Super Mario Bros. Movie Trailer Has Mario Kart Easter Egg

The latest trailer for The Super Mario Bros. Movie shows a whole lot more than the first one. Not only do we hear additional dialogue from Chris Pratt voicing Mario, but there are also lines from principal characters, like Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach and Charlie Day as Luigi. But, the Mario Kart reference at the end is what piqued the interest of the Motor1.com team.

The first little nod to Mario Kart is at 1:02 in the trailer. Princess Peach walks toward the camera wearing an outfit that’s similar to the racing suit she can put on in games like Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8.

A sequence starting at 1:45 indicates that Mario Kart is going to play a bigger part in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Mario is driving his kart and floors the throttle. In the next shot, flames are shooting out of the exhausts, and the plumber is screaming. He launches off a ramp, and we see that he’s not alone. Peach is on her motorcycle. Toad is in a monster truck, and Donkey Kong has a rig with barrels that function as jet engines. 

When they land, we see the familiar color scheme from the Rainbow Road course. Plus, there are even more characters driving vehicles behind them. It’s not clear from the trailer whether Mario is racing them or if they are all just going to the same place.

As a final Easter Egg, Mario hops the kart, and it makes the iconic sound of when he jumps. He finishes things off by exclaiming “Wa-hoo.” Look closely to notice the blue sparks coming off the rear wheels, just like what would happen during a brief slide in the game.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie will come out on April 7, 2023, in the United States. Judging from the two trailers so far, it seems like the plot concerns Mario fighting Bowser, which makes sense given that is also the story of the games.

In addition to the Mario crew, characters from the Donkey Kong game universe are also in the movie. Seth Rogen voices Donkey Kong, and Fred Armisen is Cranky Kong.

This is a good time to look forward to car-focused movies. Steven Spielberg and Bradley Cooper are rebooting Bullitt. A Gran Turismo film is on the way. Plus, Adam Driver is starring as Enzo Ferrari in Michael Mann’s biopic about the automotive magnate.