With the theatrical success of ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie,’ it’s time for Nintendo to rerelease the rarest Mario movie of all

Well, it’s official, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out and doing numbers. Fans seem to be flocking to catch a glimpse of this definitive Mario adventure, and we don’t blame them. With a stacked voice cast, stunning visuals, and a feel-good story — what’s not to like?

Illumination and Nintendo worked incredibly hard to bring the animated world of Mario to life, but that hasn’t stopped fans from already calling for another animated Mario story to be rereleased to the masses. Allow us to introduce you to the rarest Mario movie never seen; Super Mario Brothers: Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach.

Get a load of that title, we love it already. One of the, if not the first-ever video game film adaptation, this 1986 anime is unlike anything ever put to film. Following Mario and Luigi as they, you guessed it, rescue Princess Peach — a piece of media like this was certainly before its time.

Animated by the since shut down Grouper Productions, Super Mario Brothers: Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach had some serious talent behind it. Directed by Masami Hata (Lilo & Stich) and written by Hideo Takayashiki, there seemed to be no shortage of talent when it came to the film’s production.

What ended up stopping the film from reaching widespread popularity came down to the purpose of its creation. Filled with animated product placement, Super Mario Brothers: Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach existed in many ways as one giant Nintendo ad. Created for promotional purposes, this story focused more on selling merchandise than being a commercial success.

Still, that hasn’t stopped the movie from garnering a cult following, as physical copies across the internet can be found for hundreds of dollars. Thankfully, no one has to pay all that coin to catch a glimpse. Plenty of well-meaning YouTubers have posted the film for free, and at a little over an hour, this story of Mario and co. is the real deal.

Check out Super Mario Brothers: Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach here.

So what are the odds that Nintendo will officially release this piece of forgotten video game lore? Sadly, not good. The reality is that Nintendo has much bigger fish to fry before catering to the whims of the internet. Not to mention the fact that coming out with any sort of competing Mario property right now probably wouldn’t bode well for their movie’s box office numbers.

Regardless, we still have hope that one day Nintendo will do something with the gem that is (say it with us); Super Mario Brothers: Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!