Feature: 12 Details You Might Have Missed In The Mario Galaxy Movie Trailer

Nintendo has disclosed our initial substantial glance at The Super Mario Galaxy Film, featuring a teaser that runs for 2:25. No, that isn’t quite long, but it’s packed with numerous intricacies.

To ensure you noticed all the subtle nuances, we’ve curated the following overview of every charming detail, reference, and homage we observed in the initial ‘Mario Film 2’ teaser. So, prepare your fine-tooth combs, and let’s dissect this gem frame by frame…

The Super Mario Galaxy Film Teaser

Before we immerse ourselves, here’s the teaser in its full splendor if you’d like to get up to speed:

All set? Let’s pull out the ‘captures’…

All You Missed In The Super Mario Galaxy Film Teaser

We’ll progress through the teaser in chronological order, starting with adorable Bowser in his charming castle…

Mario X The Scream

A quirky detail to kick things off. Bowser appears to be a bit of a proto-expressionism enthusiast, as his artwork of a particularly gaunt Mario bears a striking resemblance to Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream‘.

It also looks somewhat akin to the ‘astounded Mario’ pose in the initial film’s plumbing advertisement, but we prefer to believe that Bowser appreciates the classics.

Koopa Clown Car

We may not have a glimpse of the film version, but one of Bowser’s background artworks indicates that Bowser Jr.’s iconic Koopa Clown Car exists in the Mario Film universe. Just observe how delighted the little one is in his airborne vehicle!

Launch Stars

In the teaser, we witness Peach and Toad venture into space using a Launch Star — the mode of transportation anyone who has experienced either of the Galaxy games is most likely familiar with.

“Onward and upward,” right? Oops, wrong title!

Drip Drop Galaxy

Now, we can’t be entirely certain, but the Blooper-infested underwater region that we see Peach and Toad traverse resembles the ‘Drip Drop Galaxy’ from Mario’s inaugural intergalactic Wii adventure. There seems to be an additional floating palm tree island on the surface of the water, but the sandy core and spherical form immediately brought the ‘Giant Eel Outbreak’ mission to mind.

Additionally, there’s a doughnut-shaped planet in the backdrop that vaguely resembles one of the platforms in ‘Gusty Garden Galaxy’, though we’re less convinced regarding that one.

Tostarena Sticker

It’s not solely settings from the Galaxy games that will appear in the film, however. We also catch a glimpse of Mario Odyssey‘s Tostarena, complete with its inverted pyramids and sand dunes.

If you pay close attention during one shot, you’ll even notice that Luigi’s bicycle is adorned with a Tostarena sticker, akin to the one obtainable from the planet’s Crazy Cap store.

Ninji’s Return

Ninji has experienced a revival in recent years, following appearances in Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Mario Party Jamboree, and it appears the cameos will continue in the Galaxy film.

Here, we see several Ninjis getting their buttons pushed in by Princess Peach, which is… more violent-sounding than we intended it to convey.

A Massive Casino

That very Ninji encounter takes place in what seems to be a massive casino cube, outfitted with numerous slot machines adorning the walls and a gigantic roulette wheel on the floor.

Whether it’s a nod to the Luigi’s Casino minigames in Super Mario 64 DS and New Super Mario Bros., or the Casino Delfino from Super Mario Sunshine, it looks like a fantastic set piece.

Wonder Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr. makes his entrance and immediately adopts a resemblance to his Wonder form from Mario Wonder. This seems to derive from a mystical paintbrush a la Mario Sunshine (note how it’s embellished with Bowser Jr’s face this time, not E. Gadd’s) rather than a Wonder Flower, but there’s no denying that purple skin, green hair, and neon face mask fit the description.

Rosalina’s Ice Realm

We’re not completely certain where Rosalina is located at the conclusion of the first teaser, but those structures in the backdrop look markedly similar to those found in the ‘Rosalina’s Ice World’ track from Mario Kart 7, or, at a stretch, ‘Starview Peak’ from Mario Kart World.

The terrain doesn’t appear frosty enough to suggest Illumination has fully embraced this inspiration, but at least the central tower with its magical floating rings seems to have made the cut.

Megaleg

Just in case the enormous robot facing off against Rosalina didn’t jog any memories, that’s Megaleg, a mechanized boss from Mario Galaxy.

In the video game, the boss is under Bowser Jr.’s command, and based on the gentle Safdie tones emitted from it in the teaser, we suspect the same is true for the film adaptation.

Baby Luma

We’re leaping ahead to the additional snippet of footage from the complete movie Direct here, but look at that tiny Baby Luma listening intently to Rosalina’s tale! It even has a little pacifier!

Goodness, those plush figures are going to sell like hotcakes…

Paper Mario Storybook

And finally, Rosalina’s storybook itself. Unlike the storybook from the Galaxy titles, the visuals here possess a certain paper-like charm. It’s almost as though some animators at Illumination have experienced a Paper Mario game or two, right?

Oh, ohhhh, what if the storybook segments of the film are animated in a stop-motion papercraft style! Perhaps a bit too ambitious, but we can hope.

What’s your favorite concealed detail from the initial Mario Galaxy teaser? Are there any others that we might have overlooked? Share your thoughts in the comments.