The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Most people think so. 84% of audiences gave it a thumbs up, by Google's archived audience score. Critics scored it lower at 52%, but audiences disagreed.

While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers—and brothers—Mario and Luigi are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi. Wikipedia ↗

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a 2023 American animated adventure comedy produced by Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Chris Pratt voices Mario, a Brooklyn plumber who is transported to a magical realm where he must team up with Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, and the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom to stop the tyrannical Bowser, voiced by Jack Black, from conquering the world using a powerful Super Star.

The film faithfully translated the beloved Nintendo video game franchise into animation, packing virtually every frame with references to four decades of Mario games — power-ups, enemies, sound effects, and iconic environments were recreated with loving detail that rewarded longtime fans while remaining accessible to newcomers. The animation quality, while not reaching Pixar's emotional depth, was vibrant, kinetic, and perfectly suited to the source material's cartoon aesthetic. The Super Mario Bros.

Movie earned $1.36 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time and the second highest-grossing animated film ever at the time of its release. The film's success validated Nintendo's cautious approach to film licensing following the disastrous 1993 live-action adaptation.