Yoshi's Film/Game Portrayal

[Redstar]

I've read several reviews of the Super Mario Bros. movie that have criticized Yoshi for being a "miniature Tyrannosaurus rex" rather than being a cute dinosaur (in this case I think "cute" is subjective; movie Yoshi is pretty cute). For the longest time I never quite understood why people felt the need to specify that the movie Yoshi was a T-rex; surely the realistic, non-green and more predator-like Yoshi was reason enough? I always imagined Yoshi was a miniature T-rex/raptor/other predator-dinosaur.

It only occurred to me after reading the original fantasy script that perhaps this was a legitimate (yet nitpicky) concern for people. The original script refers to Yoshi as a sort of Brontosaurus, which really did confuse me as Brontos are quadrupedal herbivores. But after thinking about it for awhile I came to realize that Yoshi's original design (which is often overlooked or forgotten considering his more anthropomorphic current design) does bear some resemblance to a Brontosaurus, not to mention he has always been thematically more similar to an herbivore than a carnivore, at least in terms of design.

This being considered, I realized that the movie's adaptation of Yoshi is quite a change and one that I hadn't realized in 17 years. It seems as if the movie had influenced my perception of the character and what I believed it to be. I had always thought it was a miniature T-rex or raptor simply because the movie had impressed such an idea on me. Now, I'm curious: how do you all feel about this? What did you think Yoshi was inspired by and did the movie's depiction influence your perception of the character in any way?

[Phlibbit]

Here's the thing: Yoshi, in-game, is just as ambiguous in regards to species as any of the other SMB characters.

Mario and Luigi are human, of course. The Princess seems to be human, but it's kind of cool that this notion is contested in both the games and in the film.

One big reason why the writers went with the "Dinosaur World" concept with the film is probably because of Super Mario World. Dinosaurs were (and still are) fascinating characters, and it's the perfect "hook" for bringing the fantastical, other-worldly elements of the games into something believable on film that is also something the average moviegoer could understand upon their first viewing.

Based on those observations, it seems like the filmmakers were trying to cover all bases with the film, trying to appeal to a diverse selection of moviegoers. Unfortunately by doing this, they ended up alienating the kids that were fans of the games.

And although I knew about the Mario game series before the movie, I didn't really play the games until after I had seen the film--and that may be why I feel such a connection to the film.

I think that a lot of the people that cry fowl on Yoshi's design are the same kind of people that complain about Luigi not having a mustache. I can see the Brontosaurus comparison in terms of being thematically similar.

However, the game Yoshi also does very un-herbivorous things like eating any enemy you want in addition to the fruits, etc.

The filmmakers probably went with making Yoshi a T-rex for a number of reasons. First, for Yoshi's original design, he's a small dinosaur with the small arms--that screams T-rex to me. And the T-rex is the most popular dinosaur. And the fact that he's a T-rex serves the film's story if you think about it--even though Koopa calls Yoshi a "throwback," why do you think he still keeps him around? That's right--because Koopa is of T-rex descent and he wouldn't want to get rid of Yoshi out of pride.

Yoshi also has the privilege of having one of the most blatant and identifiable game references/influences in the film with his tongue!

So in conclusion, the film's Yoshi has a lot more in common with the game character than people give it credit for. Just like a lot of the other characters from the film.

[billbot85]

Yoshi as a brontosaurus? Now that's something I never considered haha. I always considered Yoshi more like a T-rex, probably mostly because he was bipedal and did eat enemies. But, on the other hand he was like an advanced dinosaur, eating both berries and enemies, pirahnna plants, ect. so it was like he was his own kind of dinosaur.

As for the movie version of Yoshi, I first saw him on a t-shirt my buddy had promoting the movie. It had the same artwork as one of the pins I have seen on the merchandise thread, with him eating bricks that spelled his name. I thought he looked pretty awesome! He was realistic and looked like an actual T-Rex, one that could help the Mario Bros kick butt. Like the trailers, everything about the movie looked like it was on steroids, so why not make an awesome real looking Yoshi?

If they went with the fantasy script, I think Yoshi would have been more like a muppet or something, cute but you would know it wasn't real. Also if Mario did ride him, it would be like Luke riding the Tauntaun in Empire Strikes Back, only weirder-looking haha.

[Redstar]

Here's the thing: Yoshi, in-game, is just as ambiguous in regards to species as any of the other SMB characters.

True, of course. However, many of the characters in the game are inspired by both actual animals and mythological/folkloric creatures. I don't believe Yoshi truly "is" any one thing, but surely it was inspired by one or several dinosaur species.

One big reason why the writers went with the "Dinosaur World" concept with the film is probably because of Super Mario World. Dinosaurs were (and still are) fascinating characters, and it's the perfect "hook" for bringing the fantastical, other-worldly elements of the games into something believable on film that is also something the average moviegoer could understand upon their first viewing.

Exactly. Super Mario World and Dinosaur Land really showed the scope and variety in the Mushroom World. It's surprising how few people understand that Dinohattan is in essence Dinosaur Land... I've actually seen Mario fans argue that the movie failed by including dinosaurs because "there are no dinosaurs in the game other than Yoshi". I mean, really? Since when is Super Mario World an obscure game, and since when are any of the elements it introduced into the franchise obscure?

I think that a lot of the people that cry fowl on Yoshi's design are the same kind of people that complain about Luigi not having a mustache. I can see the Brontosaurus comparison in terms of being thematically similar.

Remember when I created that "Unofficial movie review" thread? It was like a drinking game for whenever someone brought up "Luigi has no mustache".

So in conclusion, the film's Yoshi has a lot more in common with the game character than people give it credit for. Just like a lot of the other characters from the film.

I think people just wanted to see Mario riding him and won't accept Yoshi as anything more than a mule. Hell, it would have been cool for Mario to ride a realistic T-rex in the movie... Think the original climactic fight against Koopa: Mario mounts the de-evolved Koopa and bull-rides him while Koopa frantically lashes his tongue around. Now, that would have been cool.

Yoshi as a brontosaurus? Now that's something I never considered haha. I always considered Yoshi more like a T-rex, probably mostly because he was bipedal and did eat enemies. But, on the other hand he was like an advanced dinosaur, eating both berries and enemies, pirahnna plants, ect. so it was like he was his own kind of dinosaur.

I think, if anything, Yoshi was inspired by a combination of species: the snout and herbivorous body of a brontosaurus or other herbivorous dinosaur, the stance and body type of a T-rex, and the tongue of an iguana. I think Yoshi is intended to be a unique and ambiguous entity.

If they went with the fantasy script, I think Yoshi would have been more like a muppet or something, cute but you would know it wasn't real. Also if Mario did ride him, it would be like Luke riding the Tauntaun in Empire Strikes Back, only weirder-looking haha.

I would like to see concept art for the fantasy-script Yoshi...


Now, realize I'm not saying Yoshi is any one thing; the point of this thread is to see if anyone else was influenced by the movie's depiction of Yoshi and whether they agree it's really an issue that he (somewhat) differs from the game's design.

[Prime Evil]

I think people just wanted to see Mario riding him and won't accept Yoshi as anything more than a mule. Hell, it would have been cool for Mario to ride a realistic T-rex in the movie... Think the original climactic fight against Koopa: Mario mounts the de-evolved Koopa and bull-rides him while Koopa frantically lashes his tongue around. Now, that would have been cool.

I'm trying to visualize that right now. Honestly, I think that would have been the surefire death-warrant for SMB, because there are only a few ways to do that right without jarring suspension of disbelief.

Then again, if you've so far accepted dinosaurs having fallen into a parallel world where they've developed de-evolving rayguns and boots that can jump really high, then I suppose Mario bull-riding Koopa isn't that much of a stretch. My point is, it would have to be done in a way that doesn't look comical.

[Redstar]

I admit I was thinking more along the lines of the Resident Evil Licker and modern CGI, so it would definitely have looked pretty terrible. Still, better than what we got as far as action. One thing that I prefer about the original script is that there were no de-evolution guns. Things were a lot more hands-on. I think that the de-evolution guns were introduced, ironically, to both cut down on physical contact/violence as well as to eliminate the need for a larger and more imposing Goomba army.

[Phlibbit]

Also, it seemed like de-evolution as a concept wasn't as well-defined or explored in the original script as well.

The old king wasn't explicitly stated as being Daisy's father.

You never saw someone being transformed straight into a Goomba.

And, as cool as the final T-Rex battle could've been, Koopa gets blown up after swallowing a Bob-omb instead of getting de-evolved.

That's something else I never could quite get my head around in the original sci-fi draft...it seems like Koopa gradually regressed throughout the film into a more and more reptilian form, but there are only a few places and they aren't highlighted very well.

[Redstar]

Yeah, a lot of things about the original sci-fi draft weren't well-defined. As you've said before, some things were expanded and definitely more interesting, but overall the script wasn't as solid as the final film.

[YoshiWrangler]

Yoshi is one of my favorite elements of the movie, a perfect example of a character from the games being translated into a more realistic yet reconizable form. He was also one of the few characters, besides the brothers themselves, who would have translated so well into live action. As much as I love the games Goombas, a litteral interpretation wouldn't have worked as well as the very unique creatures we got.

Back to Yoshi, while Mario riding a full grown Yoshi would have been cool, I always got the feeling that Yoshi was full grown. Think about it. Where in Dinohattan would a larger dinosaur live? I doubt there would be enough food in the desert for an animal that size. It also sounds like Yoshi has been a royal pet for some time.

[Redstar]

I do agree that the ecology of the planet wouldn't allow for very large dinosaurs, but Yoshi very easily could have gotten at least a little larger.

I'm very pleased that you enjoy the film's interpretation of Yoshi so much. I'm honestly surprised how many people dislike it considering how realistic it looks. Any more accurate to the games and it would have just looked like a giant iguana.

Have you seen him in our comic? We introduced one more element from the game's rendition while keeping the overall structure and appearance of the film's design.

[YoshiWrangler]

I've been greatly enjoying the comics, and do like your take on Yoshi. Are you saying the spines/frills grew in after the movie, or that he always looked like this, like Luigi & the king look different?

[Phlibbit]

Our take is that the ridges grew in between the ending of the film and the beginning of the comic while Luigi's appearance is an an actual redesign. The king, however, is based off of Lance Henriksen; only his clothing is different.

Yoshi will keep the same appearance throughout the rest of the story, although he will get a little bigger in the final chapters.