Critical reception to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was largely negative, and that came as a very big surprise to producer and Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. The second Super Mario movie was released at the start of April, adding several new characters from the games, including Rosalina, Yoshi, and Birdo. Though inspired by the Super Mario Galaxy games, the movie includes elements from Super Mario Bros. 2, Yoshi’s Island, and several other Nintendo titles.
Despite negative reviews, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has been a hit with fans. Mario’s second animated film is also the highest-grossing movie of 2026 to date. Nintendo was once hesitant to embrace adaptations of its games, but the company has pivoted over the last few years. Shigeru Miyamoto has been closely involved with the films, helping to ensure more faithfulness to the source material.
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Miyamoto Reacts to Negative Super Mario Galaxy Movie Reviews
In an interview with the Japanese media (translated by Video Games Chronicle), Shigeru Miyamoto shared his surprise at the negative reviews for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Critical reception to the first Mario movie was very negative, and Miyamoto says that he understood some of the critiques. Nintendo and Illumination sought to address some of the criticism, only to find that reviews for the second movie were more negative than the first.
“Actually, regarding the previous film, I felt that the critics’ opinions did hold some validity. However, I thought things would be different this time around—only to find that the criticism is even harsher than it was before,” said Miyamoto.
“It really is quite baffling: here we are—having crossed over from a different field—working hard with the specific aim of helping to revitalize the film industry, yet the very people who ought to be championing that cause seem to be the ones taking a passive stance.”
Miyamoto clearly seems discouraged by the critical reception to the Mario movies, but it’s unlikely that Nintendo will choose to abandon the movie business like it famously did after the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie in 1993. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie sets up a major character for the next film, and there’s a Zelda live-action movie set to be released by Sony. Critics might not like Nintendo’s movies, but they’ve grossed a lot of money, while also leading to increased sales of older Super Mario games on Switch.
In addition to Super Mario and Zelda movies, it’s also possible Nintendo could seek to make spin-off films. Charlie Day wants a Luigi’s Mansion movie, and a Star Fox film seems likely following Glenn Powell’s role in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. On top of all that, fans have speculated that Illumination could be setting up a movie based on the Super Smash Bros. series. Several characters from the fighting games have now appeared on the big screen, and it’s not a stretch to imagine them all coming together in a manner similar to what’s been seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
There has often been a disconnect between how reviewers feel about a film, and how audiences receive it. Sometimes, both groups are on the same page; the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie has some fans, but critics and audiences generally hated it. At the end of the day, all reviews are subjective, and if Nintendo fans are enjoying what Illumination has done with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and its predecessor, no one should let it detract from their enjoyment. Miyamoto’s frustration is understandable, but the creator clearly has a vision for how to best bring Super Mario to new audiences.
- Release Date
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April 1, 2026
- Runtime
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98 Minutes
- Director
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Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc, Fabien Polack
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Anya Taylor-Joy
Princess Peach
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