The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
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Watch-outs
What this film brings
Content barometer
Violence
2/5
Moderate
Fear
2/5
A few scenes
Sexuality
1/5
Allusions
Language
1/5
Mild
Narrative complexity
1/5
Accessible
Adult themes
0/5
None
Expert review
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a fast moving, colorful animated adventure made primarily for family viewing, with a playful, comedic, and heroic tone. Its sensitive content mainly involves fantasy action, chase scenes, falls, explosions, a clearly threatening villain, and several moments where characters are captured, pressured, or put in danger. The intensity stays moderate because the violence is highly stylized, there is no blood, and physical suffering is not shown in a graphic way, but the pace is constant and some sequences may still unsettle very young children, especially early scenes and major confrontations involving Bowser and his army. There are also a few scenes of ridicule and discouragement directed at Mario, which may resonate with children who are sensitive to criticism or humiliation. Most children are likely to be truly engaged from about age 6, while ages 4 and 5 may enjoy it with an adult present to reassure them during tense scenes and explain the video game style logic of the world.
Synopsis
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers—and brothers—Mario and Luigi are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi.
Difficult scenes
The film opens with Bowser attacking a penguin kingdom. The sequence includes a very powerful invader, fire, defeated and captured characters, and a palace being destroyed in a large scale visual scene. Even though it remains highly cartoonish, this opening may feel intense for a young child because of the noise, aggression, and the villain's overwhelming power. After entering the fantasy world, Mario and Luigi are separated, and Luigi ends up alone in a dark land ruled by Bowser. He is chased by skeletal creatures and eventually captured, which creates a fairly strong separation tension. Children who are especially sensitive to stories about siblings getting lost may react to this section, even though the overall movie remains reassuring. Several action scenes involve training, duels, and high energy chases, especially with Donkey Kong, the karts, and Rainbow Road. These sequences include many crashes, falls from great heights, destroyed vehicles, and repeated moments of danger in a clear video game style. The lack of realistic injury softens the effect, but the speed and constant peril may still overwhelm younger viewers. Bowser is portrayed as both funny and threatening, obsessed with marrying Peach and willing to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom if she refuses. Some scenes involve prisoners, threats of sacrifice over lava, and magical intimidation aimed at Toad. Nothing is graphic, but the mix of comedy and menace may be confusing or unsettling for preschool age children. Early in the story, Mario is mocked by his former boss and receives limited support from part of his family, especially his father. These scenes are not physically violent, but they do show a hero being belittled, criticized, and discouraged. For children who are sensitive to judgment or rejection, this kind of humiliation may stand out as much as the action scenes.
Where to watch
No verified platform for the US market yet. We keep this section updated as availability changes.
Availability checked on Apr 01, 2026
About this title
- Format
- Feature film
- Year
- 2023
- Runtime
- 1h 32m
- Countries
- Japan, United States of America
- Original language
- EN
- Studios
- Universal Pictures, Illumination, Nintendo
Content barometer
Violence
2/5
Moderate
Fear
2/5
A few scenes
Sexuality
1/5
Allusions
Language
1/5
Mild
Narrative complexity
1/5
Accessible
Adult themes
0/5
None
Expert review
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a fast moving, colorful animated adventure made primarily for family viewing, with a playful, comedic, and heroic tone. Its sensitive content mainly involves fantasy action, chase scenes, falls, explosions, a clearly threatening villain, and several moments where characters are captured, pressured, or put in danger. The intensity stays moderate because the violence is highly stylized, there is no blood, and physical suffering is not shown in a graphic way, but the pace is constant and some sequences may still unsettle very young children, especially early scenes and major confrontations involving Bowser and his army. There are also a few scenes of ridicule and discouragement directed at Mario, which may resonate with children who are sensitive to criticism or humiliation. Most children are likely to be truly engaged from about age 6, while ages 4 and 5 may enjoy it with an adult present to reassure them during tense scenes and explain the video game style logic of the world.
Synopsis
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers—and brothers—Mario and Luigi are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi.
Difficult scenes
The film opens with Bowser attacking a penguin kingdom. The sequence includes a very powerful invader, fire, defeated and captured characters, and a palace being destroyed in a large scale visual scene. Even though it remains highly cartoonish, this opening may feel intense for a young child because of the noise, aggression, and the villain's overwhelming power. After entering the fantasy world, Mario and Luigi are separated, and Luigi ends up alone in a dark land ruled by Bowser. He is chased by skeletal creatures and eventually captured, which creates a fairly strong separation tension. Children who are especially sensitive to stories about siblings getting lost may react to this section, even though the overall movie remains reassuring. Several action scenes involve training, duels, and high energy chases, especially with Donkey Kong, the karts, and Rainbow Road. These sequences include many crashes, falls from great heights, destroyed vehicles, and repeated moments of danger in a clear video game style. The lack of realistic injury softens the effect, but the speed and constant peril may still overwhelm younger viewers. Bowser is portrayed as both funny and threatening, obsessed with marrying Peach and willing to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom if she refuses. Some scenes involve prisoners, threats of sacrifice over lava, and magical intimidation aimed at Toad. Nothing is graphic, but the mix of comedy and menace may be confusing or unsettling for preschool age children. Early in the story, Mario is mocked by his former boss and receives limited support from part of his family, especially his father. These scenes are not physically violent, but they do show a hero being belittled, criticized, and discouraged. For children who are sensitive to judgment or rejection, this kind of humiliation may stand out as much as the action scenes.