Nintendo and Illumination’s Super Mario Galaxy movie has been a certifiable hit worldwide since its release on April 1, 2026. So far, the film has the biggest box office opening of 2026, raking in over 16 million at the box office as of Monday. That said, while this movie was well-received by the general public, fans of the Mario franchise are less than pleased.
Much of the criticisms Mario fans have of the film are indicative of much of the Family film genre. Many went into the film expecting an extensive and heartfelt story, which many animated feature films for children are able to pull off for the whole family. What many saw instead was a rather surface-level film that didn’t have much substance outside of amazing visuals.
Additionally, the largest complaints came in the form of the handling of Princess Rosalina’s character. For fans, she had much less screen time than expected, especially considering the source material, where she played an integral part. What made it worse for fans was that Rosalina had fewer appearances than Fox McCloud, the protagonist of Nintendo’s Star Fox franchise, and clearly was only put in for a cameo role. There was also a controversial change concerning both Rosalina and Princess Peach that many fans were up in arms about that connected the two Princesses.
The responses to the movie’s criticism only spurred more discussion. While the Super Mario Galaxy movie is a children’s film, that doesn’t mean it should be excused for being heavily juvenile, especially when the source material can tell a compelling story. Many animated children’s movies are highly acclaimed not only for their production but also for the gripping stories it showcases. Ignoring that only dumbs down the animation industry as a whole.
