Set Design Contents

 


 

The following pages categorize and archive the development of the various props featured within the film.

Each one is different and went through a constantly evolving design process, which makes this even more intriguing

to see how each item came to it's final form.

Brooklyn Sets - Dinohatten Sets - Prison Sets - Koopa Tower Sets

BROOKLYN SETS

EXTERIOR SETS
Dig Site Tunnel
The gateway between the dimensions. This tunnel later becomes part of th excavation site Daisy is working on, until Scapelli tries to flood it and the Koopa Cousins kidnap her.
Brooklyn Streets 1971
The movie opens in these streets, as Princess Daisy's mother runs from Koopa to deliver her baby to the church.
Small Deli Shop
The shop which Mario enters to get tap water, and is forced to buy a bottle of Evian to repair the van. Luigi and Daisy also walk past this shop on the walk to the dig site after the restaurant meal.
Construction Site
The dig site Daisy works at when she finds the dinosaur bones. This is also the location of Koopa and Mario's showdown on Earth, when Scapelli is transformed into an ape with the devo gun.
INTERIOR SETS
Church Interior
Seen briefly in the opening sequence. The egg hatches in front of these nuns to reveal the baby Daisy.
Mario Bros Apartment
Seen in the opening and the ending, the Mario Bros apartment is littered with family memorabilia, including three plungers mounted like samurai swords on the wall.
Riverfront Cafe
Deleted from the movie, the sets of the Riverfront Cafe were filmed, as we have photographic evidence of this, but ultimately dropped to get the Bros to meet Daisy quicker.
Napoli Restaurant
The restaurant which the Mario Bros take Daisy and Daniella out for a date. This is known as Napoli Restaurant (Not the famously deleted Riverfront Cafe) because of the signage outside when Mario and Daniella leave, proving this is not the same restaurant as the deleted scene.


DINOHATTEN SETS

"EXTERIOR" SETS
Koopa Square
When the Mario Bros enter Dinohatten, Koopa Square is the dystopia they wind up in. Full of bright neon lights and underworld sci-fi design, Koopa Square reveals a vast number of references to the video games.
Lizard Lounge Bridge
Seen briefly when the Mario Bros escape the Boom Boom Bar, they utilise this bridge to jump into a sludge-gulper and break into Koopa's Tower.
Prison Car Park
Where the Mario Bros are delivered to Koopa and eventually escape to steal a police car.
T-Rex Lane
Named on the Police Satnav, this small area the brothers drive through passes the Rexx sign and includes lots of old, metal scaffolding.
Great Koopa Boulevard
The Mario Bros go West down Great Koopa Boulevard (As shown by their satnav) as they try to escape the cops and head towards the main highway.
Koopa River Parkway
Although not the name of this location necessarily, this junction nevertheless gives the Mario Bros two choices of travel, and they decide to head for the Koopahari Desert instead. There is also a white car with a green shell attached in this scene.
Koopahari Desert
The Koopahari Desert is the vast wasteland the Mario Bros find themselves lost in after they crash. They manage to capture Iggy and Spike and convince them to take them back into Dinohatten from here.
Snifit Quarry
This area is the toxic dumping ground of Dinohatten. The Mario Bros team up with Iggy and Spike to hijack a Sludge-Gulper (Garbage Truck) and use it to sneak back into the city.
City Limits
This briefly shown area is the city limits to Dinohatte, with a road leading to the Snifit Quarry. It's interesting to see the city just stop on the edge of a cliff-face so suddenly.
INTERIOR SETS
Boom Boom Bar
The dancing club of Dinohatten, where the Mario Bros must get the necklace off of Big Bertha. This had an extended sequence cut of Iggy and Spike rapping Koopa's overthrow.
Hammer Bros Tattoos
While we never go inside Hammer Bros' Tattoos, it is one of the only places in Dinohatten with open windows - as such we see lots of the interior when Mario and the Brooklyn Girls fly out of the frozen pipe. It includes a yellow neon sign saying Jarvis.


PRISON SETS

INTERIOR SETS
Reception Desk
The reception desk sequence is one of the film's most "Love it or hate it" moments, with the reveal of Mario's full name - Mario Mario. It isn't long before Simon carts them down to the Fungus Squad.
Defungus
The segment where Mario and Luigi must have the fungus blasted off of themselves by what appear to be Shy Guys. This is to prevent any contamination to Koopa when he later meets them as their lawyer.
Photo Booth - Line Up
Koopa's idea of flash-photography is evidently more aggressive than ours, with tripod-mounted camera-guns provided by Kodak.
Cell Blocks
The cell block where the Mario Bros were forced to serve time for being Plumbers (Koopa having them arrested in the belief that they still had "The Rock").
Interrogation Room
The Interrogation Room that Koopa uses to try and trick the Mario Bros into handing over the crystal. When Luigi makes it clear that they don't know what he's talking about, Koopa gets violent as takes it out on Luigi's eyes.
Devo Chamber
The core chamber for de-evolving rebellious citizens into soldiers of his own Goomba Army, Koopa uses this to deliver his life-or-death ultimatum to the Mario Bros. This location includes one of the most highly debated deleted scenes of the movie.
Maintenance Corridor
The main corridor between the devo chamber and the main police station, Mario and Luigi use it in their bid to escape Koopa's malevolent death threats.
Offices
Presumably working areas for the Police, the Mario Bros use the back door to get to the car park.


KOOPA TOWER SETS

INTERIOR SETS
Koopa's Office
One of the film's most fan-loved props - the Thwomp Stompers were the film's way of allowing the Super Mario Bros to jump as high as was shown in the video games.
Hostage Quarters
A core prop for the movie, this meteorite piece was worn as a necklace by Daisy until she was kidnapped. Luigi brought it with him to Dinohatten where it was promptly stolen by Big Bertha.
Koopa's Bath
One of the film's most fan-loved props - the Thwomp Stompers were the film's way of allowing the Super Mario Bros to jump as high as was shown in the video games.
Lena's Old Office
The room Daisy was kept in after she was given her mother's old dress. Lena briefly visits her after she's put the dress on and reveals the room's history, later coming in to assassinate the Princess. This scene also shows us lots of Koopa branded towels.
Tower Heating System
The lower-floors include surprisingly easy access to the Tower's plumbing mechanisms. The Mario Bros use their trade knowledge to help them slow down Koopa by freezing his headquarters.
Tower Elevator
The scene where the Mario Bros infamously manage to escape the Goombas by making them dance to Somewhere My Love by Frank Yankovic - which also sounds like the Underwater theme from the games.
Koopa Tower Corridor
The corridors to Koopa Tower are seen throughout the film at different areas, and saw action from Toad Goomba on fire, Luigi and Daisy's capture and Mario's search for the Brooklyn girls.
Devo 4
Devo 4 is the chamber Koopa kept the de-evolved King Bowser in. With a throne placed beneath the large moving slime-ball as a mockery. We only see 2 devo chambers, the un-numbered one Toad is turned into a Goomba in, and Devo 4 where the King is held.
Ventilation Shaft Trampoline
This deep shaft was where Mario almost fell to his death by trusting Luigi's judgement. Having leapt and apparently flying, Luigi realises he's actually hanging on a hook, and Maio plummets to his certain doom until the fungus saves him, trampolining him back to his brother to continue their mission.
Devo Corridor
The only footage in the final print of this area is just after Mario enters the frozen pipe with the Brooklyn women, and it is full of Goombas. However we know this corridor leads to the Devo Chamber because of storyboards and footage of Koopa's walk from Deleted Scenes.
Frozen Pipe
This frozen pipe is the way that Mario manages to get the Brooklyn Girls out of Koopa's Tower. Having stolen a Goomba's mattress, Mario and the ladies go for a wild ride down the pipe and out into the savage streets of Koopa Square.