You’ve read the headline. You know why we’re here. When the poster for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” came out, one question seemed to be on everyone’s lips: what’s up with Mario’s flat butt?
Fans were quick to point out that, while everything else looked super duper pretty, Mario’s backside is fully flat. Totally devoid of lift. Concave, almost.
See, the problem with this is that — canonically — Mario has a plump behind. The man spends all day running and jumping and “ground pounding” things and now we’re supposed to believe he doesn’t have glutes of steel? I’m not buying it.
So when the third and final trailer was released, there was just one thing on my mind: have Nintendo and Illumination heard our cris de coeur and fixed Mario’s flat butt accordingly? It wouldn’t be the first time an animation studio has redesigned a character following fan backlash. It famously happened when the first trailer for “Sonic the Hedgehog” revealed a nightmare abomination with human teeth instead of the loveable hedgehog speedster we know and love.
WHY ARE HIS TEETH SO HUMAN pic.twitter.com/qanTExwjJI
— Preeti Chhibber (@runwithskizzers) April 30, 2019
Have Mario fans been as lucky? I went through every trailer and clip for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” frame by frame to compare the size and shape of Mario’s ass, because it’s a Friday and I’m alone in the office and no one could come up with a good enough reason as to why I shouldn’t. Here’s what I found.
First Poster — Mario’s Flat Butt Controversy Begins
Nothing there. Flat butt. This is where the drama — and the meme — started.
Teaser Trailer
Mario isn’t in the teaser for long, and it’s hard to get a good look at his ass. But we can clearly see that it’s still flat as a pancake.
First Trailer
He’s got a biiiit less of a flat butt in the official trailer, but it’s far from the badonkadonk Mario should have. It’s hard to tell if it’s actually bigger or if it’s just lit from a more flattering angle.
“Mushroom Kingdom” Clip
This gives us our best look yet at Mario’s ass. It looks a little bit bigger, and definitely more firm.
“Smash” Clip
Sadly for Mario, his flat butt returns for this clip. Interestingly, a lot of this clip also featured in the teaser trailer. Perhaps Nintendo has redesigned Mario’s flat butt but didn’t have it ready in time for this clip?
Super Mario Bros. Plumbing Commercial
Strangely, the fake commercial for Mario and Luigi’s plumbing business doesn’t feature many shots of their butts. This is the best we get, but it’s actually quite telling. Look at Mario’s butt, and then look at Luigi’s. His brother has clearly been hitting the squat rack on the reg.
Final Trailer — Has Mario’s Flat Butt Gotten Bigger?
This brings us to the third and final trailer. It’s honestly hard to tell if his butt is bigger now, because it seems to vary scene by scene. Sometimes it’s as flat as a goomba after a ground pound (performed by game-Mario, obviously) and sometimes it’s pleasingly firm and round.
Could it be that Nintendo hasn’t changed Mario’s flat butt at all, but that it simply looks bigger at different angles? Animation doesn’t have to be 100 percent realistic, after all. Butt (heh) I prefer to believe that Mario’s ass has gotten bigger, and may even be bigger in the movie. We’ll have to wait and see, but mark my words: this page will be updated after “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” hits cinemas on April 6. See you then!
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