Mario games have never been known for taking too long to beat, and it looks like The Super Mario Bros. Movie will follow that long-standing tradition. The animated film’s runtime will be pretty short for today’s movie standards, clocking in at just over an hour and a half long.
Regarding Super Mario's longest entries, even the more recent 3D games sit comfortably below 20 hours. Only a handful exceed 10 hours of playing time without accounting for extra content, proving Mario doesn’t need much time to make a point. In that sense, Nintendo's team-up with Illumination has shown in its trailers that the new Super Mario movie will pack several characters and locations that will feel familiar to fans without asking much from their tight schedules.
According to the Irish Film Classification Office, the Super Mario movie will clock in at 92 minutes and 17 seconds when it releases in April. This confirms the runtime suggested by prior leaks from certain cinema chains in other parts of the world. While animated feature films tend to be on the shorter side, even when compared to the family-friendly superhero blockbusters, this Super Mario Bros. adventure will be shorter than every movie nominated in the animation category at this year’s Oscars, except for Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (90 minutes).
The Super Mario movie stars a big cast that includes Princess Peach, Bowser, Toad, Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong, Penguin King, Kamek, Foreman Spike, Luigi, and Mario, meaning there’s a lot to cover in 92 minutes. However, Illumination's Minion: The Rise of Gru was 2022’s most successful animated movie at only 87 minutes long. So, fans shouldn’t be too scared of that compromising Mario's entertainment value.
Even if the shorter time would appear to fit Mario, the news will dent fan expectations for potential Super Mario Bros. cameos that have not been revealed in the teasers. After all, Mario's longtime voice actor, Charles Martinet, has an undisclosed role in the movie. Plus, with Lumas being included in the film’s McDonald's toys lineup, Rosalina almost looks like a guaranteed Super Mario Galaxy inclusion.
The latest Super Mario Bros. Movie teaser was a hilarious Super Bowl ad that led to a website promoting Mario and Luigi's plumbing services, exactly the type of reference Nintendo fans love to see ahead of one of gaming's biggest icons return to cinemas.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is scheduled to be released on April 7, 2023.
Source: Irish Film Classification Office