The choice of Chris Pratt as Super Mario in the Nintendo animated film was not unanimous among fans. The latter was notably criticized by a US dubbing star, not very convinced by what she heard in the trailer.
On October 6, Nintendo unveiled the first images of the animated film Super Mario Bros, produced in collaboration with Illumination (Despicable Me, The Minions).
The trailer generated a real surge of excitement from fans of the mustachioed plumber. English-speaking fans of the hero created by Shigeru Miyamoto have even dubbed the VF of the film, in particular the voice of Mario, interpreted by Pierre Tessier.
Chris Pratt, who doubles the character in VO, was not unanimous. The actor, who promised unheard of, rather disappointed aficionados.
“I worked very closely with the directors and tried many things before arriving at something that I’m very proud of. I can’t wait for viewers to see and hear this. It’s an animated film dub , not a live action movie”he pointed out.
“I’m not going to wear a plumber’s outfit through the whole movie. I’m providing a voice for an animated, updated character and it’s something you’ve never heard in the Mario universe before”he specified.
However, after watching the trailer, English-speaking fans weren’t really convinced. The latter just hear the voice of Chris Pratt on Mario, without particular color, and do not see where is the “never heard” in there.
A big name in dubbing has come to add to the discontent in the United States: Tara Strong. The actress is a legend across the Atlantic. She is known for having lent her voice to many iconic characters, including Harley Quinn in animated films like DC Super Hero Girls. She also played the character in the series Arrow.
The 49-year-old Canadian has lent her voice to more than 600 characters in numerous animated series and video games. She could be compared to the French actress Dorothée Pousséo, dubbing star with us and Margot Robbie’s VF (and therefore Harley Quinn).
On her Twitter account, Tara Strong posted a photo of her with Charles Martinet, actor who lends his voice to Super Mario in video games.
“It should have been Charles”, she soberly commented, without quoting Chris Pratt but clearly positioning herself against this choice. The tweet received thousands of likes and caused a lot of reaction, encouraging the artist to start a debate about the commitment of Hollywood stars to animated films, to the detriment of experienced actors in the art of dubbing.
“I never understood why they wanted big celebrities to do voices instead of experienced actors. I’m not going to see an animated film because a famous actor is doing the voice of a character. I prefer that it is done correctly”said Internet user Sara Earle, in response to Tara Strong.
On the French side, no big stars of French cinema, but renowned actors in the dubbing world, such as Pierre Tessier (Mario, but also VF by Ryan Reynolds), Donald Reignoux (Kamek), Emmanuel Garijo (Toad) or Christophe Lemoine ( Bowser).
French fans hope that this cast will remain the same for the film’s release on March 29, 2023. However, we will therefore wait for the feature film to arrive to judge the performances of the dubbing actors as a whole. Chris Pratt may surprise in a positive way.
Pierre Tessier doubles his memorable roles in Voix Ouf!