Movies

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ directors discuss Princess Peach changes

The film’s directors discuss Princess Peach straying away from her damsel in distress archetype.

Princess Peach is arguably one of the most recognizable video game characters from her iconic pink dress to her signature heart abilities.

She is set to make an appearance in ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ this spring and directors, Aaron Horvath and Micheal Jelenic, discuss the changes made to the iconic character.

The most notable difference is that Princess Peach will no longer be a damsel in distress, which is an archetype she’s continuously fallen into since the creation of her character.

The damsel in distress is a narrative device in which a young, beautiful woman is in need of rescuing, usually by the male protagonist. Princess Peach will also be much more powerful and capable than her video game persona.

Horvath told Total Film: “She’s the monarch who leads the kingdom of hapless, adorable Toads. We were thinking how strong that person would need to be to protect those people.”

“All that informed the idea for Peach’s character in our movie,” he explained.

A change in roles

True to their word, the official trailer shows Peach in a leadership position and even preparing for battle. On the contrary, Mario’s brother, Luigi, is shown to be captured by Bowser and interrogated for information.

Thus, the damsel in distress role has been given to Luigi.

“It’s Mario’s goal to save his brother from Bower’s clutches,” both directors said. “He has to go on this epic adventure to do that.”

They continued, “So, Luigi, who’s a famously nervous, anxious character, finds himself in the worst possible predicament: having to survive interrogations with Bowser, and make it through that gauntlet.”

‘Super Mario Bros.’ release

The film will follow Mario, Princess Peach, and friends as they attempt to stop Bowser from achieving his goal of conquering the world.

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ stars Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Charles Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), and Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong).

The movie is set to release in theaters on April 5.

Most viewed

More news