Game References/Homages

[oldskoolplayer86]

A few more. I should have written these down because I forgot to post these before.

- Even though its called a Mushroom Kingdom, "Dinohattan", as its referred to in other sources, is based off Super Mario World (Dinosaur World) with the reptilian society.

- The scene where Toad (as a Goomba) gives Luigi and Daisy the Devo guns, could this be a reference to Mario Bros. 3 where Toad aids the player with items in the mushroom houses?

[Redstar]

- I read that the flamethrowers act like the fire flower, but on Fryguy's page on Mariopedia, it reads this: In the Super Mario Bros. movie, the flamethrowers used by King Koopa and his minions are referred to as "Fryguy Flamethrowers".

I haven't seen/heard anything of them being referred to as Fryguy Flamethrowers, anyone know?

As posted by Zack on the first page, the flamethrowers are indicated to be "Fry Guy" Flamethrowers in a background shot, as seen here:

[oldskoolplayer86]

Ah thanks, I see it now. I never bothered to read the rest of the sign cause of the smaller font. Seeing Fryguy was good enough for me heh.

I guess we can scratch off the fire flower now lol.

[Redstar]

The flamethrowers could easily have been inspired by the Fire Flowers (or the ability to throw fire in the games in general) while only being named for the Fry Guys. After all, Daisy is Toadstool with Daisy's name and the Goombas are Goombas, Koopas, and more, but all labeled "Goomba."

[Guest]

Thinking back on what i said about the Koopa Troopas in the movie, they may not be the Troopas at all, there was another snake like enemy in the games....

....the snakes from SMB2

[1upmushroom]

Their heads look more a like do they? Interesting observation, well spotted but we also made a guess that snake goombas were like snake enemies.

[oldskoolplayer86]

One other reference I noticed.

During the scene where Koopa finds out Lena has the rock, at the start of the scene as he is turning in his chair you can hear the flagpole sound effect. (If its not its very similar).

[Mono41]

Here's something I posted in a different thread, but I figured people might find it better if I put it here:

* My cousin noticed that when Mario falls into the rock, he changes colors on his way to Dinohattan, kinda like when Mario gets a Starman power-up.

[Star Ma'am]

Lena could be the Koopalings' mother who is never mentioned in the games

The lady with the egg in the pram could be a Birdo (the egg-spitting miniboss from SMB2)

[Mario86]

-Some people think 'Somewhere My Love' (or 'The Dancing Goombas' Song', as I affectionately call it for obvious reasons) was added in because the tune sounds very similar to the underwater theme from the original Super Mario Bros.

I've always thought this--I'm surprised someone else made that connection. While I'm not sure if this song had a deliberate connection to the original SMB underwater theme, it's a compelling coincidence at the very least. I've always wanted to make a video mishmashing the elevator theme and the SMB underwater theme.

I noticed that coincidence the first time I watched the movie at 8 ... coincidence, really? I think not.

By the way, I've just read the whole topic, and thanks to everyone for pointing out so many disturbing coincidences and cute details related to the Super Mario video games series

[Redstar]

By the way, I've just read the whole topic, and thanks to everyone for pointing out so many disturbing coincidences and cute details related to the Super Mario video games series

That's what this topic is for! Both because it's fun picking out all these little references to the games and also because a lot of people don't realize just how much of "Mario" is in the movie. They really tried their best to fit in what they could, and it shows.

Here's a reference that both oldskoolplayer and myself noticed: right after Mario tosses the de-evolved mushroom at Koopa he grows slightly as they both dissolve back into Dinohattan. xD

[Star Ma'am]

Just the other day, I realised Lena could have been named after Lina (one of the player characters from Dokidoki Panic, the original version of SMB2)...

By the way, mum and I watched the movie today. Nice little 'get-well gift' after my right leg went weak yet again (I bust it at age 17, I did have a metal rod inserted but it still goes weak sometimes, I even twisted the ankle once) - and I bumped my eye, now I've half a black eye and a bruised and swollen cheek. The cheek still hurts so I need to be careful rubbing it and smiling on the right side - so when mum and I watched the movie, obviously I had to take care especially when the Goomba elevator scene came on LOL

[Redstar]

Just the other day, I realised Lena could have been named after Lina (one of the player characters from Dokidoki Panic, the original version of SMB2)...

You know, that actually sounds somewhat possible.

[1upmushroom]

Hey no one brought this up.

-In the Bowser levels of the games, notice how they are all dark, moody, and morbid. Well isn't that how Dinohatten is like? Which is ruled by Koopa making it Dinohatten his world?

[Prime Evil]

Hey no one brought this up.

-In the Bowser levels of the games, notice how they are all dark, moody, and morbid. Well isn't that how Dinohatten is like? Which is ruled by Koopa making it Dinohatten his world?

...

*DOINK*

Suddenly it all makes sense.

[KoopaBro64]

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but, Lena is named after the character from "Doki Doki Panic" the game the American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was based off!



Lena was named after the pink character, "Lina"

[Mario500]

Early in the movie, the van used by the Mario Bros. passed a store named "Mr. Video III". "Mr. Video" was a name Shigeru Miyamoto considered for the character who we know today as Mario, according to an interview conducted a few years ago by Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo in Japan. Here is a link to the part of the interview in which this information was revealed:

http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol1_page2.jsp

[Redstar]

Early in the movie, the van used by the Mario Bros. passed a store named "Mr. Video III". "Mr. Video" was a name Shigeru Miyamoto considered for the character who we know today as Mario, according to an interview conducted a few years ago by Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo in Japan. Here is a link to the part of the interview in which this information was revealed:

http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol1_page2.jsp

Fascinating. I would have never caught that reference, nor do I think anyone else would have! That's just an incredibly obscure reference that I would be totally surprised was intentional.

[Guest]

Hey i just realized something guys.....

Birdo from SMB2 is in the movie! She's that chick with the egg "Get away from my baby!" Hell she even has the bow in her hair like Birdo.

[Serum]

Hey i just realized something guys.....

Birdo from SMB2 is in the movie! She's that chick with the egg "Get away from my baby!" Hell she even has the bow in her hair like Birdo.

Good catch. I don't think she even got a credit at the end of the movie, though.

[Prime Evil]

The lady with the egg in the pram could be a Birdo (the egg-spitting miniboss from SMB2)

"Egg-spitting?" Well...judging from her taste in clothing, I'd call that a big "yes."

And yes, that is code for something.

[Shotgunwaffles]

The lady with the egg in the pram could be a Birdo (the egg-spitting miniboss from SMB2)

"Egg-spitting?" Well...judging from her taste in clothing, I'd call that a big "yes."

And yes, that is code for something.

Lol i see what you did there.

[Serum]

Early in the movie, the van used by the Mario Bros. passed a store named "Mr. Video III". "Mr. Video" was a name Shigeru Miyamoto considered for the character who we know today as Mario, according to an interview conducted a few years ago by Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo in Japan. Here is a link to the part of the interview in which this information was revealed:

http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol1_page2.jsp

Fascinating. I would have never caught that reference, nor do I think anyone else would have! That's just an incredibly obscure reference that I would be totally surprised was intentional.

I've often seen that "Mister Video III" store in that scene and always thought it was just a real store in downtown Wilmington or Brooklyn. That is indeed a good catch.

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

A thought just occurred to me...

Had the movie been more successful, I wonder if they'd have called the location it was shot "Mario's Cement Factory."

...can we call it that, anyway?

[Phlibbit]

Wow, I can't believe I never picked up on that before. Stuff like the "Mr. Video" store and this sly coincidence adds that much more fun trivia to an already nuanced experience

[MrGoomba909]

I just noticed this yesterday while re-watching the movie, during the scene at the boom boom bar, at one point there is a screen in the background with growing/shrinking bowser cave heads from Super mario world-


Attatched file has

[Mario500]

I've often seen that "Mister Video III" store in that scene and always thought it was just a real store in downtown Wilmington or Brooklyn. That is indeed a good catch.

It is a real video store in Brooklyn, New York. You may see it from Google Maps by selecting the link below.

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=zhD&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&gs_upl=1892l4684l1l4950l14l13l1l0l0l0l335l2522l0.7.5.1l14l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1152&bih=680&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Mr.+Video+III+in+Brooklyn&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Mr.+Video+III&hnear=0x89c24416947c2109:0x82765c7404007886,Brooklyn,+NY&cid=12826319676735772166

According to Hiroshi Imanishi, a former director and general manager of the corporate communications division at Nintendo in Japan, before the name Mr. Video was considered for the main character in Donkey Kong, the character was called "Ossan", which means "middle-aged guy". The information was revealed in another interview conducted by Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo in Japan. Here is a link to the part of the interview with the information:

http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/mario25th/vol2_page4.jsp

[Prime Evil]

RE: Mr. Video III

Coincidence, or knowing homage? On the one hand, it seems like a coincidence, but consider that *that* road was used when they could have shot just anywhere...

[Serum]

RE: Mr. Video III

Coincidence, or knowing homage? On the one hand, it seems like a coincidence, but consider that *that* road was used when they could have shot just anywhere...

No, I'm fairly certain that's a knowing homage. You don't just call a video-store something like that, and have the sign lined up three times in a row as a coincidence.

[Redstar]

RE: Mr. Video III

Coincidence, or knowing homage? On the one hand, it seems like a coincidence, but consider that *that* road was used when they could have shot just anywhere...

The production had lists upon lists of nothing but references to the games and ways to translate them into the film. The directors referred to them extensively while the art/production design teams went so far as to design and build them.

So, yes: I'd say this is a knowing homage.

[Tailikku]

While this kinda cheats a bit, I have made some other connections to the movie from the games.

-First, in the Paper Mario titles, the Bob-ombs have a design similar to the one that Mario uses to send Koopa flying into that bucket: they have a fuse, a nozzle as well as a key for winding it up.

-The Ice Slide scene mat have inspired "Bobsled Run" in the first two Mario Party titles as well as the Penguin Slide in Super Mario 64 and its DS remake, and possibly even the slide in Crystal Caves in DK64.

-It's a bit of a stretch, but in Mario & Luigi on the GBA, when getting your pictures taken, it's possible to have the bros in a "shocked" pose similar to the wanted posters.

-Drawing upon the original script (which had Koopa as the Bowser we all know and love), Big Eddie's last name is Delpino, one letter off of Delphino, the main setting of Mario Sunshine. Eddie is also part of the mafia, which also shows up as the Pianta Syndicate in Paper Mario 2.

-One thing that is interesting is that Scapelli's goons may have been an influence on Wario and Waluigi, as they are the rivals of the Mario Bros. and are possibly bad at plumbing considering that they're only in it for the moola, whether or not it was gained legitimately.

[Guest]

All of you guys missed another obvious one. When Mario starts up the cop car he yells "Lets hit the bricks!", a clear refrence to Mario's ability to smash through brick walls in the games.

[Mama Luigi]

It's quite obvious I think a lot of people know this already, but I still think it's really cool and no one has mentioned it before.

The journey in Koopa's tower, and the final battle with Koopa at the end of the movie, clearly resemble the final battles & the last castle at the end of every Super Mario Bros game.

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

All of you guys missed another obvious one. When Mario starts up the cop car he yells "Lets hit the bricks!", a clear refrence to Mario's ability to smash through brick walls in the games.

Given it's an actual expression, I have to admit it never occurred to me.

While this kinda cheats a bit, I have made some other connections to the movie from the games.

-First, in the Paper Mario titles, the Bob-ombs have a design similar to the one that Mario uses to send Koopa flying into that bucket: they have a fuse, a nozzle as well as a key for winding it up.

Bob-ombs have looked like that since Super Mario Bros. 3, though. Heck, the candy toy I used as a prop for my costume even has the same basic look to it.

[Serum]

I swear there's a scene where you can see Koopa's personal maintenance men outside his window overlooking the slums-- they're dressed in what would later become Mario and Luigi's jumpsuits. I'll try to get a picture of it...

[Guest]

I think i just figured something out about this movie, you know how in the older games it starts out easy and then gradualy gets harder and harder as you progress through the levels? The way the tone of the movie goes from a kiddie/light hearted tone to a dark and edgier tone may be a play on that factor of the games,

[1upmushroom]

Serum already mentioned this in another thread but I thought I'd post it here as well.

The reason why the Goombas are so tall in this movie is a reference/joke on the fact that when normal sized, the Mario's are just as tall or even shorter than the Goombas.

[The Doc]

This is likely nothing more than a mere coincidence.

In the very first Mario Bros game, there were enemies called Slipices, a sort of Ice Man that if left unattended, will make the level it comes to rest on slippery. Coulde the Ice Slide scene be inspired from them? Most likely? No. Still...

Now THIS is definately just a co-incidence. It was said much of the movie was filmed in a cement factory. Well here is a VERY compelling and amusing co-incidence.

http://www.mariowiki.com/Mario's_Cement_Factory

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

I think we brought up the cement factory thing, though I think that was in another thread about the factory itself...

[Redstar]

The cement factory is a good parallel, but certainly not an intended reference or homage.