It’s been almost an entire year since The Super Mario Bros. Movie first aired. The film was a massive hit, plus the presence of easter eggs and fun callbacks for big-time Nintendo fans is nice as well. All of the artists who worked on the project are undeniably extremely talented, and thanks to Megan and Travis Ruiz on Twitter, some early concept art for the movie has been revealed.
Concept designs for Mario Movie’s Brooklyn
Kicking things off with Mario & Luigi’s hometown of Brooklyn, Travis Ruiz shared a handful of interesting pieces. Starting with a collection of designs for the iconic duo’s bedroom that is absolutely jam-packed with small details many might not notice.
https://twitter.com/theartoftravis/status/1747331683345682536
The fan-favorite Punch-Out Pizzeria and the sewer tunnel entrance featuring bricks broken in the shape of Mario’s head also had their early designs shown off.
https://twitter.com/theartoftravis/status/1744421974745763960
https://twitter.com/theartoftravis/status/1747693826540790279
Wrapping up the section is the scene where Mario & Luigi discover the warp pipe, and a design for the Brooklyn 1-1 side-scroller sequence.
https://twitter.com/theartoftravis/status/1749474387362029712
https://twitter.com/theartoftravis/status/1747745199189577795
Concept designs for the Mario Movie’s Mushroom Kingdom
Moving away from Brooklyn and into the Mushroom Kingdom, Megan showed off plenty of nice designs that can be found here. Kicking things off is a painting depicting the scene of Baby Peach entering the Mushroom Kingdom for the first time, along with some additional sketches in the replies.
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1746979510711664960
What would the Mushroom Kingdom be without mushrooms? A handful of mushroom drawings were provided, and they’re quite neat. They really help to sell the “Mushroom” part of the Mushroom Kingdom.
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1748390031063187706
Going hand-in-hand with the mushrooms (kind of) comes plants. The Mushroom Kingdom is known for its beautiful scenery, and these topiaries and hedges capture that perfectly.
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1747052327570485592
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1747462870357725400
What’s the Mushroom Kingdom without anything involving Princess Peach? To finish off this section Megan shows off a handful of sketches of Peach’s garden. Additionally, there’s a couple of unused fountain designs that look amazing.
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1747463162075713928
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1747463739325227074
Everything Toad in The Super Mario Bros. Movie
From the Mushroom Kingdom to its residents, next up are the always-lovable Toads. Megan on Twitter posted an entire thread of Toad outfits, which really help capture the diverse lives these little guys live.
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1748790167727690050
Outfits weren’t all that were experimented with for the film early on however, as sketches of various Toad body types were also shared. While the final film only featured variation in outfit, it’s very interesting to know how different the Toads may have looked.
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1748153830095880300
Lastly for the Toad section is a series of very early scenes for Toad going shopping. While nothing crazy, we think it is nice to have a little window into the routine and lives of the Toads, even if it didn’t make it into the final film.
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1745532452129661433
Other concepts created for the Mario Movie
To wrap this up are a handful of concept pieces that depict various other events. First up is the Mario Kart scenes. A sketch of the group racing made by Megan can be seen, as well as a glorious Rainbow Road design.
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1748900315494232287
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1748026260230386172
Last but certainly not least are these unused scenes from very early in the movie’s development. Even though these didn’t make it into the final product, the paintings look incredible and are very interesting nonetheless!
https://twitter.com/meganroseruiz/status/1746766592766324781
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Written by Abbie Maxwell
Lifelong Nintendo fangirl, Abbie holds a special place in her heart for video games. She has always strived to provide tips and tricks to make the experiences of those who share her passions that much better.
