"This Ain't No Game": Original Super Mario Bros. Trailer Restored in 4K
Written by: Ryan Hoss
October 10, 2017
"This Ain't No Game" trailer from Super Mario Bros., presented in 4K
Our 4K restoration initiative is kicking into high gear! Hot off the heels of our restoration of "The Power" trailer from the Super Mario Bros. movie comes our newest addition to the archive: the "This Ain't No Game" trailer is now available to watch in 4K resolution!
This trailer--full of never-before-seen footage--has been released online, presented exclusively by The Super Mario Bros. The Movie Archive website. The original 35mm trailer was in the personal collection of webmaster Ryan Hoss (who commissioned a 4K scan through Raleigh's A/V Geeks), and SMB Archive's Rory Joscelyne performed color and white balance restoration through his Reset Media Productions studio.
The recorded VHS source (left) compared to the newly-restored 4K trailer scan (right)
Much like "The Power" trailer that has been restored previously, "This Ain't No Game" is presented in the "open matte" style, giving fans a look at footage from the film that has never been seen before. One of the most popular shots from this trailer has always been the infamous "Koopa in the Rain" shot--part of an extended introduction scene that got pared down in the editing room. The new higher-resolution clarity in the trailer also provides new looks at the city of Dinohattan as well as a scene with Daisy and Yoshi.
Until now, the highest quality of this trailer we've seen has come from old VHS tapes from when the trailer was shown on E! back in 1993. When compared side-by-side, the clarity of the newly-restored images is striking. Based on its brevity and conservative number of shots shown, it is believed that this was the first teaser trailer shown in theaters. With this new transfer, this seems to be the case; there is a never-before-seen "Coming This Summer" tag at the end of the trailer, and there are no official credits listed (as opposed to the other trailers we've seen).
The "This Ain't No Game" trailer is an important part of the film's marketing and a fan-favorite due to its use of alternate and unused footage. It is the SMB Archive's hope to continue the 4K scans of other materials and build the additional footage into an extended cut of the film.
All footage and film rights copyright Buena Vista.
4K Negative Scan Commissioned by Ryan Hoss via A/V Geeks.
Color/White Balance restoration by Reset Media Productions.