Early concept art for Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie gives fans a look at the beloved Nintendo characters that didn’t make it into the final movie, including Princess Daisy, Birdo, and many more.
The previously unseen artwork appeared on the website of Jed Diffenderfer, a story developer and artist on the Super Mario Bros. Movie, before surfacing on social media sites like X/Twitter, where users such as @C_Lavanda shared the images for fans to feast their eyes on and call out the big-name character cameos.
— C Lavanda (@C_Lavanda) March 11, 2024
The eight images reveal some familiar scenes from the movie and a few unseen bits. Princess Daisy, a recurring character in the Super Mario franchise, appears in a Mushroom High prom scenario with Peach and Baby Bowser, and she also shows up in a slightly chaotic battle scene that is a real “who’s who” for the Mario fandom.
Warning: Spoiler for The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s post-credits scene below.
Other characters glimpsed in the images include Toadsworth, Toadette, and the fan-favourite Birdo. The artwork also shows Mario’s faithful dinosaur companion Yoshi, who will almost certainly play a part in The Super Mario Bros. Movie follow-up after the last film’s post-credits scene teaser dropped a polka-dot egg into the mix.
The first Super Mario Bros. Movie received high praise from critics for its colourful visuals, well-defined world, and overall faithfulness to the Mario franchise. IGN awarded the animated adventure an 8/10, calling it “a fireball of animated fantasy” that overcomes “a Paper Mario-thin plot with undeniable charm and energy.”
Nintendo and Illumination have since announced that a new Super Mario Bros. Movie is in development, but its currently unclear which characters might appear in the next movie as its not due out until April 2026.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
