I think something worth note is that Luigi isn't the only man to reject or defy his society's expectations of what he should be. See: Toad. Toads as a people are largely implied by the movie to be capable, but cowardly. The Mushroom Kingdom has armed guards, and those guards are able to deal with a harmless, weaponless outsider like Mario, but they're asked to run and hide with the rest of the populace when Bowser rolls in with the Super Star. Toad, the main Toad, is the only one who stays with intent to fight and continues to support Peach from the sidelines and even somehow manages to not himself end up a captive at the wedding. Peach's dialogue when Toad first joins her and Mario even suggests that it's entirely unusual for a Toad to seek danger and challenge those who have potential to harm them. This unique bravery, alongside his great variety of skills, make him a good companion to have (although the film sadly didn't do much with his vow to protect Peach, or really let him successfully fend anyone off himself onscreen). Toad, like Luigi, is able to be a hero by kicking back against the person he's expected to be and instead doing his best to be his best self on his own terms. That's about the only thing I could see incomplete in this analysis; otherwise, absolutely brilliant video! ✨
Haven’t seen the movie yet, but your description of Luigi reminds me of Waymong Wang from Everything Everwhere All At Once. Same as Luigi, Waymond is seen by those around him as weak because he’s not the stereotypical alpha male. His “naivety” is actually his shield to survive in the world and he doesn’t shy away from the hard things in life. He also sticks by those he loves ❤
From the trailers, I thought the plot they were going to go with is Luigi being kept in the throne room, and becoming an unintentional confidant to Bowser. It would have been interesting to see Bowser have a moment of clarity before doubling down on his plans. I (and a lot of fans) were disappointed about how little screen time Luigi had. He's a great depiction of healthy masculinity (and has the perfect English VA). Fingers crossed for a Luigi's Mansion movie!
I saw someone make a mini-comic on Twitter based on that exact concept regarding Bowser and Luigi, and that's what' initially got me interested in seeing where they were gonna actually take it in the movie!
I'm a fem and Luigi has always been my favorite Mario brother. His depiction in Luigi's mansion among other depictions of him throughout the games always made him appear more human to me than really the rest of the Mario cast. What I really liked about the Illumination movie is that they took some time to give the other Mario characters more human and relatable qualities as well, especially with how the male characters you've discussed are influenced by the expectations placed on them by their society and the people around them. I think the movie did the work to bring the characterization of the Mario cast at large with the characterization of Luigi that has already been established in the games. Mario and DK bonding inside the eel over their feelings of inadequacy in the eyes of their fathers really solidified the strength of the movie and it's themes for me. But back to Luigi, his willingness to act and defend the people he cares for despite being scared shitless makes me love him so much. It means that much more for someone to go out of their way, out of their comfort zone, out of their mind in fear, to save the people they care about. Luigi rescuing Mario in Luigi's Mansion 1 and 2 is an immense act of heroism and selflessness cause poor Luigi was scared the whole damn time!! Putting your own fears aside for the well being and safety of others is so admirable in my opinion. I just LOVE Luigi so much okay. I went to NYCC '23 dressed as Luigi. Luigi is the reason I love green guys. green characters. green things. Link from the Legend of Zelda. Frogs. Slime. Whatever is green, I love it, cause of my love for Luigi.
Lovely video as always. I did take a small amount of joy in hearing Charles Martinet playing Poppa Mario and Jumpman. The part that really got me though is, through my petty gay perspective: it really sounded like Martinet said "alright, I'm playing Mario's dad, whos played by Chris P. I'm going to do a voice that is Chris P trying to do my Mario, but then make him sound older" it's a level of professionalism and pettiness I adore.
I was pretty much ready to accept that The Mario movie was just fun and not that deep, and then La'Ron came up and expands my mind. Very nice use of the characters to talk about Toxic masculinity! I like how Bowser and his "love" for Peach was portrayed in the movie, but the "finally be happy" slipped from me.
These movie people should send you a gift for this thoughtful essay. I was against watching this movie before because I thought it was only a wash grab. Now I wanna give it a try.
A dear friend of mine affectionately calls me Gay Luigi (as a reference to hotel mario and my queerness,) and she gifted me a Luigi keychain and a plushie for my birthday that I keep with me in bed. After watching both The Mario Movie and this video I realize what an aspirational character Luigi is. I'm glad to sleep with him every night.
turning in my homework: i liked it tho it wasn't stellar. i like the animation choices great but i think the voice acting only stood out for a few characters. my gf was considering the theme of over protection of some characters by others (mario to luigi, peach to the toads, and kamek to bowser) giving some trouble to those guys
This is obvious by how nice Luigi makes you feel anytime he talks to another character in the movie. Like boy you know you feel better when he tells Mario f dad.
The criticism I hear most about this movie is that the story is too simple, and I was immediately like, "There's more going on in this movie than people are giving it credit for." Thank you for articulating it better.
Loved the film! I really appreciated how the brothers actually acted like they loved and liked each other. They were always mutually supportive, they weren't snipping at each other or being pricks, and above all they worked together as equals. I liked that. I chalked it up to Nintendo's influence as America seems to prefer conflict, even amongst characters that are supposed to be on the same side, over getting along. It was also nice to see Mario just being a normal person around Peach instead of neanderthal trying to impress her because men and women can't be friends. The world building and soundtrack were great, too. It was just good fun and kind of wholesome -- attempting mass murder not withstanding.
The culmination of Mario and Luigi's own character journeys with the Superstar was such a well-thought out cinematic moment. Mario has finished his character journey, remembering that he never backs down, no matter how impossible the situation is, and won't abandon his new friends, with the commercial reminding him how not so long ago, leaving his day job was the largest risk he's ever taken, and now he's battling a fire-turtle. Luigi, despite his brief screen time, acts on his own to help his brother, but also accepts that it's ok for him to depend on him sometimes, especially when he went so far to rescue him. With Luigi now returning the favor and rescuing Mario, their bond tightens, they've reached the end of their arcs, and they grab the Superstar to now finish off Bowser together. 😭 Such a simple storyline, but SO effectively reflected on screen, strumming the strings of nostalgia as the symbolic melody of invincibility from the superstar song emboldens both brothers after they've accepted their changes, and become unstoppable because of it.
I feel like a lot of people are going to get lessons on defining characters from this movie. I’m going to look forward to creators citing it as an inspiration.
Huh, you know, I loved this movie, but I didn't really see many messages and themes in it beyond the very surface-level things I expected. Thanks for the analysis, prof!
I feel that if they ever make some kind of DK movie (and considering how much the movie is raking in its probably) I'd love to see this characterization theme on DK be explored. I can totally see a story for a Donkey Kong Country movie involving the big ape having to live up to these societal standards, specially after helping save the day with Mario, but learning that he alone cannot progress and save the day on his own by following them, but rather relying on the support of those close to him like Diddy Kong.
Great vid! There's a quote from Lord of War that I think about allot. "Doing nothing might be better then doing this". Refrence to arms dealing. Many grand ambitions have a malicious side. I have increasing respect for people who become plumbers and pizza drivers. It's harm reduction every time someone takes a job that actually contributes to daily function and joy. Ironically,I got pushed into social ambition because they wouldn't give me a pizza job. But I see honor in it.
I really hope the sequel is more fleshed out, so we get more time to really relate to these characters The character I'm mainly interested in is Donkey Kong, and while he did eventually win the approval of Cranky upon saving them, I feel his quest is far from over. First, after losing to Mario and noticing how the other Kongs popped off for him, he probably feels like he let his family down as the leader of the bunch, as you said. Although the attention of the crowd may not be as important to him anymore if he has Cranky's approval. Hearing about a DK spin off, I'm hoping at the very least Diddy continues to stick by his side, both as his emotional support and as his pupil What's of greater concern to me tho is in the final fight against Bowser, where he just got overpowered. I personally disagree with Bowser being able to overpower DK by that much, but that's besides the point. I feel like this moment would not only make DK feel self conscious about his reputation as the leader of the bunch, but also as the muscle of the team. Peach recruited the Kongs because she knew she could confide in their physical strength, and DK's whole schtick is brute strength. You can tell he was committed to helping her out and seeing it through till the end, otherwise he would've just dipped with the other Kongs after saving them from being boiled in lava (when he said "no time now, definitely later" after Cranky asked him to bounce his pecs). Him getting beat by Mario is one thing because at least Mario had a power up so it was somewhat of an excuse. But against Bowser? Bowser's literally doing the while brute strength schtick he's known for but better! And because of it, I'd imagine him feeling guilty of letting the team down, and failing to protect those he was supposed to. I'm probably looking too deep into this, since he did seem pretty happy celebrating with everyone at the end once Bowser was defeated, but still. I think this could actually be good motivation for him in the sequel to come back stronger and have a proper rematch with Bowser
Rewatching for support, but what I thought was a solid analysis of the movie, as well as a good look into the ways that masculinity could be portrayed.
Huh, i didn’t think about it but when Luigi got dungeon’d he was the only one neither panicking nor being eager to die. An unironically stoic af reaction to his situation. Not Seneca stoic but still. The Israeli movie “Chained” (2020) shows a situation where a high ranking police officer’s uncompromising aggressive posturing pushes him and his family apart, detaching between him and his loved ones in a time of crisis due to his misguided perception of his role as the man of the house as a sufficient tool for settling all arguments. Really good tragic movie I highly recommend it. Though the title translation is awful, the fondness the original title expresses really doesn’t translate directly
1. Hated it. I think I'm too big a Mario fan to enjoy it. 2. Swiss Army Man. It's all about the how societal expectations tie into suicide and it's really fun. It's also really gay, which is a plus.
To inform, Charles martinet is not Mario's original voice actor, Mario used to have a Brooklyn accent through out the 90s, and he was iconic for that from the Super Mario Bros Super Show cartoon, since they are plumbers from Brooklyn ever since, the Mario bros weren't actually from the the mushroom kingdom. The Brooklyn accent that Mario had previous to Charles martinet is the voice Chris Pratt is slightly imitating. The stereotypical squeaky voice of Charles came way later for sound effects to appeal to kids, not for Mario to have dialogue with it, when it comes to Mario's original voice actor it was the guy that voices Optimus prime which was I believe in 1986 i think, and he just gave Mario generic voice, Mario had different voice actors throughout the years until Charles came and and changed Mario's voice dramatically, which was fine, but Charles Martinet's voice would be too intolerable for movie of a larger audience especially since that voice wasn't necessarily designed for dialogue which is why Mario doesn't have real dialogue in the games
Be the Luigi you want to see in the world!❤
Wise Words! 💚🍝
Id love to hear your take on the new spiderman spider verse movie 🎥 and the queer coding in it
Luigi is the absolute legend!💚
I think something worth note is that Luigi isn't the only man to reject or defy his society's expectations of what he should be. See: Toad.
Toads as a people are largely implied by the movie to be capable, but cowardly. The Mushroom Kingdom has armed guards, and those guards are able to deal with a harmless, weaponless outsider like Mario, but they're asked to run and hide with the rest of the populace when Bowser rolls in with the Super Star. Toad, the main Toad, is the only one who stays with intent to fight and continues to support Peach from the sidelines and even somehow manages to not himself end up a captive at the wedding.
Peach's dialogue when Toad first joins her and Mario even suggests that it's entirely unusual for a Toad to seek danger and challenge those who have potential to harm them. This unique bravery, alongside his great variety of skills, make him a good companion to have (although the film sadly didn't do much with his vow to protect Peach, or really let him successfully fend anyone off himself onscreen). Toad, like Luigi, is able to be a hero by kicking back against the person he's expected to be and instead doing his best to be his best self on his own terms.
That's about the only thing I could see incomplete in this analysis; otherwise, absolutely brilliant video! ✨
You make some very good points there!
Haven’t seen the movie yet, but your description of Luigi reminds me of Waymong Wang from Everything Everwhere All At Once. Same as Luigi, Waymond is seen by those around him as weak because he’s not the stereotypical alpha male. His “naivety” is actually his shield to survive in the world and he doesn’t shy away from the hard things in life. He also sticks by those he loves ❤
From the trailers, I thought the plot they were going to go with is Luigi being kept in the throne room, and becoming an unintentional confidant to Bowser. It would have been interesting to see Bowser have a moment of clarity before doubling down on his plans. I (and a lot of fans) were disappointed about how little screen time Luigi had. He's a great depiction of healthy masculinity (and has the perfect English VA). Fingers crossed for a Luigi's Mansion movie!
I saw someone make a mini-comic on Twitter based on that exact concept regarding Bowser and Luigi, and that's what' initially got me interested in seeing where they were gonna actually take it in the movie!
I'm a fem and Luigi has always been my favorite Mario brother. His depiction in Luigi's mansion among other depictions of him throughout the games always made him appear more human to me than really the rest of the Mario cast.
What I really liked about the Illumination movie is that they took some time to give the other Mario characters more human and relatable qualities as well, especially with how the male characters you've discussed are influenced by the expectations placed on them by their society and the people around them. I think the movie did the work to bring the characterization of the Mario cast at large with the characterization of Luigi that has already been established in the games. Mario and DK bonding inside the eel over their feelings of inadequacy in the eyes of their fathers really solidified the strength of the movie and it's themes for me.
But back to Luigi, his willingness to act and defend the people he cares for despite being scared shitless makes me love him so much. It means that much more for someone to go out of their way, out of their comfort zone, out of their mind in fear, to save the people they care about. Luigi rescuing Mario in Luigi's Mansion 1 and 2 is an immense act of heroism and selflessness cause poor Luigi was scared the whole damn time!! Putting your own fears aside for the well being and safety of others is so admirable in my opinion.
I just LOVE Luigi so much okay. I went to NYCC '23 dressed as Luigi. Luigi is the reason I love green guys. green characters. green things. Link from the Legend of Zelda. Frogs. Slime. Whatever is green, I love it, cause of my love for Luigi.
Lovely video as always.
I did take a small amount of joy in hearing Charles Martinet playing Poppa Mario and Jumpman. The part that really got me though is, through my petty gay perspective: it really sounded like Martinet said "alright, I'm playing Mario's dad, whos played by Chris P. I'm going to do a voice that is Chris P trying to do my Mario, but then make him sound older" it's a level of professionalism and pettiness I adore.
I was pretty much ready to accept that The Mario movie was just fun and not that deep, and then La'Ron came up and expands my mind. Very nice use of the characters to talk about Toxic masculinity! I like how Bowser and his "love" for Peach was portrayed in the movie, but the "finally be happy" slipped from me.
as kids we liked luigi because he was rare
as teens we liked luigi because he was different
now we like luigi because he is luigi
These movie people should send you a gift for this thoughtful essay. I was against watching this movie before because I thought it was only a wash grab. Now I wanna give it a try.
A dear friend of mine affectionately calls me Gay Luigi (as a reference to hotel mario and my queerness,) and she gifted me a Luigi keychain and a plushie for my birthday that I keep with me in bed. After watching both The Mario Movie and this video I realize what an aspirational character Luigi is. I'm glad to sleep with him every night.
Question 2: Steven Universe hands down. That poor kid internalized expectations so much he had an identity crisis.
turning in my homework: i liked it tho it wasn't stellar. i like the animation choices great but i think the voice acting only stood out for a few characters. my gf was considering the theme of over protection of some characters by others (mario to luigi, peach to the toads, and kamek to bowser) giving some trouble to those guys
This is obvious by how nice Luigi makes you feel anytime he talks to another character in the movie. Like boy you know you feel better when he tells Mario f dad.
The criticism I hear most about this movie is that the story is too simple, and I was immediately like, "There's more going on in this movie than people are giving it credit for."
Thank you for articulating it better.
8:55 to 10:52 is a such a wonderfully plainspoken way to state the roots of the Crab Bucket Phenomenon in our late stage capitalist society. Bravo.
It’s almost relieving. Not directly aimed to make you miserable, but a complete crapshoot.
my gosh, I can’t even get through the first FIVE SECONDS of your video without “like”ing it because your explaining voice is so great
EXCUSE ME! The original Mario voice is Captain Lou Albano, thank you very much!
Loved the film! I really appreciated how the brothers actually acted like they loved and liked each other. They were always mutually supportive, they weren't snipping at each other or being pricks, and above all they worked together as equals. I liked that. I chalked it up to Nintendo's influence as America seems to prefer conflict, even amongst characters that are supposed to be on the same side, over getting along. It was also nice to see Mario just being a normal person around Peach instead of neanderthal trying to impress her because men and women can't be friends. The world building and soundtrack were great, too. It was just good fun and kind of wholesome -- attempting mass murder not withstanding.
Your facial expressions in the thumbnails are always fantastic, but this one is next-level. Glorious!
Withering away working a 9 to 5 enriching others instead of yourself. Not just financially but emotionally and spiritually.
The culmination of Mario and Luigi's own character journeys with the Superstar was such a well-thought out cinematic moment. Mario has finished his character journey, remembering that he never backs down, no matter how impossible the situation is, and won't abandon his new friends, with the commercial reminding him how not so long ago, leaving his day job was the largest risk he's ever taken, and now he's battling a fire-turtle. Luigi, despite his brief screen time, acts on his own to help his brother, but also accepts that it's ok for him to depend on him sometimes, especially when he went so far to rescue him. With Luigi now returning the favor and rescuing Mario, their bond tightens, they've reached the end of their arcs, and they grab the Superstar to now finish off Bowser together. 😭 Such a simple storyline, but SO effectively reflected on screen, strumming the strings of nostalgia as the symbolic melody of invincibility from the superstar song emboldens both brothers after they've accepted their changes, and become unstoppable because of it.
Luigi was by far my favorite character in the movie, reminds me of my own younger sister 😂
I feel like a lot of people are going to get lessons on defining characters from this movie.
I’m going to look forward to creators citing it as an inspiration.
Huh, you know, I loved this movie, but I didn't really see many messages and themes in it beyond the very surface-level things I expected. Thanks for the analysis, prof!
Luigi is so babygirl. ❤
Anyone who thought the movie was going to ship-tease BowserXLuigi probably shouldn't ignore any headaches
I feel that if they ever make some kind of DK movie (and considering how much the movie is raking in its probably) I'd love to see this characterization theme on DK be explored. I can totally see a story for a Donkey Kong Country movie involving the big ape having to live up to these societal standards, specially after helping save the day with Mario, but learning that he alone cannot progress and save the day on his own by following them, but rather relying on the support of those close to him like Diddy Kong.
I loved your breakdown of Luigi, I thought the Super Mario movie was a fun and enjoyable movie.
I always love learning about masculinity through you 💖💖💖
Luigi X Bowser NEEDS to be cannon! I will die on this hill!!!
This is a great analysis! I would suggest Peacemaker as a more grown-up version of these themes. It really took me by surprise.
Great vid! There's a quote from Lord of War that I think about allot. "Doing nothing might be better then doing this". Refrence to arms dealing. Many grand ambitions have a malicious side. I have increasing respect for people who become plumbers and pizza drivers. It's harm reduction every time someone takes a job that actually contributes to daily function and joy. Ironically,I got pushed into social ambition because they wouldn't give me a pizza job. But I see honor in it.
Given your content, I'm honesty surprised but also relieved that these comments aren't flooded with death threats and racial slurs
Us oldhead 80's kids wanted to see the Super Mario Super Show version of Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach.
My kids had a blast also!
Luigi is hot
I never thought there would be a deep dive video on the Mario characters from the movie version of them
Thank you so much for making this amazing video!
As a donkey Kong fan...was not and am still not a fan of Seth rogen voicing him
I really hope the sequel is more fleshed out, so we get more time to really relate to these characters
The character I'm mainly interested in is Donkey Kong, and while he did eventually win the approval of Cranky upon saving them, I feel his quest is far from over. First, after losing to Mario and noticing how the other Kongs popped off for him, he probably feels like he let his family down as the leader of the bunch, as you said. Although the attention of the crowd may not be as important to him anymore if he has Cranky's approval. Hearing about a DK spin off, I'm hoping at the very least Diddy continues to stick by his side, both as his emotional support and as his pupil
What's of greater concern to me tho is in the final fight against Bowser, where he just got overpowered. I personally disagree with Bowser being able to overpower DK by that much, but that's besides the point. I feel like this moment would not only make DK feel self conscious about his reputation as the leader of the bunch, but also as the muscle of the team. Peach recruited the Kongs because she knew she could confide in their physical strength, and DK's whole schtick is brute strength. You can tell he was committed to helping her out and seeing it through till the end, otherwise he would've just dipped with the other Kongs after saving them from being boiled in lava (when he said "no time now, definitely later" after Cranky asked him to bounce his pecs). Him getting beat by Mario is one thing because at least Mario had a power up so it was somewhat of an excuse. But against Bowser? Bowser's literally doing the while brute strength schtick he's known for but better! And because of it, I'd imagine him feeling guilty of letting the team down, and failing to protect those he was supposed to. I'm probably looking too deep into this, since he did seem pretty happy celebrating with everyone at the end once Bowser was defeated, but still. I think this could actually be good motivation for him in the sequel to come back stronger and have a proper rematch with Bowser
Rewatching for support, but what I thought was a solid analysis of the movie, as well as a good look into the ways that masculinity could be portrayed.
Yay a readus video!
Just realized that your analysis makes it clear that Bowser is analogous to Stephan Crowder. Looking forward to an analysis on D&D movie
Damn, I need to think about this for a minute.
The movie was so much fun! I had a blast my first viewing
Love the insights here that I didn’t see in my own viewing!
@14:00 There are 5 what about Toad?
Huh, i didn’t think about it but when Luigi got dungeon’d he was the only one neither panicking nor being eager to die. An unironically stoic af reaction to his situation. Not Seneca stoic but still.
The Israeli movie “Chained” (2020) shows a situation where a high ranking police officer’s uncompromising aggressive posturing pushes him and his family apart, detaching between him and his loved ones in a time of crisis due to his misguided perception of his role as the man of the house as a sufficient tool for settling all arguments. Really good tragic movie I highly recommend it. Though the title translation is awful, the fondness the original title expresses really doesn’t translate directly
uncle iroh and zuko, who?
want to be your friend. Have fun in life. Fighting
Love it
1. Hated it. I think I'm too big a Mario fan to enjoy it.
2. Swiss Army Man. It's all about the how societal expectations tie into suicide and it's really fun. It's also really gay, which is a plus.
The Beast from Beauty and the Beast
Ngl, Bowser read to me like a toxic weeb incel who would absolutely have a peach body pillow and call her his “Wifu” lmao
💚
❤
The movie brought about the onset of the Bowuigi era and I am dying with this ship 🚢 in a way Mario X DK kinda has its quirks
🥳❤️👍🏿
🐲🪠🍄🦍
To inform, Charles martinet is not Mario's original voice actor, Mario used to have a Brooklyn accent through out the 90s, and he was iconic for that from the Super Mario Bros Super Show cartoon, since they are plumbers from Brooklyn ever since, the Mario bros weren't actually from the the mushroom kingdom. The Brooklyn accent that Mario had previous to Charles martinet is the voice Chris Pratt is slightly imitating. The stereotypical squeaky voice of Charles came way later for sound effects to appeal to kids, not for Mario to have dialogue with it, when it comes to Mario's original voice actor it was the guy that voices Optimus prime which was I believe in 1986 i think, and he just gave Mario generic voice, Mario had different voice actors throughout the years until Charles came and and changed Mario's voice dramatically, which was fine, but Charles Martinet's voice would be too intolerable for movie of a larger audience especially since that voice wasn't necessarily designed for dialogue which is why Mario doesn't have real dialogue in the games