Super Mario Bros. Wonder devs explain how the movie influenced the game

Nintendo has explained how this year’s Super Mario Bros. Movie influenced the upcoming game Super Mario Wonder in ways fans may not expect.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an exciting step for the franchise. It’s the series’ first brand-new 2D side-scroller since 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. U. On top of that, it’s releasing in the shadow of The Super Mario Bros. Movie that was released earlier this year.

Wonder’s new style and more expressive character models have drawn comparisons to the film. This has led many fans to question if the developers specifically chose to make the characters look more like their film counterparts.

When asked about how the movie influenced Mario Wonder, the developers explained that, while it didn’t impact character design, the film was on their minds.

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Mario Wonder devs say character designs weren’t based on the movie, but it did influence the game

In an interview published on Nintendo’s website, several of Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s developers were asked about The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s influence on the game.

Art director Masanobu Sato revealed that the team “didn’t hear anything about the film’s content during development,” with only some senior members of the team in the loop.

Instead, the designers wanted to find a new way to bring 3D models to 2D Mario. The New Super Mario Bros. art style became the norm for 2D Mario following its 2006 introduction, but the devs wanted to “implement more engaging and functional ways of using 3D models in this 2D platformer.”

While the art style wasn’t impacted by the movie, producer Takashi Tezuka explained that it did have some influence on Mario Wonder’s development.

“During development, we didn’t know when the movie would be released, but we were sure some people would play the game because they watched the movie. This is why we were conscious of creating a game that wouldn’t disappoint them,” Tezuka said.

To accomplish this, Nintendo “dedicated ample budget and time to create the characters with even more care and attention and in greater detail.” Based on early reactions to Mario Wonder’s demo, character designs like Elephant Mario, and the new power-ups, this seems to have paid off

Though any resemblance between Mario Wonder’s new art style and that of the movie are coincidental, Nintendo clearly wanted to create something that returning fans and newcomers alike could enjoy.