year of 2017, most early adopters showed up for two massive titles: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. Both were major reinventions of their respective franchises and their one-two punch in the console’s launch year functioned as a mea culpa for Nintendo’s mishandling of the Wii U. In one year, the company had effectively launched two killer apps that were better than the majority of the games released over the course of an entire generation. But what else was there?...