With a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 42% and an audience score of 88%, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie shows a noticeable divide between film critics and the general public. The film has also become the highest-grossing title of 2026, making it an undeniable success for Nintendo. In an interview with The Sankei News, Kumamoto University Film Studies associate professor Hiroaki Ito states that, in addition to differences in evaluation criteria, the disparity in reception may result from the very nature of the film’s production, and is likely a deliberate strategy by Nintendo.
According to Ito, both The Super Mario Bros. Movie and its sequel give the impression of being “crafted with meticulous care to avoid damaging the image of Mario,” resulting in a narrative that feels “safe” or innocuous. While going for riskier storytelling and character development arcs might have made the movies appeal more to critics who value artistic expression, Nintendo would have risked alienating fans by doing so, he argues.
Ito cites the 1993 Super Mario Bros. live-action film as an example (albeit a rather extreme one), as the movie was heavily criticized for straying too far from the source material.
During the production of the film, Nintendo famously gave the producers nearly full creative liberty, but Ito thinks the company has since “learned from this failure,” coming to prioritize audience satisfaction above all else.
Instead of trying something artistic and potentially putting the Mario IP at risk, Nintendo appears to have focused solely on appeasing fans. From the colorful and whimsical tone to the various Easter eggs and guest character appearances, the two animated movies are cute enough to appeal to children and newcomers while remaining true to the games so that adults who played them feel represented.
“Rather than focusing on film award accolades, Nintendo’s primary objective seems to be enhancing brand value as part of an intellectual property (IP) strategy and rekindling interest in its core business of games and merchandise,” Ito says.
