Shigeru Miyamoto says “we discussed creating a unique Japanese script from the beginning” in a press interview ahead of the The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s release in Japan.


The Super Mario Bros. Movie has already been a smash hit since its release at the start of April, generating nearly $440 million at the American box office and nearly $442 million internationally, for a worldwide take of around $882 million. But the film has yet to be released in Japan, where it’s set to debut on 28th April.

Ahead of the Japanese launch, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has been interviewed by the Japanese press about his involvement in the movie. A version of the interview translated by VGC reveals that The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be quite different in Japan. “Since we were creating this movie in both Japan and the United States, we thought we should make a Japanese version as well,” he said.

Miyamoto emphasised that he wanted the film to feel like a ‘real story’, even though it deals with fictional characters. “When I see that the most important part, which is making it seem ‘like a real story’ is done carelessly, I feel disappointed. So when we decided to make this movie, we discussed creating a unique Japanese script from the beginning. Even if we were shown an English script, it would be hard to understand the subtle nuances.”

He goes on to say: “For this Japanese version, we wanted to create a script that wouldn’t be awkward when compared to Chris’s [the director] version, so we were involved in various ways up until the voice recording.”

It will be interesting to see what changes are made to the Japanese version of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. No doubt we’ll find out more in a couple of days’ time, once people have a chance to view it and spot the changes.

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