The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Just Revealed Its Surprise Cameo
This galaxy is a little bigger than we thought.
One would think that the infamous failure of 1993’s Super Mario Bros. would have left the franchise untouched by Hollywood forever. But sometimes what doesn’t quite work in live-action works wonderfully in animation, as proved by 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Despite some mixed reviews from critics, it was a hit with fans and smashed through a brick ceiling to box-office success, yet another example of how successful our new age of video game adaptations is (just look at the increasing returns of each Sonic the Hedgehog film).
Now, Illumination and Nintendo are looking to continue that upward momentum with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, based on the highly acclaimed Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 games. Judging by trailers and first looks, it seems like the film is massively expanding the world of the first movie by introducing characters from the wider Mario universe, including Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr., Donald Glover as Yoshi, and Brie Larson as Princess Rosalina. However, it was recently confirmed that another character is joining the movie, and this one isn’t known for the Mario games, but another beloved space-faring Nintendo property.
The captain of the Star Fox team himself.
Earlier today, Nintendo released a poster for the film confirming that none other than Fox McCloud, the main character of the Star Fox franchise, would appear in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Beginning in 1993 with the original Star Fox on SNES, the series spans eight games, most of which revolve around Fox and his team of dogfighting mercenaries as they try to thwart mad scientist Andross in his attempts to control the Lylat star system. In particular, Star Fox 64 is one of the most celebrated and iconic games of the Nintendo 64 era, and a fan-favorite highlight of the company’s long history.
During an interview with IGN last year, Star Fox creator and Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned an unspoken rule at Nintendo that aims to keep franchises within their own universes, save for the occasional Super Smash Bros. crossover. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie seems to be an exception, as Pikmin are also set to appear alongside Fox McCloud. With an animated adaptation of The Legend of Zelda on the horizon, it’s implausible but not impossible to imagine that Nintendo might be building to some kind of crossover event in the vein of their hugely popular company-wide fighting game installments, even if it might take convincing Mr. Miyamoto himself.
The odds of Fox referencing the “do a barrel roll” meme are good.
Considering just how big a character McCloud, there’s also a chance that his appearance in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie might lead to a spinoff of his own. An animated, family-friendly space epic seems like an easy win for everyone involved, especially one already based on such a recognizable IP. There’s no word on whether we’ll get an appearance from any of Fox’s crew, including General Pepper, Falco Lombardi, or Slippy Toad, which means those characters could be introduced in a Star Fox movie proper. Of course, all of this is just speculation – as of right now, the only thing fans can be sure of is that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is already gearing up to be a massive adventure.
