If one particular scene in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers has taught us anything, it’s that if you ask for Seth Rogen, you get Seth Rogen. The incoming, highly anticipated Super Mario Bros. Movie did indeed ask for Seth Rogen, and the actor’s non-existent range isn’t even the most controversial part of the voice cast.
Nevertheless, the actor’s one-note game in the realm of voice acting is a pin that he wears with pride. In an interview with ComicBook, the Invincible producer claimed that he made himself very clear when he was approached for the role of Donkey Kong, but also noted that his limited range actually fed into the character’s minimal characterization quite nicely.
“I was very clear, I don’t do voices. And if you want me to be in this movie, it’s gonna sound like me and that’s it. And that was the beginning and end of that conversation. I was like, ‘If you want Donkey Kong to sound a lot like me, I’m your guy.’ But it did seem to work, you know, I think in the film and in the game I think all you really know about Donkey Kong is that he throws barrels and he does not like Mario very much.”
The actor would go on to point out that Donkey Kong’s relative disdain for Mario – despite seemingly being on the same side of the war against Bowser – played a big role in helping him to approach the part with what vocal wiggle room he did have.
“That’s honestly kind of what I ran with was this idea that he hates Mario, that they kind have like an adversarial relationship, that he’s annoyed by him, that he doesn’t want to be stuck with him, that he wishes he was on this adventure without him. To me that was, that was funny and that was kind of the root of the character and it was kind of born of the mythology of the games.”
Speaking of the Mario mythology, it looks like this particular movie will actually hit the nail on the head this time; a far cry from the 1993 atrocity that made Nintendo reluctant to license its content for film adaptations in the first place. With gorgeous animation, a noticeably multifaceted tone that we hope doesn’t verge into pure Illumination territory, and of course, the self-sufficient richness that the universe has to offer, we think plenty of grown adults will be rightfully ignoring the The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s distinction as a kid’s film (which perhaps isn’t new for Illumination, but even so).
The Super Mario Bros. Movie will release to theaters on April 5.
